This approach rejects the idea of “good” and “bad” foods and encourages attention to what your body actually needs.
The problem with many diets is that they are not sustainable. Sure, if you limit your calorie intake or stop eating sugar or carbohydrates, you may lose weight — but it’s hard to maintain those restrictions for more than a few weeks. And once you ease up, the weight comes back again.
A more sensible approach, said Dr. Anna Beth Bradley of the Vanderbilt Weight Loss Center, is intuitive eating.
What is intuitive eating? “It’s not a diet,” Bradley explained. “It’s a way of eating that encourages people to really listen to their body’s physical hunger and satiety signals to guide their eating.”
A science-based approach
“This way of eating does help you develop more of a health-sustaining mindset than just seeking pleasure. Because you want to do something good for your body.”
The human body is naturally programmed, through hormones, to store fat for extra nutrition in times of famine, Bradley said. When we’re taking in calories, the pancreas secretes insulin to promote storage of extra nutrients in the form of fat. When the body needs food, the pancreas produces glucagon to tap into those fat stores to keep blood sugar stable, and the stomach produces ghrelin to signal to the body and the brain that it’s time to eat.
“It’s really important for us to listen to those signals,” Bradley said, “because when we store too much nutrition, that’s what causes excess fat tissue and obesity.”
However, in modern America, we don’t really have cycles of abundance and scarcity anymore. For most of us, food is available whenever we want it.
“I think people lose that ability to listen to physical hunger, and that’s one reason we have an epidemic of obesity in our nation,” Bradley said. “People are used to snacking and treating themselves and having food between meals, even if they’re not physically hungry.”
Listen to your body
Everyone’s body is different, and Bradley recommends consulting a dietitian or a weight-loss specialist before starting an intuitive eating program, especially if you have a chronic condition like diabetes or if you’re on medications that affect your hunger signals, like GLP-1s.
But in general, start by following these intuitive eating principles:
- Listen to your physical hunger and satiety signals. Eat when you’re hungry and then stop once you feel full.
- You don’t have to stick to a set eating schedule or menu.
- Slow down when you’re eating. It can take a few minutes before your body recognizes that it’s full and sends those signals to your brain.
- Try to limit yourself to three meals a day. This will give your body a chance to use some of the fuel it’s stored up. Bradley also believes food tastes better when you’re hungry.
- There’s no such thing as “good” food or “bad” food. Eventually, given enough time and experience, you’ll be able to tell what your body needs.
Making good choices
Intuitive eating, Bradley says, is the most practical approach to diet and nutrition.
“That’s the whole point of eating, right?” she said. “To nourish ourselves, to get the nutrients that we need. This way of eating does help you develop more of a health-sustaining mindset than just seeking pleasure. Because you want to do something good for your body.”
Help with weight loss
The Vanderbilt Weight Loss Center provides comprehensive, personalized care to help patients achieve and maintain their weight loss goals. Vanderbilt’s board-certified doctors are specially trained and experienced in all aspects of weight loss, partnering with a team of nurses, dietitians, exercise physiologists and psychologists to tailor treatment plans to meet each patient’s unique needs and health goals.
