I speak truthfully when I say that for a majority of my life, I have been on some sort of “diet”. Just typing that sentence was exhausting and upsetting. Our culture has become utterly obsessed with food, body image, and “perfect” eating. It seems that every other day, there is someone with some new ideal way to eat that will cure all your worries and make you supermodel skinny. So crazy and so confusing. Being on a diet for most of my life and also going through holistic health training, I’ve learned that there really is no perfect, one–size-fits-all diet. We are all incredibly unique, and so it makes sense that each of us requires foods that make us uniquely feel good. In the past few years I’ve started to veer from “dieting” to eating intuitively. I’m not “perfect” at it, but I generally choose to eat what makes me feel good; what feels good for my body. This sounds like a blanket statement, but truthfully, eating intuitively takes work, but the benefits are innumerable. If you want to dabble into intuitive eating, here are some quick steps below on incorporating this way of life, into your life.

1. Connect with yourself. Connecting with yourself is the biggest part of eating intuitively. How can you possibly know what’s good for you, if you don’t really know yourself? To connect, of course, I suggest meditation and journaling practices. They take you right into that connected place within.
2. Be aware. What are your emotions when you eat? Can you pinpoint why you are eating in any specific moment? Is it due to hunger, boredom, or fun? There is no right or wrong, just becoming mindful of why we eat when we do.
3. Notice how you feel. When you eat something, take a few moments to notice how that particular food or beverage makes you feel. Are you sluggish? Energized? Hyper? Depressed? Food has an enormous effect on our moods and energy levels.
4. Notice what you crave. Take note of what your body is truly craving. This might change throughout the year with the seasons. Generally in the summer I crave cooling foods and naturally in the winter, more warming foods. Tap into your body’s cravings.
5. Be purposeful and mindful with what you consume. It’s wonderful to honor your body’s desires, but make sure you choose food from ethical, organically sustained sources. Sure, that might not always be 100% available, but do your best to choose the best ingredients to go into your body.
6. Let go of judgments. Don’t be so hard on yourself for how you eat, or even better how anybody else eats. We all are on a mission to find what works for us. Allow yourself the space to explore your own relationship to food, and even be loving with yourself while eating. Bless everything that goes into your body and treat your body in a loving way in every meal.

I hope these tips are helpful! I’d love to hear your thoughts on dieting and intuitive eating! Let me know in the comments below!