Q+A: So I should eat chocolate and whatever I crave ?

I love your tumblr ! Really inspiring !! But I am confused…, if I understand well, when starting intuitive eating I should eat chocolate and whatever I crave ?

Thank-you so much! 🙂

In short: yes.

But to expand on that:

Intuitive Eating is based on the Eating Guidelines, which are:

  1. Eat when you are hungry.
  2. Eat sitting down in a calm environment. This does not include the car.
  3. Eat without distractions. Distractions include radio, television, newspapers, books, intense or anxiety-producing conversations or music.
  4. Eat what your body wants.
  5. Eat until you are satisfied.
  6. Eat (with the intention of being) in full view of others.
  7. Eat with enjoyment, gusto, and pleasure.

(source: Geneen Roth “Women, Food, and God”)

Now, it is important to keep in mind that these are guidelines and are not meant to be taken as laws to be obsessed over. Rather, they are suggestions for healthy eating.

And, yes, if you are craving chocolate – eat chocolate! If you are craving pizza – eat pizza! And if you crave chicken salad – eat that, too!

The goal in the early stages of Intuitive Eating is to learn to listen to your body (your hunger/fullness signals) and to be in-tune with what it is craving, and to feed it. Without guilt. Without shame. Without rules or “good”/”bad” labels.

In the beginning, especially if you’ve spent a lot of time restricting yourself from eating certain foods, your diet may look kind of odd – I ate Nanaimo bars for breakfast/lunch/dinner for 2 weeks! (Anne Lamott – author – ate cheezies and frosting lol) but once your mind begins to realize that these foods are on an “equal playing field” with all other foods and are no longer a sign of “rebellion” or a novelty, your body will no longer crave them all the time – only on occasion.

Intuitive Eating is a learning process, and not one that you can get “right” or “wrong”. It is simply a way of living. It takes some practice, and you will never be “perfect” at it – but once you realize that it’s not about being perfect, anyways, that won’t matter anymore.

It’s all about stripping the guilt and the shame from food and eating, and replacing it with a simple enjoyment in our ability to feel hungry and be fed. And enjoy what we eat!

I wish you the best – happy eating!

~Lauren B.

PS – if you haven’t read it yet, I encourage purchasing the original “Intuitive Eating” book by Evelyn Tribole & Elyse Resch

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