by In medical school, my nutrition education was compressed into a single hour-long lecture that delved into the complexities of biochemical reactions in our blood and digestive system. While it established an understanding of digestion, it did not prepare me to address my patients’ common queries about eating according to their individual needs. As the questions persisted, I became increasingly discouraged by my inability to offer more than a vague “it depends,” forcing me to take the extra step of making an appointment with a nutritionist.
In an effort to better support my patients, I began studying lifestyle medicinewhich is a branch of medicine that promotes wellness through healthy lifestyle choices and behavior modifications.
Creating healthy habits
Lifestyle medicine emphasizes the importance of promoting healthy habits as a fundamental nutritional principle. Within this framework, intuitive eating can be a powerful tool, emphasizing mindfulness and responsive attention to the body’s signals for a sustainable and nourishing relationship with food. By adopting intuitive eating, people can establish positive, lasting habits that contribute to overall well-being. Then the question arose: How can I guide my patients to cultivate these habits and encourage intuitive decision making?
Food and us: a relationship between mind and body
As I learned, I had more and more questions and the opportunity to attend a nutrition-focused retreat at Miraval Arizona Resort & Spa arose. My experience allowed for a deeper understanding of the links between our dietary habits, food selection, and our body’s needs, while also considering the multitude of factors that shape these elements. Among the various nutrition classes I attended, one Lunch and learn The session on intuitive eating stood out. Miraval’s resident dietitian, Makenna Baum, delved into various aspects of intuitive eating. One participant defined it as consuming foods that make her “feel good” and that resonate with her sense of well-being. This raised the question: Does intuitive eating involve unrestricted indulgence? (The general consensus on this is no.) Another attendee bravely shared her struggle with anorexia, revealing how restrictive eating offered her a sense of control over her life and her subsequent powerful journey to trusting her hunger and satisfaction cues. her body. Someone else explained that she overcame emotional eating patterns by breathing and finding comfort in stress relief. These diverse perspectives revealed the intricate nature of intuitive eating—it’s difficult to define.
A nuanced approach
Exploring diverse experiences has illuminated for me the practical aspects of intuitive eating: it is an approach that considers personal food history along with physical state, emotions, family, culture and religion. Eating, despite being a universally shared act, is marked by a tangle of individual experiences. Intuitive eating involves meeting the body’s genuine needs, whether it’s enjoying company at dinner, satisfying hunger, or savoring something delicious. It highlights food as essential nourishment, encouraging us to align our understanding of what we really need with the decisions we make about what, when, where and how we eat.
During a Just cook for me workshop, Miraval chef, Lee Ann Evertsen, we share practical skills and invaluable knowledge about intuitive eating: prioritize fresh, quality ingredients and embrace simplicity. He emphasized that enjoying an aesthetically pleasing meal is not only an instinctive but also an essential aspect of our intuition. “Making it visually appealing ignites our desire to engage all the senses and fully enjoy our food experience,” she explains. This can be as simple as adding a vibrant green herb on top of your protein or pairing a meal with your favorite dishes.
Love your farmers
Promoting awareness of the origins and production of food deepens the connection between food and our values. This allows us to make informed decisions aligned with our well-being and our principles. The same Just cook for me During the event, as aromas of fresh herbs and roasted vegetables filled the air, conversation flowed, including a memorable one with Prentice Onayemico-owner of Fog light farms in Hillsboro, Oregon.
Onayemi considers himself an “accidental” farmer, but now very intentional. He started the farm after purchasing land to live on and, driven by pure curiosity of how soil sustains life, he sought to better honor the land by planting it. Foglight Farms now operates a community supported agriculture (CSA) program, fostering connections to the seasons, local culture, and the dedicated people behind our food. Onayemi emphasizes the importance of getting involved with local farmers, whether through volunteering at community gardens or supporting nearby farms. These actions not only foster appreciation for food and food systems, but also deepen our understanding of nature’s rhythms, regional flavors, and community bonds, all in organic alignment with the principles of intuitive eating.
Trusting your instinct
By adopting new knowledge about intuitive eating, I recognized its potential benefits for my patients and me. However, like many people, I also faced the same question: where do I start? In a session organized by Baum titled Trust Your Instinct: Your Intuitive Path to HealthWe begin with a mindfulness practice similar to a body scan. We closed our eyes and considered the food in front of us, practicing gratitude for its mere existence and the care that goes into its journey to our plates. Baum called this an “observation practice,” to help us get out of our heads and into our bodies, guiding us away from overthinking and toward a state of bodily awareness. By bringing this degree of mindfulness to mealtimes, you can “foster a deeper connection with your body,” Baum says, “and gain greater awareness of the impact various foods have on your well-being.” This understanding is the foundation of intuitive eating: know your food and how it affects you.
It was during this session that I realized that we often use the terms “instinct” and “intuition” interchangeably, and I wondered how we seem to have separated them despite continuing to use this analogy in our usual vernacular. To truly understand our relationship with food, it became clear that recognizing the connection between our physical sensations and our intuitive responses is a crucial starting point.
The great advance
In my search for concise answers to guide my patients’ dietary questions, I have realized that after all of this study, my answer is still “it depends.” But now I continue with another question: “What would it be like for you to eat intuitively?”
This question often provokes surprise and pause, but it is enlightening to hear the diversity of responses from my patients. I encourage you to embrace your unique perspectives and employ techniques that help you be present, whether through a mental body scan, breathing, mindfulness, aesthetic presentation, or connecting with those who provided your food, including chefs and farmers.
This type of intuitive eating (and intentional thinking) allows us to honor our personal origins while fostering a curious mindset toward better nutrition and, ultimately, the joy we derive from eating. Farmer Onayemi eloquently described intuitive eating as “cultivating a sense of what best serves the body while inviting the mind to get out of the way.” I found his definition worth sharing; Maybe I’ll start using it with my patients too.
