What is Gentle Nutrition? (Intuitive Eating Principle 10)

We have made it to the final principle in our Intuitive Eating series, and it is by far the most misunderstood of them all. Principle 10 is all about gentle nutrition and embracing food as something that is there to nurture you, not punish you. Key Takeaways If You Want to Embrace Gentle Nutrition You Should: Stop pitting your inner wisdom and inner body trust against the external world and social pressures found in diet culture Let go of your perfectionism and restrictions and start integrating your body wisdom and logic when it comes to food Change your mindset by embracing moderation and learn to trust your bodies ability to self-regulate Lets Set the Record Straight About Gentle Nutrition There are many misunderstandings around Principle 10, which is why it is the last principle for good reason. All of the principles have a firm basis in nutrition, but exploring gentle nutrition is something that must be done after you have already embraced the Intuitive Eating framework. Your Body Is Your Home Many of us have been raised to distrust our bodies and live in fear of our own being. This is simply ludicrous, and we have diet culture to thank for pitting ourselves against our own inner wisdom and body trust in favor of how we look externally. You should not be fearful or anxious about your body, but instead, embrace your physical vessel and how it works to serve you in the world at any size or shape. Your Search for Perfection Is Not Healthy If what you are eating or your constant search for perfection is causing you stress or anxiety, it is not healthy. How we think about food directly affects our actions towards it, and it is only by changing our mentality to an additive mindset rather than a restrictive one that we can start to embrace our worthiness. When it comes to making intuitive eating a part of your life, it involves practice and support. Changing your mindset may take some time, but it is crucial to your ability to stop looking for perfection on your plate and start embracing how your body can serve you right here and now. What was your favorite principle shared in the Intuitive Eating series? Share your ‘a-ha’ moment or a recent win with me in the comments section of the episode page.   In This Episode Debunking the most common misunderstandings surrounding the final principle of Intuitive Eating (5:50) Why gentle nutrition needs to be the last principle you embrace on your Intuitive Eating journey (14:24) Where diet culture comes from and why it is systemically built into our fatphobic society (19:19) Why mindset is a key part of the Intuitive Eating framework and your relationship to food (21:22) How to embrace the principle of moderation and trust your bodies ability to self-regulate (23:17)   Quotes “We are in our bodies. It is the vessel, the vehicle, by which we get around. It houses our intellect, our emotional being, our energetic being, it is how we interact with people and have a human experience.” (8:56) “It is very, very common for people to want to go right to gentle nutrition first, it's familiar, but here is the reason why gentle nutrition is the last principle in the book. A lot of people think, ‘oh it would be more credible if it was in the beginning’. But there is a reason for that.” (14:34) “We need to understand that what we choose to eat has to also work for us as mental, emotional beings, and all of the other aspects of our wellbeing. It can't just be the physical.” (15:51) “Mindset is a key part of the framework that I teach because how we think about food directly affects our actions.” (21:28) “Our bodies are innately wise, and we meddle in that because we have been taught to distrust.” (23:18)   Links Join the Listen To Your Body Newsletter LTYB 288: How To Ditch Dieting (Intuitive Eating Principle 1) LTYB 289: Honoring Your Hunger (Intuitive Eating Principle 2) LTYB 292: Make Peace With Food (Intuitive Eating Principle #3) LTYB 293: Challenging The Food Police (Intuitive Eating Principle 4) LTYB 296: 3 Ways to Make Eating More Satisfying (Intuitive Eating Principle 5) LTYB 297: 3 Ways to Honor Your Body’s Fullness (Intuitive Eating Principle 6) LYTB 300: 4 Questions to Ask About Emotional Eating (Intuitive Eating Principle 7) LYTB 301: How To Practice Body Respect (Intuitive Eating Principle 8) LTYB 303: Stop Earning and Burning Your Food Through Movement (Intuitive Eating Principle 9) Check out the full show notes here! Follow Steph on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Pinterest I'd really love it if you would take 1 min and leave us a rating and review on iTunes!