Recently there has been more attention given to the idea of “intuitive eating.” There are even hashtags galore for this underlying healthy eating philosophy, but what exactly is it? Paraphrasing, we see intuitive eating as a process that helps individuals learn to trust their own bodies again and to eat foods that make them feel good both mentally and physically without using a lot of valuable brain space. 

As dietitians, we often hear an initial bout of frustration from clients as they quickly try to sum up intuitive eating as a plan to “eat whatever you want whenever you want whenever you want.” This habitual act of seeking out a quick fix immediately diminishes the intuitive eating journey. 

Again, intuitive eating is a journey and it is made up of the following ten principles:

• Reject the Diet Mentality
• Honor Your Hunger
• Make Peace with Food
• Challenge the Food Police
• Feel your Fullness
• Discover the Satisfaction Factor
• Cope with your Emotions without Using Food
• Respect your Body
• Exercise-Feel the Difference
• Honor Your Health with Gentle Nutrition

In general, our culture is so diet focused that it’s hard to trust our own bodies because of all the external messages we are constantly bombarded with. We believe the doctor, celebrity or even the dietitian should know exactly what we should eat (but nobody knows you like YOU!). We scour the internet for meal plans that we think are in our calorie range and eat only those foods over and over again all in the name of health, wellness and/or weight loss. 

Here’s what we know about dieting*: 

• Slows your body’s ability to burn calories

• Increases likelihood of gain weight
• Increases appetite
• Reduces ability to feel hunger and/or fullness, making it easier to confuse hunger with emotional needs
• Increases fat storage enzymes and reduces fat releasing enzymes
• Reduces total amount of muscle tissue (muscle burns more energy than fat)
• Increases your body’s efficiency at wringing every calorie out of the food you do eat so that you digest food quick and feel hungrier sooner

*Taken from Health At Every Size


Despite knowing these things about dieting we continue to look for “the answer” with the newest fad diet. If you’re ready to ditch the diet mentality and want to learn more about Intuitive Eating drop us a line at info@nutritionrites.com. 

*Kayla Fitzgerald,RD LD is in the process of becoming a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor which means she has undergone hours of additional training specializing in this topic

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​Pumpkins pack a nutritious punch, their varying parts containing vitamins and nutrients such as calcium, potassium, iron and vitamin A. While fresh fruits and vegetables yield the highest nutrient contents, canned pumpkin purees are not far behind so do not hesitate to use these for recipes like this Healthy Pumpkin Pie Dip from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. However, never underestimate a good roasted pumpkin recipe. Since pumpkins are from the winter squash family, it is no surprise they cook up similar to the acorn and spaghetti squash varieties. If you are aiming to get in additional iron and fiber, you will want to go for the pumpkin’s seeds. 

We love this Roasted Pumpkin recipe from @SteamyKitchen.
@Jessica_Gavin provides step by step instructions on how to roast those pumpkin seeds.