filled foods that I want .
When I was first diagnosed with Celiac disease in my early twenties , I craved gluten filled goodies like nobodies business . The intuitive eating philosophy would have me believe that I can have those gluten filled foods and that it is A-OK for me to eat them . In reality , having the mindset that I could have those foods and it was ok for me to eat them , hindered my acceptance of the gluten free lifestyle that was essential for healing .
The “ eat whatever you want ” mindset made it even harder for me to look at the positives of going gluten free because I was “ supposed to ” have the mindset that all foods were OK for me to eat . The same process happened with dairy and I have had clients voice the same issues .
While it ’ s great that intuitive eating says that we should eat to honor our bodies , it is flawed in the logic that giving ourselves permission to have whatever foods or drinks we want is the best way to go about things .
To me that mindset just fueled my inner rebel and gave it ammo whenever I decided that I deserved to have a slice of regular pizza or some froyo , instead of choosing the gluten free , dairy free , option .
Another example comes in the form of other medical conditions like Diabetes , Hashimotos , Chronic Fatigue , IBS , High Blood Pressure , etc . In each of these conditions , the “ all foods are A-OK ” model doesn ’ t fit .
What happens when you have diabetes and are told to have the mindset that all foods are equal and you can eat whatever you want ? That model just doesn ’ t work because diabetics must watch sugar and carbohydrate intake . The idea that you can eat whatever you want is potentially dangerous for them . I get that having a totally restricted mindset can lead to binging on certain foods but there is no logic or balance in the intuitive eating model .
I suggest that having a mindset of “ I choose not to eat _____ because it can be potentially detrimental to my health ” is way better than a mindset of “ I can eat whatever I want because I shouldn ’ t restrict any foods .”
Another example I encountered in my own journey came when I was diagnosed with Hashimotos . During those first months with the disease , I was so tired I could barely function . I lost my appetite at times and turned to sugar a lot just to give myself a pseudo feeling of energy .
While the intuitive eating model would suggest that it was ok that I was eating sugary cereal multiple times a day ( as long as I was honoring hunger / fullness and my food desires ), logic and years of nutrition education knows that the method of eating I was employing was definitely not serving me .
Finally , I couldn ’ t trust my hunger / fullness cues when I was first diagnosed with Celiac disease . My GI tract was so damaged that my body wasn ’ t absorbing things and I felt hungry all of the time . My brain kept telling my body that I was hungry because I was so nutrient deficient , when in reality , I had just eaten a calorically dense meal and didn ’ t actually need to eat again . So while I feel that the idea of intuitive eating is great in theory , I believe that the guidelines are so general that it makes it difficult for those with medical conditions to implement and maintain . Now on to reason # 2 …
2 . IT DOESN ’ T TAKE INTO ACCOUNT ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES .
Intuitive eating beats in the idea that everything will be good , as long as you are eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are full .
Now , setting aside the fact that it is hard for any person to discover what their hunger and fullness set points are , research shows that our environment plays a big role in our food choices and the quantity of food we consume .
For example , it can absolutely be easy to act super mindful about our food and eating when we are at home and in a silent space , but what are people supposed to do when they are out to dinner with friends , at a party , or in an atypical eating situation ? Meditate at the table ? A complaint that I have heard over and over again is that it is super hard to monitor hunger / fullness when the client is with others .
There are multiple studies out there looking at the food
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