Learn the basics about Intuitive Eating and if it is the best eating style for you!
If you could eat whatever you want and trust yourself to choose the best things, would you do it? Or would you rather follow a structured, strict eating plan for the rest of your life?
The practice of trusting yourself and God with your food choices is the core of Intuitive Eating. Unlike dieting, Intuitive eating is not about restricted eating or regimented eating. There is no structured eating plan to follow or foods to avoid. Instead, this is a gracefilled and patient way of eating that engages your whole self – mind, body, and soul.
As children of God who are made in His image, we are invited to approach our bodies with the same love our Father has given us.
What is it?
Intuitive Eating was founded in 1995 by two dietitians, Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. According to the blog post “What is Intuitive Eating” by Evelyn Tribole,
“Intuitive Eating is an evidenced-based, mind-body health approach, comprised of 10 Principles and created by two dietitians, Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch in 1995. Essentially, Intuitive Eating is a personal process of honoring health by listening and responding to the direct messages of the body in order to meet your physical and psychological needs.”
While dieting tends to focus on external cues, like the number on the scale, the size of your pants, and what you see in the mirror, Intuitive Eating is the process of trusting internal cues for your food choices.
The principles of Intuitive Eating shift you away from an attitude of negativity and restriction, which is harsh and judgmental. Instead, they move you towards an attitude of kindness and care toward your body and its particular needs.
Who is it for?
Intuitive Eating is for:
– Someone open to trusting themselves and God with their food choices
– Someone who is finished with fad diets and constant restriction
– Someone who knows they have been given a good body but need the next step forward
– Someone who wants to enjoy life to the fullest and embody God’s sufficiency
– Someone who wants to love God with all their heart, mind, and strength
However, not everyone is in a mental, emotional, or physical place to begin Intuitive Eating. There is grace! It is good to recognize where you are.
For example, if you have a deep sense of restriction and mistrust of yourself, your body, or others, or if you’re currently struggling with an eating disorder or eating disorder tendencies, Intuitive eating won’t be for you right now. Instead, God may be inviting you into a season of deep healing and recovery.
It All Starts With Love
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
When you have lived a lifetime of binging and restricting, it can be challenging to approach your food choices and your body with love and trust.
But, as a child of God, this is where everything begins.
From Genesis to Revelation, we see God moving and working within the world with love as His foundation. God does everything out of love, by love, and for love. In 1 John 4:8 we’re even reminded that God is love!
As children of God who are made in His image, we are invited to approach our bodies with the same love our Father has given us.
Intuitive Eating has everything to do with trusting our body; that trust comes from knowing Whose and who we are. Because we know the God of love, we can trust Him. Because we trust Him, we can learn to trust our God-given intuition regarding our bodies.
Health At Every Size
Intuitive Eating is about health, rather than your body weight. As it turns out, you can achieve a state of health at any size by following these four habits: regular activity, five fruits and vegetables a day, no smoking, and low alcohol consumption.
So, if weight gain or weight loss doesn’t automatically affect my overall health, then what is life about? It’s not about body weight.
If you want to transition to Intuitive Eating, ask yourself: Is life about my body, or is my body about my life?
If life is about your body, then all your external cues really matter. You live by the scale, and you die by the image in the mirror. Your measurement of health is restricted to a certain weight or BMI, and changes in metabolism and age do not come with a warm welcome.
But if your body is about your life (your body is here to serve your life), then you are interested in living a life embodied. Intuitive eaters know that changes will come, obstacles will arise, and feasts will be laid before them. But they are ready to respond with love, trust, and joy in all situations.
If this is the kind of life you want to live, Intuitive Eating is for you.
Alisa Keeton, Founder of Revelation Wellness.
Author, speaker, and freedom bringer Alisa’s life’s purpose is to make healthy disciples who make healthy disciples. She believes in the power of the Body Of Christ and its many unique parts making up one complete whole. Like any body, it grows best under tension. We are living in the best of times for tension. Let’s train!
Everything You Need to Know
If you’re tired of dieting and you want to enjoy the body God designed, Intuitive Eating might be for you! The Christian’s Guide to Intuitive Eating: Trusting God With Your Food will answer all your questions about Intuitive Eating, from “What is it?” to “Can I lose weight with Intuitive Eating?”
But that’s not all.
The point of Intuitive Eating isn’t just about a new way to eat. If you’ve been in diet culture for most of your life, Intuitive Eating can be a way to surrender your food choices and body image to the goodness of God. Because God cares about the whole you. You won’t be looking at the world’s prescription for the perfect body anymore. Instead, you’ll trust God has made your body with specific needs that can be met with the help of the Holy Spirit.
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