We have a guest writer Corinne Denman who is shadowing Kelly as a dietetics student and she will be writing a series on Intuitive Eating Principles.
Making peace with food is principle three of Intuitive Eating. Not restricting foods is part of making peace with food. You include the foods you love without rules or feeling bad about eating certain foods, and you do not label certain foods as “good” versus a food being beneficial for your health. When you tell yourself you cannot have a particular food or food group, it leads to intense feelings of deprivation that can lead to uncontrollable cravings. Often, this can lead to bingeing.
Forbidding yourself of specific foods can have what’s called a paradoxical rebound effect that triggers overeating.1 Imagine a general state of biological deprivation (hunger) and how that could even lead to overeating. There may be times in class, at work, etc. in which it can be extremely difficult to focus on what is present because all you can think about is how hungry you are. It is normal to get a little side-tracked when hungry, and that is partially why they tell you to fuel up before taking that boring SAT in middle school (or early high school). But just Imagine the psychological effects of deprivation. This deprivation leads to obsessive thinking about food, leading to overeating.
Making peace with food is important in intuitive eating because it allows you to tune into your hunger and fullness levels.1 Whether you are eating orange candy gummies or a carrot, making peace with food allows food choices to be emotionally equal, without putting forth shame or being “good” for eating a food. The foods you eat do not dictate whether you are a “good” or “bad” person.1
When you eat the foods you like without putting an off-limits label on them, you tend to savor the taste and the effect of the food on your body. When you are not depriving yourself of food, it allows you the space to ask yourself, do I really like the taste of this food? Do I like how this food feels in my body?1 You should not feel like you must eat a food (or food groups) because society tells you to or it is considered “good,” even though you do not like it. Of course, dietitians like to encourage fruits and vegetables. However, if an individual tells you that you must have sugar-free cookies instead of regular ones because they are “healthier,” they got it wrong! Creating a balance between foods and eating sweet treats without the burden of detecting thoughts is what is considered healthy. You do not need to avoid certain foods because society tells you to, or it is labeled as “bad.” The power of peace with food allows you to enjoy the foods you love; while getting the nutrition you need, enjoy life, and try something new (and so much more of course!).
The Deprivation set-up
Dieters set rules for themselves that control what they can and cannot eat, without considering their experience of hunger, fullness, and satisfaction. In other words, they second-guess the needs of their body.1 This may have thoughts such as “I cannot possibly be hungry, I just ate” or “I ate enough, there’s no way I can be hungry still.” Your body is trying to tell you something – that you are still hungry. The needs of our bodies can change on a day-to-day basis, especially as a woman. So, when restricting to a certain amount (calories) of foods and types of foods, it does not always line up with what your body needs.
The ability to perceive physical sensations within the body is known as interoceptive awareness, and after a while, this can go dormant.1 Living by the rules that you set seems to work fine until it doesn’t. This can be something such as an event, a thought, a craving, or as simple as hunger that can violate the rules you set for yourself.1 Now that the rules have been broken, the all-or-nothing food feast occurs, and tomorrow begins a new day that includes off-limit foods, again.
https://www.sdnutritiongroup.com/sdngblog/thedietcycle
Anticipation of Food Restriction
With a dieter, sometimes the anticipation of starting a diet triggers overeating – that food feast. In the end, restrained eaters do not end up eating less food overall. Researchers have found that a high degree of restrained eating seems to more accurately reflect eating-related guilt rather than the actual food consumed.1 To add onto this, they have shown that when we have food-suppressing thoughts, it not only increases our thinking of food but increases eating behavior as well.1
Just think back to the example about being hungry… When we are hungry, especially at work or in class, it is natural to shift our attention away from how hungry we are. We may become ravenous (hangry). Same thing with a craving – we can avoid the thought of foods only for so long until we think about it more and more, leading to potential binge eating episodes. Not to get confused with natural hunger and intentional avoidance of food, but in hungry situations with a non-diet approach, individuals can prepare themselves a balanced meal, while eating the foods they enjoy. Also, there would not be binge-eating episodes because that individual was not intentionally avoiding those foods, and they do not have the all-or-nothing mindset (eat this “bad” food to get it out of the way, then start fresh tomorrow) with the food.
Habituation
Habituation is the process in which you are repeatedly exposed to the same stimulus.1 With foods such as pizza, chips, chocolate, etc., a non-dieter would incorporate these foods as a balanced meal. With that, they may look forward to these foods, but not in a way where it is in an all-or-nothing mindset. For chronic dieters, they may limit these foods, putting more pressure and cravings on themselves. So, when they get their hands on these foods, they tend to overeat or do not find a healthy balance with foods such as pizza. Essentially, with habitation, you tend to lose interest in the same foods, or you do not have that “spark” with those foods when you eat them repeatedly. In chronic dieters, that “spark” (stimulus) does not go away – certain foods are constantly seen as “bad” foods, so there’s that constant “spark” or specialty with certain foods. Dieters tend to feel like they need to “earn” specific foods, making it a special opportunity for them to have this food when instead they can incorporate these foods into a balanced diet. When you have not had something in a while that you love, you’ll create a certain indulgence for it. This can be normal (since there are so many yummy foods out there that we have not had in a while, or tried), but when we do it in a way that is restrictive (or attempt to avoid it), we tend to have negative impacts. For example, an individual may love sushi, but they have not had it in a while. Not because they restricted it, but because it can be costly, so they don’t get it often. Say they buy it for dinner. A non-dieter would treat it as a regular meal.
Of course, we do not want to burn out on or lose interest in a food, while never wanting to eat it again.1 However, we can decrease that excitement, or overindulgence in the food because remember, when we try to shy away from the food we are trying to avoid, all we can do is think about it. After that, you are going to want it (as you should!), but this tends to lead to overindulgence, creating that uncomfortable, emotional cycle – restriction of certain foods; deprivation (increased hunger & cravings); breaking the “rules;” lack of control, guilt; belief in not being able to control oneself; new diet.
1. Tribole E, Resch E. The Intuitive Eating Workbook – 10 Principles for Nourishing a Healthy Relationship with Food.
