Nutrition

Have you ever wondered what it is like to work with an intuitive eating dietitian? I’ll give you three things that you can expect when you start working with one. You might be a little surprised.

We care far more about WHY you eat and less about WHAT you eat

Of course, we care about our client’s health, but honestly, nutrition is a smaller piece of that. A positive relationship to food is far more important. I care far more about WHY someone eats the way they do rather than what. Think about it for a minute. If you think that eating a donut is causing irreversible harm, then the stresses and anxieties surrounding that are probably more problematic. Or on the flip side, if you associate eating vegetables as a form of punishment, then that association is a big part of the problem. I never ignore the nutritional components of my clients’ diet, but there are usually more significant issues to focus on before we get into the weeds of nutrients. We can definitely use nutrition as a tool, but it’s not typically the very first one we focus on when starting an intuitive eating journey.

There is not a one-size-fits-all approach to intuitive eating

Intuitive eating is based on ten principles that can guide you to a more peaceful and productive relationship with food. These principles are rooted in evidence, but there is a reason that they are called “principles” and not rules – principles are flexible. An intuitive eating journey isn’t linear, nor does it have to follow the principles in order. Based on what my clients are feeling and responding to, we might jump around the framework. It’s important to know that intuitive eating is also compatible with other types of self-care. Some of my most successful clients get support from not just me but also a mental health counselor. Food and nutrition therapy and mental health therapy go together like PB&J. Whatever type of support you choose from me, it’s always going to be individualized to your history and needs.

Intuitive eating is compatible with medically necessary diets, just not diet culture

It sounds like I’m saying the same thing, right? Let me explain. Most dieting is not medically necessary. For example, doing keto for the average, generally healthy person is not necessary. And often, there is way more than one nutrition strategy to manage a chronic illness. Cutting out carbs doesn’t necessarily help your diabetes, and it’s a not sustainable solution given carbs are a nutrient. There are multiple approaches to manage diabetes that don’t involve cutting out an entire nutrient. Even the American Diabetes Association doesn’t recommend one specific diet for the management of diabetes. However, many approaches could help you manage your blood sugar. Intuitive eating has a big focus on responding to how you feel, so if you’re eating with zero regards to your blood sugar fluctuations, chances are you are going to feel pretty crappy. Even if there is only one significant way to manage a condition, like in the case of an allergy – you can still incorporate intuitive eating practices. For example, if you are allergic to eggs, and you eat eggs with zero regards to how they make you feel, that’s not intuitive eating because you aren’t taking care of your needs and eating a known allergen is undoubtedly dangerous. Intuitive eating takes taste and culinary preferences into significant consideration, but they certainly not the only consideration. It’s about the whole picture.

Part of the individualization of the support you receive from an intuitive eating dietitian also takes into consideration your medical conditions. Intuitive eating is generally compatible with all sorts of medical conditions, and you can be assured that whatever recommendations are given are aligned with those in mind.

How to get started working with an intuitive eating dietitian

As you can tell, there is a lot of nuance in an individual’s intuitive eating journey. Sifting through all of this without support can be overwhelming and even scary. If this is you, then you would benefit from working with an intuitive eating dietitian. To see if I’m a good fit for YOUR needs, you can book a free video call with me and we can chat more.

Disclaimer: This website is for informational and educational purposes only. The website isn’t a substitute for individual medical or mental health advice. It does not constitute a provider-patient relationship.

Did you know that there are more types of hunger than just physical hunger? Specifically, there are four different types of hunger that can help you understand your own signs of hunger and individual needs through intuitive eating. These types of hunger include physical, emotional, taste, and practical hunger. Some of these can occur at the same time or completely independent of one another.

Physical Signs of Hunger

Physical hunger is the one that most people are most familiar with – but that’s not always the case. It is possible not to know what physical hunger feels like, which can stem from continually suppressing the signal. And many aren’t familiar with the subtle signs of physical hunger, such as merely beginning to think about food. Understanding the subtle signs of hunger can help you eat with attunement to your body’s needs. These are a few ways (obvious and maybe not so obvious) that physical hunger manifests:

• Stomach: growling, rumbling, gurgling
• Throat or esophagus: dull ache or gnawing feeling
• Head: light-headed, dizzy, faint, difficulty focusing
• Mood: thinking about food, cranky, irritable, “hangry”
• Energy: waning, lethargic, tired

If you want to understand physical hunger and its nuances better, I recommend using a hunger fullness scale like this one to explore your feelings of physical hunger.

Emotional Hunger

Emotional hunger is something that many people fear by thinking that emotional eating is always problematic. In actuality, emotional eating can be helpful. We’re wired as humans to soothe and fix uncomfortable feelings. Physical hunger is an uncomfortable feeling, so we eat to soothe it – problem solved. Boredom, loneliness, stress, and grief are all uncomfortable feelings, so it’s natural for us to try something like eating (that is generally enjoyable or can be enjoyable) to soothe those feelings too. Food won’t fix many of those problems, so it’s important to seek other coping mechanisms that help the root issue. And other times, coming home from work after a really crappy day and eating something that evokes pleasant memories or experiences can genuinely feel good. And that’s okay too. Emotional eating is entirely valid.

Taste Hunger

Taste hunger happens when it’s just that food tastes good or a special occasion where it is part of the ritual to eat (like a wedding cake, for example) even if you’re not physically hungry. These are both acceptable. From a taste perspective, we are wired to enjoy highly palatable foods. If you’re not physically hungry and wanting to enjoy food for the sake of taste, pause after a few bites and ask if the taste is just as good as when you took your first bite. Taste satisfaction will dissipate. Another question to ask if you’re not sure is, “when will I be able to enjoy this particular food truly? Is it now, or will it be better later?” Either way, you get to enjoy any food you want, whenever you want, and the bottom line is to enjoy the taste and move on. Don’t get hung up on feeling guilty – that’s the part that typically disrupts our ability to do what’s best for ourselves.

Practical Hunger

Practical hunger isn’t hunger, per se. It’s more about the practicality of keeping yourself from getting too hungry. Here’s a situation – you try not to schedule meetings during lunchtime, but one comes up anyway, and it’s not appropriate for you to eat during the meeting. You know, after the meeting, you’ll be hungry, and this meeting sometimes runs over. So, you opt to eat lunch before you go to the meeting to ensure you have a sustained amount of energy and don’t find yourself hangry after the meeting.

More on Signs of Hunger and Cues

As a VERY general rule of thumb, you can assume that physical hunger will likely hit at least every 3-5 hours, which can help you plan ahead for windows of time that you will likely be hungry. Keep in mind we are not machines or robots. Your activity level, hormone fluctuations, what you ate the day before or even the meal before, etc., are all just a few factors that impact our hunger cues, so it’s completely normal and natural to have hunger outside of those windows. When you experience hunger in any of its forms, the important thing is that you honor it.

Are you interested in understanding more about your body’s cues through intuitive eating? Book a free session to work with me to cultivate a better relationship with food and your body through intuitive eating.

There is so much fear these days around carbs (carbohydrates). You’ll read about one fad diet or another vilifying carbs for weirdest reasons nearly every single day. Some of the silliest include that carbs make you gain weight; you can’t digest them well; they are just plain evil and responsible for all that’s wrong in the world – or at least that’s what it feels like at times. As a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, I’m here to say: no, no, and NO! Please eat carbs. Here are my top reasons why carbs are essential to a healthy, balanced diet. 

Carbs are mostly plant-based and full of vital micronutrients like vitamins and minerals. 

Anything that comes from the ground contains carbohydrates. Dig back into your memory from high school biology. Remember photosynthesis? You know, how plants make and store their food? Carbohydrates are a byproduct of this process. Fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains have varying degrees of carbohydrates. By forgoing carbs all together or limiting them to meager amounts, essential nutrients intakes can be compromised. Including a variety of plant-based foods in your diet gets increasingly difficult, the more that carbs are restricted. Ditching bananas? You’ll also be ditching potassium, vitamin C, and magnesium. Are you saying goodbye to sweet potatoes? There goes a good source of vitamin A and B6. 

Carbs help healthy gut bacteria thrive. 

Carbs that are high in fiber (“complex carbs”) are mana to good bacteria in our guts. Studies have shown that fermentable fibers help keep a healthy variety of good bacteria in our intestines. Good bacteria help keep our gastrointestinal tract healthy and act as an immune barrier to harmful bacteria that can make us ill. Carbohydrates that can help feed our microbiome include whole grains, fruits, beans, and vegetables. Some gastrointestinal disorders may cause maldigestion of certain carbs, but this is highly individualized and does not apply to the general population. Those with this type of digestive problem can still eat carbs, but certain ones may be better tolerated. You should always consult your doctor or dietitian for more specific recommendations. 

Carbs play an essential role in heart health and diabetes.

Soluble fiber found in carbohydrates has a lowering effect on Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (or LDL cholesterol). High levels of LDL cholesterol is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Soluble fiber is found in carbohydrate foods like oats, beans, fruits, and vegetables. Also, getting a consistent pattern of high fiber carbohydrates can help to regulate blood sugar and energy levels throughout the day. The American Diabetes Association does not recommend one specific diet or to completely cut out carbs. What is most important is focusing on an eating pattern that feels good to the individual and is sustainable. 

Here’s the bottom line: eat carbs and enjoy them.

Cutting carbs to extremes can have a detrimental effect on your ability to sustain a healthy, balanced lifestyle. It can also contribute to yo-yo dieting, which can cause metabolic damage. Focus on fiber-rich carbohydrates most of the time. If you enjoy more processed high carbohydrate drinks and foods, enjoy in moderation. If you feel out of control around carbohydrates, that feeling might change when you include a healthy amount of carbohydrates such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes throughout your day. 

If you aren’t sure how to take steps to include carbohydrates into your diet, let’s chat! I’d be happy to schedule a free introduction call with you to see what I can do to help you with this topic. Check out my services page to learn more. 

Sources:

Food Components and Dietary Habits: Keys for a Healthy Gut Microbiota Composition

Prebiotics: Definition, Types, Sources, Mechanisms, and Clinical Applications

Fiber and Prebiotics: Mechanisms and Health Benefits