Our body is extremely communicative; it gives us signals at every step. Have you experienced a growling stomach, headache or lightheadedness? These are the hints the body gives when it requires something or when there’s trouble in the system. But in today’s fast-paced world, we tend to ignore these signals, especially when it comes to the food choices we make. Unfortunately, if you aren’t in sync with what your body is trying to communicate, you are surely ignoring one very important aspect of your health, i.e. intuitiveness. This leads us to the concept of Intuitive Eating. It implies adopting a policy of eating all kinds of foods and inculcating a habit of focusing on our hunger cues.
However, intuitive eating is different from mindful eating. They are not diets but are mindsets to trust the hunger cues and body signals. While mindful eating encourages a person to be aware and careful about what one is eating without making any judgment, intuitive eating is about providing the body with the nourishment it desires and needs as and when required.
Respect your hunger: Rules and strict diets cannot be imposed on a hungry person. Prolonged periods of dieting makes a body half-fed and food-deprived, and therefore these plans are unsustainable.
This triggers binge eating. So it’s a good idea to follow the body cues and manage the food intake accordingly.
Make peace with food: When a person is on a diet, certain foods are forbidden. Temptation no wonder follows prohibition, and self-control becomes even more difficult. In intuitive eating, our body gets the leverage to eat everything, but moderately.
Exercising also helps. You don’t have to go to the gym every day, but moving your body on a regular basis would suffice. Following intuitive eating improves digestion as you eat only when you’re hungry. This gives you the time to completely digest the food of the previous meal.
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