The problem with dieting is that once you get really hungry, it can be extremely challenging to ignore your body’s hunger signals and instead, follow the guidelines set by your diet. That’s where intuitive eating comes in. Intuitive eating is a philosophy that makes you the expert of your body and its hunger signals as a means of promoting a healthier attitude towards food and body image.

At its core, the idea is that you should eat only when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full. When compared to people on regular diets, research has shown that people who use intuitive eating are far more likely to stick to healthy habits and keep practicing behavioral changes. Although intuitive eating should be, as the name suggests, intuitive, for many people it’s not, which means you have to relearn how to trust your body in order to eat intuitively. To do that, you need to distinguish between physical and emotional hunger.

Physical hunger is the biological urge that you feel to replenish nutrients. It builds gradually, has different signals such as a growling stomach, and is satisfied when you eat any food.

Emotional hunger, on the other hand, is driven by emotional need. Sadness, loneliness, and boredom are some of the feelings that can create cravings for food, often comfort foods. Eating then causes guilt and self-hatred.

Once you’ve distinguished between these two types of hunger, you’re one step closer to understanding your hunger signals and becoming a more intuitive eater. To take the following step, have a look here at the 10 key principles of intuitive eating.

This story was one of the best from 2019, and we are happy to include it in our “12 Days of Optimism” as we get ready to welcome 2020!