Intuitive Eating Combating Eating Disorders

By: Sarah Pittman, BS Graduate Student in Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) estimates there are at least 30 million people who suffer from disordered eating.  Disordered eating does not only mean being diagnosed with anorexia, bulimia, or other commonly recognized eating disorders. Someone who spends most of their day thinking about food may have disordered eating says ANAD.

Weight shaming:

Many people avoid going to the doctor’s office because they are terrified of stepping on the scale.  No one wants to hear the medical professional tell them to lose weight. People who are overweight also may avoid certain activities or opportunities.  They may be afraid of what people may think or say. This may lead to a roller coaster of emotions and tried and failed diets. The result is a negative relationship with food, feeling guilty for eating anything at all.

Intuitive eating is a plan that is backed by over 120 studies that show success in overcoming disordered eating.

The plan focuses on 10 principles:

1. Reject the diet mentality
2. Honor your hunger
3. Make peace with food
4. Challenge the food police
5. Discover the satisfaction factor
6. Feel your fullness
7. Cope with your emotions with kindness
8. Respect your body
9. Movement-feel the difference
10. Honor your health-gentle nutrition

The goal of Intuitive Eating is not weight loss.  Some people may gain weight, lose weight or a combination of both. The plan helps people obtain “food freedom”.  This means eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are full. People can eat the foods that they really want and not what some diet tells them to. This can help improve individual’s lives by not thinking about food all day long!

Want to learn more? Visit: https://www.intuitiveeating.org/about-us/ or read the book: Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole, MS, RDN, CEDRD-S and Elyse Resch, MS, RDN, CEDRD-S, Fiaedp, FADA, FAND.

Sources:

LaMotte, S. (2020). She learned to love eating — and herself — despite a doctor fat shaming her. [online] CNN. Available at: https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/22/health/eating-disorders-intuitive-eating-wellness/index.html [Accessed 24 Feb. 2020].

Intuitive Eating. (2020). 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating | Intuitive Eating. [online] Available at: https://www.intuitiveeating.org/10-principles-of-intuitive-eating/ [Accessed 24 Feb. 2020].

Photo from Unsplash by Victoria Shes