Practicing Gentle Nutrition

I’m sure most of us have experienced the terrible feelings of shame and guilt that result from falling off a diet bandwagon. Dieting often seems like a never ending cycle of restriction and deprivation followed by overwhelming feelings of self-loathing. We berate ourselves, trying to control our cravings and appetites and agonizing over every single food choice, but healthy eating doesn't have to be so complicated and difficult! Gentle nutrition, the tenth principle of intuitive eating, is about approaching health and nutrition from a relaxed and flexible perspective. With this approach, we don’t cut out any food groups, and we don’t moralize food. When we practice gentle nutrition, all types of food can be a part of a healthy and balanced diet.

Gentle nutrition can be a difficult concept to accept, especially if you’ve been influenced by years of diet culture. Diet culture is constantly sending us messages about how food is harmful, and that we need to cut out foods and restrict our diets. This over emphasis on restriction creates a sense of urgency in our brains. Urgency is what motivates us to act: when we feel like something might not be available to us, we are more motivated to act to get it. The more we feel like we can’t have something or we won't have access to it, the more we want it, and the more urgently we pursue it. When we go on a diet, we are in effect, telling ourselves that certain foods are limited to us. In doing so, we are creating a sense of urgency around these foods, causing our brains to more actively pursue and desire these foods. Gentle nutrition throws all of these mind games out the window. Gentle nutrition is about giving ourselves unconditional permission to eat any and all foods. Once we genuinely stop thinking of certain foods as “off-limits” or as “good” or “bad” we can come to a place where we are more capable of making rational and sound decisions in order to best nourish and sustain our bodies. Gentle nutrition is a practice of self-care, not self-control. It is about eating without restriction and anxiety, allowing us to feel happy, satisfied, and relaxed about eating. 

How to Navigate Emotional Eating As It Relates to Intuitive Eating

Emotional eating is a challenge that many people face, and there are many reasons why a person may struggle with emotional eating. Restriction, both physical and mental, plays a huge role in emotional eating. On a physical and biological level restrictive diets that are low in calories and nutrients throw our hunger cues and appetites out of whack. This is because when we diet and severely restrict our intake, we force our bodies to operate in a state of deprivation. Our bodies naturally respond to this deprivation by increasing our hunger signals and appetite, causing us to intensely crave foods that tend to be higher in fat, salt, and sugar. It becomes harder and harder to resist these foods, until we finally give in to the temptation, and go all out - consuming large quantities of the very foods we are restricting. 

Mentally, the more we deprive ourselves of something the more we want it. We see this concept all the time with children - the more we tell a child they can't do something or have something, the more they want it. It works just the same for us as adults. The more we tell ourselves that we can't have chocolate, or we can't have ice cream, the more we want it. Our brains tend to hyperfixate on the things we mentally emphasize. The more we emphasize what we can’t have, the more our brains will fixate on it, reminding us of what we are missing out on, making it nearly impossible to resist every temptation we face. Instead, it is much more effective to approach eating from an “all foods fit” model, giving ourselves unconditional permission to eat any and all foods. Doing this takes the emphasis off of food, and removes the moral virtue we attach to food. Once the emphasis is taken off food, it becomes much easier to enjoy it, and to make healthy rational choices about what and how to eat. 

Principle #7 of intuitive eating states that in order to make peace with food, we must learn to cope with our emotions with kindness. Using food in any way to cope with emotions, whether it's loneliness, anxiety, or depression, is a significant hindrance to practicing true intuitive eating. Getting down to the source of the problem and the core of the emotions that we are experiencing is key to resolving emotional eating. There are many ways to learn to cope with emotions. Journaling is one very powerful tool for gaining self-knowledge and a sense of control over our emotions. Journaling can help us to get in touch with ourselves and to understand where our thoughts and feelings are coming from. Additionally, consulting with a mental health professional is always beneficial. Mental health professionals provide guidance, compassion, and a safe space to discuss thoughts and feelings. They are also trained to identify and resolve any problems we may be facing. Registered Dietitian Nutritionists who operate from an intuitive eating model are also a key resource for healing our relationship with food and for developing positive coping mechanisms.