Born to Eat by Jennifer Pereira
What is funny to me is the constant talk about how to eat. This diet says this, and this television show said that. “I can’t believe you are eating that…it has tons of oligosaccharides in it!” Do they even know what that is? Obviously not.
“…You already know how to eat. You were born knowing how to eat, but unfortunately, some well-meaning people and information products have completely distorted your relationship with food and your body.”
So I am here to point out the obvious: You already know how to eat. You were born knowing how to eat, but unfortunately, some well-meaning people and information products have completely distorted your relationship with food and your body. And I am here to help you remember what you already know.
There is countless evidence that shows adults and children are able to reconnect to their natural cues when shown how. This can be a major undertaking, though, because you have had years of experience not using your natural cues. So this will not give you some kind of quick weight loss, but it also will not cause quick weight gain in the future (as 98% of people experience after dieting).
Most importantly, you must reconnect with your own hunger and fullness cues. If you eat when you are hungry and stop when you are full, you are well on your way to reconnecting to your natural cues. If you want to eat when you are not hungry…what do you think that means? This is emotional eating (whether there is an emotion felt or not), and dealing with it is an important aspect of this process.
Being comfortable with all foods is another important factor. If there are foods that are off-limits to you, you will find yourself craving them more than ever. Or, worse, you will eat more of other foods to try to satisfy your desire of the forbidden food, which will never work. The process of normalizing eating requires a great deal of non-judgment with food. As you can see, this process is very freeing, but requires a great deal of trust in yourself—and this may be the hardest part of all.
(Photo Credit: Lorissa Shepstone)
Jennifer Pereira is a Registered Dietitian, Licensed Dietitian, and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist based in Arlington, Texas. She focuses on nutrition and body image here at All Things Girl. Her website is: Nutrition Paradox and she is the creator of a new Online Instictive Eating Program called Born to Eat.
