The Art of Intuitive Eating

By Kristen Lavigne

When I was younger, in my teens and twenties, eating was only about survival.  I ate healthy to stay thin, and when I ate out of pleasure it came along with the guilt of possible weight gain.  Eating had nothing to do with nourishing my body and enjoying the wonderful foods that our planet provides.  Eating was about the end result, and for me that was to have a cute little body.  I had forgotten how to eat intuitively.  After more then one health scare I had to rethink my motivation behind eating.  A light bulb went off in my busy little brain, and for the first time I realized that my body had a voice.  My body was screaming to me its unhappiness, but I was too caught up in the mental world to listen.  I had to stop doing and start listening, and by doing this I found my way to becoming an intuitive eater.

Becoming an intuitive eater takes just one small step, and that step is developing your inner sensitivity or inner listening.  When you are present your body will tell you exactly what it needs.  There is no diet plan for an intuitive eater.  Once you put a definition on your eating style you shut off your ability to listen.  I am not a vegetarian, vegan, or carnivore.  I am Kristen and I eat what my body needs.  Do not ever define your eating, just listen and eat.

When listening to our bodies we must find the difference between the voice of our mental body and the actual voice of our physical body.  The mental body has a way of playing little tricks on us.  It is very good at its job, and usually that job is to make us stop listening and just start acting.  The mental body tells you that this pizza is so good that you really need another piece.  Your body may be full, but oh that gooey cheese tastes so good.  The mental body takes us away from the present, it speeds things up.  Makes things confusing, makes you rush.  So to decipher the difference you need to access how you feel.

The voice of your body is an entirely different language then your mental body.  The mental body is all about chatter, while the physical body is all about feelings.  When I have a craving for a certain food I always step back and center myself.  I take a deep breath to calm my mind, and I access how I feel about the food I am craving.  If the craving is still there after I have calmed my mind then I go ahead and eat what I am craving.  Eating should never be about denying and all about allowing.  You may get some strange cravings, but eating is an adventure so just go with it.  Remember to eat slowly and enjoy.  Enjoy the experience of eating!  No need to rush.  Eating slowly not only helps you savor your food, but by doing this you also aid digestion and give your body the time send you the cues that your body has had enough food.  When the meal is through the listening does not end there.  The way you feel after you eat is the end conversation between you and your body.  You should feel light and energized after eating a meal.  If you feel sluggish, have bloating, or have heartburn then your body is telling you that it is not happy.  When you experience negative symptoms form eating then you just need to reassess your cravings.  Sometimes cravings are actually food addictions and by listening to your body and viewing your reactions to your food you can figure the difference.

Food addictions happen.  We live in a world with a myriad of food choices, and we have to eat to live.  By listening to your body and seeing the reaction you get to certain cravings you will figure the difference between your body telling you what it needs and your mental body telling you what it wants.  Food addictions feed the mental body.  They stir up emotions.  There is a big difference between a feeling and an emotion.  Happiness, sadness, depression, anxiety these are all emotions.  Food should not provide emotional responses.  Yes you should enjoy your food.  Make food delicious and exciting, but always remember that happiness comes from within.  When you receive an emotional response from a food there is a good chance you have a food addiction.  Do you ever hear people say that they are monsters in the morning until they have their first cup of coffee?  That is a prime example of a food addiction.  You need something for a certain emotional response.  If that person listen to the language of their body they would get and entirely new perspective.  Your body should be able to naturally wake up without feeling groggy.  More then likely your body is saying that it needs more sleep, but instead of listening we feed it stimulants so we can accomplish all the things on our agenda.  Now I am not saying it is bad to drink coffee, no not at all.  Nothing is off limits in my food world.  What is important is to listen to the language of your body and go from their.

So on your journey to being an intuitive eater be gentle with yourself as you learn the language of your body.  Over time you will learn to read the signals.  We all fall many times over, but our mistakes are our greatest teachers.  You will never learn what your body doesn’t want unless you listen.  Never deny yourself, never criticize yourself, just listen and eat.  A meal is an offering to your body.

Give your body love and be happy!