Are you tired of dieting and feeling guilty about what you’re eating? Well, health experts reveal there is a way to get rid of ideas about what you should or shouldn’t eat. Generally, nutritionists and dieticians urge that human beings are born to eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full. But sometimes, this natural way to enjoy food gets lost in emotion cues, food rules, and restrictions, this is when dieting comes in. With intuitive eating however, it’s about building trust in your body to know what, when, and how much to eat. Intuitive eating is characterised by eating in response to physiological hunger and satiety cues rather than emotional cues, and not considering certain foods to be forbidden. Rachael Hartley,RD,LD, a certified intuitive eating counsellor defines intuitive eating as a non-diet approach to eating, which helps one to unlearn external rules, like diet rules and expectations of what and how much one should eat. Intuitive eating puts you in charge of your eating, and for this reason, it comes along with benefits such as reduced overeating, fewer eating disorder behaviours and disordered eating, decreased binge eating among other health benefits. Private Kamanzi, a dietician and nutritionist says being mindful of the food you eat can promote better digestion, keep you full with less food, and most importantly, influence wiser choices about what you eat in the future. “Intuitive eating can also help you free yourself from unhealthy habits around food and eating guidelines.” Ways to achieve this The guidelines to achieving intuitive eating include respecting your hunger, Kamanzi says. He explains that hunger is the body’s way of communicating that it needs nourishment. Keeping your body adequately fed is crucial to heal your relationship with food. “With this, it’s essential for one to keep their body fed with adequate energy and carbohydrates, otherwise you can trigger a primal drive to overeat. Once you reach the moment of excessive hunger, all intentions of moderate, conscious eating are fleeting and irrelevant,” he says. Also, its essential for one to always feel their fullness. This is an intuitive eating principle that’s all about tuning in with your body while eating and listening to those signals that are telling you, you have had enough or you still need more. Honouring your hunger and respecting your fullness go hand in hand. In addition to this, Erick Musengimana, a nutritionist at Rwanda Diabetes Association-Kigali says discovering a satisfaction factor is also essential. This, he notes that it is a practice that involves your mind and body listening to your body signals and taste buds, and also considering your environment and emotional state. All of the principles of intuitive eating help support our ability to eat a satisfying meal. “When you eat foods that are satisfying, you may eat less, because the whole experience is more enjoyable. Because, while you can fill your stomach with any food, satisfaction is paramount,” he adds. On the other hand, Sylvester Twizerimana, a psychologist based in Rubavu District says it has been established that one shouldn’t use food to cope with emotions, but instead be intentional when it comes to food consumption. “When food is used to numb or avoid a feeling, eating becomes mindless, without enjoyment. This makes it an ineffective coping skill and wont help you feel any better. Instead, slow down and pay attention. Make eating an active choice,” he says. Moving forward, nutritionists say that exercise is also another guide for intuitive eating. Here, Kamanzi notes that this can work well if one gets involved in the best exercise they enjoy most. Just like with eating, he says exercise is best approached intuitively. Find activities you enjoy, even if they aren’t the common known ones as sports or gym workouts. Gardening, dancing, and playing with your dog also count as exercise. “Enjoyable exercise is stress-relieving, and a form of self-care especially when it is no longer shackled to weight loss expectations,” he says.
