Hey guys, Board-certified health instructor Chloe Maleski is here to answer your question about intuitive eating. Wondering what intuitive eating is and whether it is primary? We are here with guidance and support! Have a question you would like to ask our health coach? Leave it in the comments on the Marks Daily Apple Facebook group or above.
Janice asked:
“I’m thinking of doing an intuitive eating program. What good? Is that primitive? Can I do both? I’m confused! “
First, you’re not alone, Janice! It’s easy to get confused by the diet and the many ways to eat there – many of which offer contradictory advice.
One important thing to keep in mind is that no one diet is the best for everyone. What is “good” or “best” for you depends on a number of factors, including individual characteristics and conditions, health and wellness goals, and issues related to resources and accessibility.
That said, there are definitely some foods and eating habits that are harmful to almost everyone. When it comes to health, longevity and vitality, a diet rich in sugar, highly refined seed oil, fast food and processed foods is never a good idea!
On the other hand, eating in a way that is more closely related to what our ancestors ate is more likely to support healthy results. At the most basic level, we are really talking, the whole food in its most natural state or with minimal processing. Think:
The above are the primary ingredients and give our body what it needs to improve – not just survival. Over time, when people eat in this way, people usually become intuitive eaters in terms of knowing what their body wants and when they are hungry. As a result, they are less likely to engage in stressful, anxious, monotonous or casual eating or emotional eating out of normal habits.
Usually, this is not the case when we eat a diet full of “modern” foods that interfere with our endocrine system and metabolism while contributing to systemic inflammation. Cereals and sugar are a big culprit in this case. If these foods disrupt our body’s signaling system and make us sensitive to the natural sweetness of the whole food as well as the feeling of hunger and satiety, then “eating consciously” is difficult if not impossible. Because of their very physiological effects on our endocrine system and insulin levels, grains and sugar increase the craving for more grains and sugar!
Early eating = eating consciously
That is to say, eating primal is eating intuitively. This is especially the case if you promise to eat primal in a consistent manner and follow other basic blueprint rules. These, in addition to food choices, affect our body’s hormonal signaling system and determine whether we are communicating with what we actually want and need.
While all 10 basic blueprint laws are important, here are the key ones:
Think. If you follow these three, as well as eat plants and animals and avoid toxic things (including the grains, sugar and high-processed foods mentioned above), you are bound to feel better and know intuitively what food your body wants and when.
Eating Intuitively = Intuitive Eating
Easy, isn’t it? And yet, we humans tend to complicate things …
There is a complete practice and method known as intuitive eating (with a capital “I” and “E”). This method is in a major way detached from the initial blueprint law. As such, one of the key principles of intuitive eating is the unconditional permission to eat as much as your body wants. As we learned above, it becomes harder that what you eat will determine what your body wants.
For some people, this unconditional “green light” helps reduce stress and helps them heal from unhealthy eating and dieting and poor posture around body image. In such instances, an intuitive eating pattern can lead to really healthy, intuitive eating habits (and even lead people to an early diet, which is the best food from a physiological and evolutionary point of view).
For others, the method may backfire, for the simple reason that the foods we choose have very physiological effects. If eating sugar and cakes is allowed, you eat sugar and cakes … well, your whole physiology will end up wanting and wanting the same thing.
Because there is no single method that works for everyone, it’s up to you to test and be honest about why a particular method resonates. Is it “allowed”? Need to eat a blanche cake? Or something different?
There is no justice here, but to truly adopt a healthy diet and healthy lifestyle you need to ask yourself these kinds of questions. As a primary health trainer, one of my main tasks is to guide clients towards self-reflection and help them figure out which approaches and strategies will work best for them.
Early resilience = good news!
It should be noted here that an early lifestyle is not bad news! For one, the 10 basic blueprint laws are really the guiding parameters. There is no need or expectation to get it “perfect” at all times. Make a dedicated, consistent effort, and you will probably feel better, healthier and fitter and want to continue.
When we feed our body what it is designed to eat and live in a way that helps it move towards wellness and vitality, our insights and internal barometers become stronger. It is “we just do” eating consciously and living consciously without relying on external rules and guidelines.
Food freedom
When we eat primal most of the time in a sustainable way, we become metabolically flexible and increasingly resilient. In those cases when we think a non-primal meal is really valuable, it becomes easier and faster to come back. We just get up the next day, reset with the initial meal and move on.
For me, it’s real food freedom: eating for the better and surviving. Knowing that one treat will not derail my best looking and feeling trajectory. Always remember that our body is by our side and wants us to eat and live in a way that feels good.
It may take time to get there, yes. And the exact roadmap will vary from person to person. To help with this, consider working with a primary health coach one by one! It’s more accessible than you might think, and we can help you figure out which diet and lifestyle exercises are best for you. Visit myprimalcoach.com to learn more and get started!
Do you eat consciously? Has your wish changed since you left Primal? Let us know and drop other questions for me in the comments!
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