A lot of us have gone through periods of dieting at some point in our lives, and often the diets we adopt have damaging effects on our bodies for years to come. What is intuitive eating, and how can it help us heal from dieting? Can we use the principles of intuitive eating to help our kids develop healthier relationships with food from a young age?

On this episode, owner of Eat with Knowledge and creator of the Feel Fabulous About Food online course, Jennifer McGurk explains the benefits of intuitive eating.

“Intuitive eating is a self-care framework: learn what works for your body and challenge all the typical ‘diet’ knowledge we’ve been taught by social norms and our peers.” – Jennifer McGurk

Things We Learned From This Episode

1. Listen to what your body needs to eat (06:43- 07:36)

So many of us eat out of habit or according to social norms. However, just because we’ve been taught to clean our plates after every meal, doesn’t necessarily mean our bodies are hungry enough to finish everything. By that same token, we may crave a burger after a day of eating low-fuel foods. Intuitive eating teaches us that either of these situations is fine- we need to pay attention to what we’re looking for or craving, rather than limit ourselves or overeat according to social norms.

2. Set your kids up for a healthy relationship with food (09:50- 10:51)

Don’t place limitations on what your kids are allowed to eat. Rather than depriving them of specific foods, offer them a range of healthy options and let them decide on their portions. By doing this, we allow our children to see what makes them feel full. We also send the message that food is not an enemy, and let them build their own relationships with eating.

3. Stop pressuring yourself to have answers (18:49- 19:44)

Whether we’re dietitians or not, as business owners we feel a lot of pressure to have all the answers. Stop putting all the pressure on yourself: we have permission to not know the answers. If you are a dietitian, don’t worry about giving clients the ‘wrong’ information. Instead, set up a partnership where they have ownership of what feels right for their bodies.

The relationships we have with food are complicated, and often they’ve been shaped by social norms. Stop worrying about what everyone else says: the most important thing is for us to feel good in our own bodies. Listen to cravings, and allow kids to do the same- set them up for a great relationship with food. Importantly, remember that it’s okay not to have all the answers at once. Focus on what feels good for you, and go from there.

Guest Bio

Jennifer McGurk is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist whose mission is to help people heal from dieting and feel fabulous about food. She is the owner of Eat With Knowledge, a private practice, in Nyack, NY and the creator of the online course Feel Fabulous About Food, dedicated to teaching clients all about eating disorder recovery and intuitive eating. She also offers resources for professionals on growing an intuitive eating business with the Pursuing Private Practice for Intuitive Eating Program. 

To connect with Jennifer, head to

https://www.facebook.com/JenniferMcGurkRDN 

https://www.instagram.com/jennifermcgurkrdn/ 

https://twitter.com/jenmcgurkrdn 

To  find out more about Eat With Knowledge, visit https://eatwithknowledge.com/free-binge-eating-guide/

And to learn about the top 10 mistakes professionals make in private practice, head to http://pursuingprivatepractice.com/join/ 

To go to the link mentioned by Jennifer in this episode, visit http://pursuingprivatepractice.com/5-secrets