How Intuitive Eating Changed My Life
by Lisha H.
It was in the year 2021 when the phrase “intuitive eating” first appeared to me. Until then I was consistently on a diet to lose or maintain weight. As I grew older, under the pressure of Asian beauty standards, the idea of being skinny stuck with me from my teenage years to early twenties. If you are not familiar with Asian beauty standards, it is all about being thin; as lightweight as possible, having a pale skin color; avoiding tanning, having big eyes; double eyelids, and having a tall nose.
Even though my year in Australia changed my whole perspective of lifestyle, including what is beauty to me, the lack of body confidence was still there. I did gain weight and it was the heaviest I ever was, as my family witnessed this through video calls. This made me more anxious about my body shape and led to a more strict diet such as, eating tons of salads and fewer carbohydrates, even though I love eating rice and noodles. After continuing this diet for a few months, I had a hormone imbalance and my menstrual cycle stopped for two months. It was the moment I realized that I had to listen to my body.
Photograph by Brooke Lark
In 2021, I was almost 24 and began living by myself. At this point, my lifestyle became caring for my inner health. I was motivated to start a new life and take responsibility for my health. The fact that I did not buy a weight scale was a big step forward. I was subconsciously moving my mindset from diet to eating whatever my body wanted. That is when I discovered the term “intuitive eating.”
What is Intuitive eating?
Intuitive eating is a philosophy of eating that makes you the expert of your body and its hunger signals. Essentially, it is the opposite of a traditional diet. It does not impose guidelines about what to avoid and what or when to eat. As Heathline says, it teaches you that you are the best person—the only person—to make those choices.
Intuitive eating lets you understand your body more than any other diet. It will help you to have a better relationship with food. It is about how you eat and why you choose it. Since I stopped scaling my weight and purely enjoying what I eat, my interest in cooking, learning about nutrition, and how moving my body is associated with food intake. It was a natural mind change from what I avoid eating to what I eat because my body wants it. I went from a girl who was shy to wear a bikini and ashamed of her body shape to a woman who entirely accepted herself by embracing and appreciating what her body can do.
Do you have a difficult time feeling confident in your body? Are you feeling guilty about what you eat and avoiding certain "unhealthy" foods? Or are you choosing food based on calories? If so, you should review your relationship with food. Give intuitive eating a try. Eat when your body craves, accept all types of foods, and most importantly, embrace your body's feelings.
