Women's hormones, gut + metabolism

You Have To Earn Your Right To Intuitively Eat

Girl, I hate to break it to you but intuitive eating simply does not exist.

Intuitive eating is the lazy way to say, I just want to keep eating + living the way that I am. I don’t actually want to work on myself. I want to be able to eat all the foods + keep my stressful, unhealthy lifestyle even tho I feel like shit or want to lose weight.

What’s the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over again + expecting different results. That is all intuitive eating is promoting.

Let’s be real here. Most of us have completely lost touch with what we should eat, how we should feel, or damn, what it feels like to actually feel good.

Our hunger signals are all F’d up from years of dieting, our wrecked digestive tracts, riding the blood sugar rollercoaster most of our lives, mineral and nutrient depletions, highly palatable foods, emotional eating, constant cravings + always running on stress hormones.

I could intuitively go face first into a buffet because I had a rough day + it “feels right, I deserve it” or I could skip a meal or 2 because I’m not hungry knowing damn well I have gone 5 hours without eating + I SHOULD be hungry.

Instead I could stop and think, “okay, what is going to give me the most energy + nutrients that I need right now? What is the most nourishing thing I could do for myself right now.”

You need to put in the work before you can “intuitively eat.”

Your goal should be intentional eating, intentionally choosing to nourish yourself frequently with nutrient-dense foods regardless of false hunger signals.

What does this look like?

+ Understand portions + carb, protein and fat
+ Understand how your body works + what foods work for it’s physiology
+ Eat breakfast within 30 minutes of waking regardless of if you are hungry + every 3-4 hours thereafter
+ Chew your food + stop eating on the go or on your phone or watching tv
+ Record your food for some time so you can see your own eating habits
+ Evaluate your lifestyle choices

Before you decide to make a pit stop at the fast food joint down the street or skip meals stop and think is this going to give me the nourishment I need right now?

How You Eat Matters More Than What You Eat

Every morning you run out the door eating your breakfast in the car or walking.

You’re stressed at work so you eat lunch at your desk trying to get things done or your face is buried in your phone.

You’re standing over the sink scarfing down your lunch because you’re too busy.

When you were a kid your parents always fought at the kitchen table.

You were always judged by family members or friends for going up for seconds, how much you ate or what you ate.

You always had to fend for yourself as a kid because your parents were never home for dinner.

You second guess everything you put in your mouth, whether it’s good or bad, too much or too little.

What do all these have in common? Stress! Yes, even these experiences from your childhood can create stress and a constant fight or flight state as an adult around food.

Let’s break it down real quick, digestion starts in the brain. The brain sends signals to your organs to start producing digestive juices to break down and assimilate your food.

If your brain is in constant fight or flight or stressed the F out from any of the above along with any other emotional stressor of the day stress hormones will prevent the brain from sending the signal to your organs that it is time eat.

Stress takes away from the digestive process due to your body being more concerned about surviving and running from that “angry bear” aka stress. It will divert blood and nutrients away from your digestive tract to your muscles, heart and lungs because those are priority and take away from resting and digesting.

What happens when this occurs?

Chronic fight + flight = weight gain, poor digestion, poor nutrient absorption + hormonal imbalances

I can assure you 80% of your problems could be solved by creating a stress free environment and mentality around food. If you grew up eating pizza and french fries in a stress free home, I guarantee you will be better off than someone who grew up eating “healthy” in an anxious and stressed out state all the time.

Here’s some tips:
CHEW YOUR FOOD / 10x before swallowing, almost to liquid. Large chunks of food will ferment, rot, feed that bad bacteria and cause extreme stress/ inflammation on your digestive tract. Inflammation = weight gain

ELIMINATE DISTRACTIONS / put away your phone and shut off the tv, step away from your desk and do not eat while driving or standing over the sink.

EXPERIENCE YOUR FOOD / This new food delivery shit is really destroying our relationship with food. There is something to be said about going to a store and picking out your food and preparing it yourself. Smelling, touching, experiencing your food is so important. Go to Farmer’s Markets, find a local farmer, go to a grocery store you enjoy.

WORK THROUGH PAST TRAUMAS/ ANXIETY AROUND FOOD / yes, past traumas, negative thoughts and second guessing your food will reflect your relationship with food today and may be the reason for a lot of your health issues.

TAKE A FEW DEEP BREATHS BEFORE EATING / using your breath is one of the easiest ways to come out of fight or flight and into a rest and digest state.

And lastly, EAT TO SUPPORT YOUR METABOLISM. The whole point of eating pro-metabolic is to bring down stress hormones.