Question 2
The results of this study showed that those who were attempting
to lose weight at baseline had a decrease in intuitive eating scores, and an
increase of possible occurrence of binge eating. Previous studies have shown intuitive
eating practice has been positively associated with a decrease in BMI and is a successful
ED treatment. The article suggests that dieting may compromise a woman’s
ability to recognize one’s hunger and satiety signals. Should we be putting a
greater emphasis on intuitive eating practice instead dietary recommendations?
posted by Unknown @ 4:59 PM
12 comments
12 Comments:
Personally, I believe that intuitive eating is very important and as you have mentioned studies have shown a positive relationship between intuitive eating and BMI. However, I also believe that dietary recommendations are important and should not have “less” of an emphasis. Although dietary recommendations may seem boring and many people don’t like them I believe they are stable and are more long term. I personally feel that at first it is easy to practice intuitive eating however, as you continue, and as life gets busy (which for most Americans it is very busy) then it becomes easier to forget these habits. Therefore, I would say that although I don’t believe intuitive eating should have a greater emphasis, I do believe that it should be supplemented with dietary recommendations!
Personally, I believe that intuitive eating is very important and as you have mentioned studies have shown a positive relationship between intuitive eating and BMI. However, I also believe that dietary recommendations are important and should not have “less” of an emphasis. Although dietary recommendations may seem boring and many people don’t like them I believe they are stable and are more long term. I personally feel that at first it is easy to practice intuitive eating however, as you continue, and as life gets busy (which for most Americans it is very busy) then it becomes easier to forget these habits. Therefore, I would say that although I don’t believe intuitive eating should have a greater emphasis, I do believe that it should be supplemented with dietary recommendations!
Dietary recommendations are important in maintaining weight and health but can easily become overwhelming. I believe that the approach to dietary recommendations can have an effect on intuitive eating. If the dietary recs are emphasized in a way that focuses on calorie counting, added sugars, sodium restrictions, portion sizes, fiber content, total fat, saturated fat, etc., planning what to eat can become confusing and stressful. In these scenarios, clients may become so frustrated trying to adhere to the recs that they essentially give up and eat whatever they want. In contrast, emphasizing the dietary recs in a way that looks at the big picture of a healthy meal patterns (5+ servings of fruits and vegetables, 1-2 starches, and 1 serving or protein food) per meal spread out into several meals throughout the day can be a more effective approach to recs. I believe that this big picture, more general approach to dietary recs in combination with intuitive eating practice would be the most effective weight loss mindset. Intuitive eating involving attention to hunger cues, satiety, food choices, taste, smell, and enjoyment of food helps increase understanding of one’s own body and can build a more positive relationship with food. Thinking of food as fuel but also as something to be appreciated and enjoyed can help with healthy diet patterns and food choices. I believe that effective intuitive eating can easily be impeded by nutrient-focused approach to dietary recommendations because looking at food in terms of numbers and amounts of nutrients diminishes a true connection with the food we eat.
I don’t think intuitive eating should be taught instead of dietary recommendations, but in conjunction with it. Dietary recommendations help give that baseline knowledge to someone wanting to better their lifestyle/lose weight/etc. With that knowledge, they can build off of it and aim for those amounts of foods recommended when they notice hunger cues. Planning meals based off of dietary recommendations and portion control is a great place to start for clients, and then emphasizing the importance of intuitive eating (satiety cues) at meals so they are more in tune with their body and not eating although they are actually full.
Kirsten, you made a great point in regards to the amount of information clients may read or be taught about dietary recommendations, and that frustration may take over in which they revert to less healthy eating habits. This is similar to people on other diets as well when they don’t see results and are confused/upset. I agree with you that intuitive eating would be a good route of education with clients such as these, in that you can emphasize the importance of eating when hungry, appreciating food for what it is, etc.
Effective weight loss counseling should use a combination of intuitive eating and dietary recommendations, I believe. By teaching both of these strategies we are encouraging individuals to be mindful of their hunger cues, eating when the feel hungry and stopping before they feel stuffed, while providing them with the knowledge about what they should eat (healthy nutrient rich foods) when they are hungry. This combination with an emphasis on both strategies should result in healthy eating habits that will allow clients to moderate and/or maintain their weight in a way that limits the possible chance of developing an eating disorder.
I feel very strongly about intuitive eating and I think it deserves great emphasis in dietary education. I agree that dietary recommendations cannot be ignored and we should be spreading that knowledge, but teaching people intuitive eating gives them the power to make healthy choices on their own and really enjoy healthy foods. When one begins to tune into how they feel, think, taste, and experience food, they tend to gravitate towards healthier choices and maintain healthier lifestyles in the long run. Intuitive eating can be a vessel to teach both food choices and portion sizes by tuning into ones physical cues. Intuitive eating is simple in principle, but difficult in practice. As Moriah said, we live busy lives where tuning into our bodies becomes challenging. Helping people overcome this challenge and learn to understand what their bodies need can be influential.
I agree with Kirsten when she says that completely focusing on dietary recommendations diminishes food choices to a set of numbers, and that takes the enjoyment out of eating. I think it is important to create a lifestyle where healthy choices are appreciated, enjoyed, and valued as more than just adhering to recommendations.
Intuitive eating is a useful skill which may negate some of the negative effects of fasting/ dieting behaviors. In the absence of a strong healthful independent American Food Culture intuitive eating may passably stand in. American's are overwhelmed with dietary recommendations to the point that they have either devoted their gastronomical souls to the edicts of a health expert guru, or have abandon all dietary cares, electing a 'you only live once' attitude. Intuitive eating embarks a simple, common message, of self trust and attentiveness. Such messages draw awareness to food and place the diner back into control of their food choices. Dietary recommendations are a highly useful tool to the point at which they may be absorbed and utilized by the public. I doubt the effectiveness of current dietary recommendation education strategies.
Further, I agree with Moriah as to the importance of intuitive eating mentalities. The restriction of foods through diets reinforces a reward and punishment relationships with food items, which develop into dangerous diet behaviors including eating disorders. The early and continued instruction of a mindful eating curriculum may help stymie some zealous dieters from forming poor eating habits.
Intuitive eating has been shown to be effective in weight management because of its non-dieting approach to weight loss. Within an out-patient setting, I believe intuitive eating would be a successful counseling approach; however, I believe intuitive eating should be introduced to someone during later nutrition counseling sessions. My thoughts are intuitive eating is useful in achieving long-term dietary habits-- but you still should have your clients gain a strong foundation of what the dietary recommendations are. In sum, I believe encouraging intake utilizing the dietary guidelines to be the initial approach to nutrition counseling with adding the intuitive eating component a bit later on to assist transforming a clients healthy eating into a long-term lifestyle.
I feel that more of an emphasis should be place on intuitive eating and less of the "traditional/fad" dieting. As this study and other previous studies have noted, a focus on intuitive eating would result in a better relationship with food and a higher likelihood of maintaining body weight. As someone who has followed traditional dieting "rules" when I was younger, I do feel that it impacted my ability to recognize my hunger and satiety levels. Even with my background in nutrition, I still find myself occasionally struggling to determine these levels or if other factors (stress, emotions, etc.) are at play. With the focus on positive body image and Health at Every Size, I feel intuitive eating practices should be highlighted in order to help decrease the percentage of men and women struggling with disordered eating and ED.
I agree with Moriah, Kirsten, and Nikki that intuitive eating should be taught in conjunction with the dietary recommendations. I feel that the dietary recommendations provide a great visual (ie. MyPlate) for the general population, regardless of education level. However, intuitive eating is a natural practice that we seem to lose sight of as we get older. I feel that we should be highlighting intuitive eating more than what is currently occurring. By combining the two, we can help individuals build healthier relationships with food while still providing general guidelines for intake.
Noel, I agree with your proposition the intuitive eating education should be a later-stage dietary intervention occurring in conjunction with but after dietary recommendation counseling. It clear that both strategies are needed for most effective weight maintenance and health, but this model you suggested seems like it would be an ideal approach to both topics. Intuitively eating the wrong types of foods or an unbalanced diet can still be impede weight loss/maintenance and overall health, which is why learning and applying dietary recommendations is also important especially in early stages of diet counseling.
Justine, I really like your point that intuitive eating is "simple in principle, but difficult in practice." I feel as nutrition educators we may turn to intuitive eating too comfortably without fully understanding the difficulty to adopt any behavior change. In a undergraduate course, we learned it takes 6-12 months for a new behavior to be transformed into an unconscious habit. It is easy to educate clients about intuitive eating; however, it is a method that must be reinforced in counseling.
Americans eating habits are much more complex than the literature can even reflect at this moment. This study is a step in the right direction for uncovering dieting behavior trends. I definitely think that we should be putting a greater emphasis on intuitive eating practices for our clients. However, that’s not to say that dietary recommendations should be put to the wayside. In order for clients to benefit from appropriate intuitive eating, they must first have an understanding of healthy dietary recommendations. Without that base, intuitive eating practices would reap less benefit for the client. In teaching intuitive eating practices, dietitians will need to make sure they are prepared to use more psychological counseling techniques. Helping a patient to understand what intuitive eating means to them will also require the client to do a lot of self-reflection with the assistance of the dietitian. My personal opinion is that dietitians, specifically dietetic counselors, should have more training in counseling and psychology than what is currently required. I am hopeful that more literature will emerge in the near future that supports my belief on this matter.
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