Intuitive Eating Inventory
How's it going?!
How are you doing on your Intuitive Eating journey?
Let’s have some fun as we explore this question together.
Principle #1 - Reject the Diet Mentality
When we reject the diet mentality, we let go of the constant pursuit of diets and embrace the freedom God intended for our relationship with food. This looks like recognizing that diets don’t work and committing to leaving the tools of diet culture behind.
Read: Intuitive Eating Principle #1 - Reject the Diet Mentality
Principle #2 - Honor Your Hunger
Honoring your hunger is all about listening to your body's signals for hunger and nourishing your body in a way that honors God's design for your well-being.
Read: Principle #2 - Honor Your Hunger
Principle #3 - Make Peace with Food
Making peace with food is a powerful step in the Intuitive Eating process. Give yourself grace and unconditional permission to eat. You’ll know you have made peace with food when you can allow yourself to enjoy a variety of foods without guilt or restriction, recognizing God's abundance in providing nourishment.
Read: Principle #3 - Make Peace with Food
Principle #4 - Challenge the Food Police
Our thoughts affect our feelings and our feelings affect our behaviors. There are a few destructive dieting voices that can get caught in our heads. The “food police” is the highly critical voice in your head that tells you are being good or bad. The “nutrition informant” tries to tell you that foods are good (healthy) or bad (unhealthy). And the “diet rebel” voice is the one that tells you that you can do whatever you want now that you’ve ditched diet culture.
As you work through Principle #4 - Challenging the Food Police, you will work to silence the inner critic and negative thoughts about food, trusting that God's grace covers all aspects of your life and you’ll find new voices — the food anthropologist, the nurturer, and the nutrition ally. Partnering with the Holy Spirit, you can become a neutral, kind, and well informed Intuitive Eater.
Read: Principle #4 - Challenge the Food Police
Principle #5 - Discover Satisfaction
Seek satisfaction and joy in your meals, recognizing that God desires you to experience pleasure in His gifts. Consider the taste, texture, smell, temperature, and appearance of the food you are craving. What sounds good? Set the scene using candles, flowers, or your favorite dishes. Eat slowly and mindfully.
Read: Principle #5 - Discover Satisfaction
Principle #6 - Feel Your Fullness
Learn what it means to be comfortably full. Pause during meals and notice your body's signals of fullness. Trust in God's provision, knowing that He satisfies your needs. Get curious when you eat past a comfortable fullness and give yourself grace.
Read: Principle #6 - Feel Your Fullness
Principle #7 - Cope with Your Emotions with Kindness
Learn to sit with your feelings, turning to God in times of emotional struggle, finding comfort and strength in His presence. Find a helpful distraction. Food is one choice to help you cope with your emotions. What other choices can you make?
Read: Principle #7 - Cope with Your Emotions with Kindness
Principle #8 - Respect Your Body
Your body is a good body, because God calls it good. As you explore this principle, you will learn to treat your body with kindness and gratitude, recognizing it as God's masterpiece and dwelling place of the Holy Spirit.
Read: Principle #8 - Respect Your Body
Principle #9 - Movement: Feel the Difference
Engage in physical activity that brings joy & vitality, appreciating your body as a gift from God. Shift your focus away from how your body looks and towards how your body feels.
Read: Principle #9 - Movement: Feel the Difference
Principle #10 - Honor Your Health with Gentle Nutrition
Make food choices that honor your health without becoming obsessive, acknowledging God's wisdom in providing nourishing options. You do not have to eat a perfect diet to be healthy. It’s all about progress and not perfection!
Read: Principle #10 - Honor Your Health with Gentle Nutrition
Thank you for joining me on this journey through the principles!
Next week, I’m kicking off a 10-week series where we’ll explore each principle of Intuitive Eating one by one, reflecting on how each principle has helped me to realize the Fruit of the Spirit in deeper and more meaningful ways. As I prepare for this series, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Which principle feels easiest for you?
Which one feels like the biggest struggle?
What burning questions do you have about Intuitive Eating?
I created this *free* lock screen image for you to download
in preparation for our series next week. Enjoy!
Let me know how I can be praying for you this week!
I’m looking forward to our next ten weeks together, exploring these principles more in-depth!
Blessings,
Emily
Intuitive Eating Counselor & Coach at IE with Emily
P.S. If you find yourself getting stuck on some of these principles of Intuitive Eating, you're not alone. Many people find that having support makes a big difference. I offer one-on-one coaching to help you navigate Intuitive Eating in a way that’s sustainable and rooted in self-compassion. If that sounds helpful, you can learn more about working with me at www.iewithemily.com.
The principle I love is making peace with food. It helped to drop all the burdens associated with food. The thing I still struggle with is noting my fullness.