Intuitive eating is something people have been doing for years, but it only recently got a trendy label. This simple means you use your body and mind as a guide to when and how much you should eat. In the ideal situation, you get cues of hunger from your body. You eat when you are hungry, and stop eating when you are full. The problem is that diet fads and the weight loss industry tries to teach you to restrict food groups, severely undereat, and constantly track everything.
Here are some ways intuitive eating can help with hunger control and help you feel healthier and well-balanced.
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| Live Science |
You Learn Proper Hunger Cues
You may not realize it, but your constant hunger and big appetite may just be imbalanced hunger cues. You might be getting cues about what to eat or how much to eat from incorrect sources. This could be that you are at a restaurant with huge portions, at a buffet with a lot of food options, or you are constantly snacking in front of the TV at home. This makes it hard to really judge when you are actually hungry, or when your mind and body are just going along with what you are used to. Intuitive eating is great for stopping these bad habits and teaching you to know when you are actually hungry.
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| SHAPENESS |
You Can Tell the Difference Between Hunger and Other Feelings
A big part of intuitive eating is teaching you how to understand when you are hungry, and when your body or mind is telling you something else. Sometimes it is because you are thirsty, other times you are just bored or stressed or looking for a quick fix. Whatever the case is, you really learn about how to know when you are craving food or something else entirely.
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| The Fruit Doctor |
You Ditch the Dieting Mentality
Lastly, one of the biggest issues with the diet industry is that it can make you think food is “bad” or “good”. This is terrible for your mental and physical health. What often happens is that people go on these crash diets, get cravings or hunger, binge, and gain weight. Then they repeat the cycle over and over again. Intuitive eating urges you to stop dieting altogether and instead just focus on your hunger cues. It does take time, but soon you ditch the dieting mentality altogether and just eat when you’re hungry.
