A common misconception is that frameworks such as intuitive eating mean just eating anything, regardless of nutrition. Non-diet nutritionists commonly get accused of promoting an unhealthy lifestyle. This is not true at all. Nutrition is still very important – gentle nutrition is one of the ten principles of intuitive eating! It just means looking after your body without placing restrictions. This looks different for everybody and reaching this point involves exploring: what kind of eater are you?  

What kind of eater are you?

What kind of eater are you? You may think this is a strange question, but bear with me! If you’re trying to improve your relationship with food and figure out what a healthy diet means to you, then an important step with this is to understand your current lifestyle and what does and doesn’t work for you. To help build up a picture you can ask yourself questions such as: 

1. Does your diet fulfil you and leave you feeling satisfied?
2. Do you have enough energy to carry out your day-to-day routine?
3. Are you eating something which you don’t actually like but include it within your diet in the name of health?
4. What is the purpose behind your current food choices?

Asking yourself these types of questions is the key to understanding your current diet. Let’s explore each of these questions. Bear in mind that there is no correct answer and can lead to different questions for everybody.

1. If your diet is leaving you unfulfilled:

• Do you need to add in food which is more satisfying? What is currently stopping you from doing this?
• Would it be worth trying foods you’ve never eaten before?
• If you’re unfulfilled with your diet, do you end up overeating in the evenings in a quest to try and find that satisfaction?
• Do you need the help of a nutritionist to figure out a diet which works best for you?

2. Do you have enough energy?

• Do you feel suitably energised to do everything you want to do in a day?
• Are you eating enough calories to keep up with your lifestyle? For example, do you need to add in a pre/post exercise snack?
• Do the foods in your diet make you feel energised or sluggish? Do you need to consider changing up the types of foods you regularly eat?
• Do you manage to fit any joyful movement into your day to keep your fitness up?
• Are you getting enough sleep at night?

Using myself as an example, I eat a wide range of foods, and I know that certain foods may leave me feeling sluggish and sleepy compared to others. Some people like eating a lot of carbohydrates within their diet such as porridge, bread, potatoes, pasta etc while that type of food may leave others feeling less energised. I know that if I don’t get at least eight hours of sleep, I will struggle to concentrate at work, so I make it a priority to get into bed by a certain time.

3. Are you including something within your diet just for the name of health?

• In the last decade, certain ‘superfoods’ have been pushed in the name of health and they tend to be really expensive. If you genuinely love that spirulina powder that you’ve added to your morning smoothie, then – no worries! However, we are perfectly capable of getting everything we need from ‘normal’ food, without paying a premium for it.
• Do you eat any ‘diet foods’ such as rice cakes, shakes, zero sugar chocolate etc. which you include as a substitute for the foods you actually want but think you should avoid (such as bread or chocolate)? These foods can leave you feeling unsatisfied – all foods fit within a healthy lifestyle so if you’re really fancy that chunky bread or chocolate bar, go and enjoy it.

4. What is the purpose behind your food choices?

• Is it genuinely health or are you looking for weight loss? Dietary habits in the name of weight loss such as lowering calorie intake and eating diet foods can be unhealthier for the body than eating normal food in the amount you actually fancy. Check yourself – if you want to focus on health then see what you can add into your diet, rather than remove.
• You may choose certain foods for a particular purpose e.g. a protein based snack for movement recovery, or a carbohydrate based meal before a big study session to help with concentration. There always tends to be a purpose even if it’s ‘eating something for breakfast because I don’t function well without having eaten something.’ It’s ok if that purpose is ‘for pure enjoyment and satisfaction’ – that’s a very valid reason.  

Give Yourself Flexibility

Intuitive eating has its name because it is literally based on tuning in with your own body and following your body’s needs. If you’ve read some of my previous articles before, you will be used to the theme that there isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ approach to nutrition. We all have different genetics, lifestyles, food preferences etc. It’s natural that we will all have different eating habits. There is no ‘correct’ way to eat. Here are some examples where people will differ on how they prefer to eat (and that’s ok!).

• You don’t have to eat the same foods as someone else – just because your friend Stacey says that the secret to a good day is eating banana porridge every morning, it doesn’t mean that you have to do the same! First of all – you may not be someone that feels like eating first thing in the morning, and secondly, porridge may be a food which doesn’t give you the same boost.
• You hear the word ‘balance’ a lot when it comes to a healthy diet. A common misconception is that this doesn’t have to be within everyday – just over time. It’s ok if you have a day where you don’t eat a single vegetable – one day won’t have an effect on your health. Just aim to eat a varied diet over time.
• Eat at times which suit you. We all have different daily routines and different working hours. There are no set rules telling you to have breakfast from 7-8am, then lunch 12-1pm, then dinner 6-7pm. Eat at the times which suit your body, and that fit in around your daily routine.
• Similarly, for some people, three main meals a day works, and they feel no need for anything in between. For others, they get full really quickly and prefer to eat smaller amounts, but more often, so have smaller meals + snacks, or more small meals throughout the day. There is no right answer.

So, what kind of eater are you? Are you sticking true to what works best for you, or trying to fit into someone (or some diet)’s idea of a healthy lifestyle? Or maybe you’ve never given this a second thought and have no idea where to begin in finding what kind of eater you are? If you’d like help with this, you can book your FREE 20 minute discovery call with Hattie here.