Intuitive Eating Principle 2 - Honor Your Hunger

Hunger is a normal signal our body sends out, telling us it is time to eat. These signals keep us fueled with good energy and help us meet our nutrient needs. It is necessary for survival.

Diet culture often paints the picture that hunger is something to be ashamed of

...something to downplay, something to ignore - most especially for women.

Unfortunately, it is all too common to manipulate how we feed ourselves to fit into society's standards of what eating “should” look like.

Perhaps you have found yourself in a social situation where you ate a small amount, ignoring your actual hunger, in order to not feel “gluttonous”, feeling embarrassed and guilty that you actually wanted (and needed) more food than the person sitting next to you. Perhaps you had to listen to someone brag how little they “need” to eat, as if it was something to be proud of, making them a better person.

Do you ignore your hunger signals because your attention is elsewhere during the day?

Have you followed diets, limiting yourself to a certain amount of food or time you are able to eat?

When we get into the habit of not listening to our hunger signals, those signals can become silent and harder to pick up on.

Honor your hunger is the second principle of Intuitive Eating (IE), encouraging you to look internally to determine when and what to eat.

Initially, it can be surprisingly difficult to hear the subtle hunger cues. We’ve been taught to ignore the whispers of hunger and often do not honor this need until we are running on empty. The problem with waiting until you are overly hungry is that it is so very difficult to approach that meal with intention and enjoyment. Our primal hunger has kicked into overdrive. When we have waited too long in between meals, hunger hormones are very powerful and it can be difficult to eat mindfully, let alone take the time to prepare a balanced nourishing or even satisfying meal.

When the mindless, rushed eating happens over and over, satisfaction also suffers. With this principle, there is so much self discovery that happens as we start to pay attention. It is much harder to listen to our body than we may think.

As you start to explore your personal hunger cues ask yourself the following:

• What physical signs of hunger do you notice? This could feel like mild gurgling of the stomach or pain, lightheadedness, irritability (hello hangry!), headache, difficulty concentrating, or general preoccupation with food. Everyone's signals show up differently, it may take a while to get a handle on your own signs of hunger.

• How does it feel in your body to have not eaten enough food, when you become too hungry? How is your mood or mental state? How is your energy?

• How does it feel in your body when you have eaten throughout the day in a way that has kept you satisfied? How is your mood or mental state? How is your energy?

By honoring our hunger we are giving our bodies the consistent nourishment it needs and deserves.

When we consistently approach fueling ourselves in this manner it is much easier to build the trust needed to move forward with nurturing a healthy relationship to food.

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