Eating intuitively is what we're on about here. It is the safest, most sensible (and most importantly enjoyable!) way people can move towards being their most comfortable weight. It used to be easy to do. Just look at babies when they are hungry. They cry for milk and turn away when they're done. That is intuitive eating, which basically means listening to your body. Most people think intuitive eating is a food free for all, leaving you eating pizza and ice-cream all day. Nope. Thats not the point of intuitive eating. Intuitive eating is about nourishment on all levels, learning to say no when you're full and saying yes to any food that you really feel like. Another word for intuitive is innate, that is, something that's a natural part of us that we do without thinking. Aka eating! But along the way we have parents telling us to clean our plates, doctors giving us lollies after a needle, 'junky' food at parties etc. These rules and external societal factors all mess with our ability to actually listen to what we need. So by the time we're adults we often don't have a clue how to eat because our mind is full of should and shouldn't around food. 

I'm here to clear a path for you so that you can get back to your innate eating ways! These three questions can help you tune into your body signals and reach for foods that truly satisfy. 

Question 1: How hungry am I?

The saying is true, hunger really is the best seasoning. We are all born with the body signal 'hunger' which sole purpose is to tell us when to eat. Hows that for amazing! But when was the last time you were aware of how hungry you are before you grab something to eat? Or allowed yourself to get hungry? Or did not ignore your hunger but ate appropriately? It's not about being perfect in only eating when you're hungry but it is increasing the mindfulness around hunger levels. So asking yourself 'how hungry am I' can help you get a sense of what you need to fill up. Where are you on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being absolutely starving and 10 being absolutely full? Maybe if you are a 4 on the scale you just need something light until you next meal. Or has it been hours since breakfast and you needed a burger 2 hours ago. Try not to judge your sensations just be aware of them and act accordingly. 

Question 2: Which foods am I hungry for?

Think about sight, smell, touch and taste. Tune into your sense to discover which food you feel like right now. Is it something smooth and creamy? Or crunchy and fresh? Or warm and hearty? This may seem like a lot of work just to eat something! But remember its relearning a very natural skill so it shouldn't take too long to start choosing foods that you feel like. Its usually more daunting than hard because in this step, we are remaining neutral about our food choices. So if you feel like an ice-cream that is just as ok as if you feel like a salad. There are no right or wrong foods. Trust your body to lead you to help you in selecting the food that it wants and more often than not needs. 

Question 3: Which foods will satisfy me the most right now?

There is a big difference between satisfying our stomach hunger and satisfying our head hunger. In other words if we're not choosing the foods we really feel like, we may be filling up on food but are not satisfied. The aim here is to satisfy both stomach and head hunger. Lets explore this a bit more. Say we eat a salad sandwich for lunch because we're quite hungry and feel like something fresh and wholesome but also yummy. After eating it we're full because the sandwich was enough but we're not quite satisfied and hunt around for something more. This is often the case when we try to be healthy with our food choices. Or sometimes its just a misjudgement on what we were really feeling like. What can we do to make sandwich more satisfying? Add chicken or cheese or mayonnaise. Or did we really want the pasta in the fridge and would that have satisfied us more? Choosing the most satisfying foods at the beginning will prevent us from eating more in the long term as we are less likely to keep looking for more food.

Question 4: How am I likely to feel physically after eating?

Observe what foods make your body feel energised or sluggish, what gives you headaches or makes you tired and bloated. By being aware we can better choose foods that make us feel good. And thats the point isn't it?! This one takes time, and learning by trial and error and thats ok. One example for me is scones. I love scones and enjoy them regularly but have found they make me feel tired and weird in the head as they are high in rapidly absorbed carbohydrates. I don't want to miss out on having scones so I have found a way to still include them and feel good after eating them. I try to pair them with a bit of protein and fat such as full fat greek yoghurt or a handful of nuts. Meal pairing are a perfect example of this - a sandwich usually has protein, meat is eaten with veg etc. I find getting a good combo of macronutrients at each meal is a sure way to leave the meal feeling good.