Community Question | Gentle Nutrition
Here’s our latest community question.
For the past 8 months I’ve been trying to practice intuitive eating after many years of restricting and binging. Now when I notice my hunger signals, I eat instead of waiting. I’m also still playing with trying my “forbidden foods” with unconditional permission which feels so liberating. Recently, I’ve been thinking I might want to eat salads again and that I want to eat more vegetables, in general. My question is, how do I know if this is diet culture telling me I’ve gone too far, or if I’m intuitively wanting foods that I still think of as “diet-y”?
Thank you, reader, for sharing your experience with our community and for asking this important question!
It sounds like the work you’re doing to be attuned to your body has given you a more peaceful relationship with food, and this is great. I understand why you’re questioning your desire to eat foods again that you associate with restricting. It seems risky to you, and it can be depending on timing and how you approach it.
Elyse Resch and Evelyn Tribole, both dieticians and the authors of the book Intuitive Eating: A Revoluntionary Anti-Diet Approach, intentionally placed the principle, "Honor Your Health with Gentle Nutrition," as the tenth and last principle of intuitive eating. They explain the necessity of practicing the nine other principles of intuitive eating including, Reject the Diet Mentality, before we incorporate "Gentle Nutrition" since many of us have spent the better part of our lives trying to follow diet culture’s rules. It’s important to be grounded in intuitive eating before we incorporate external advice about nutrition, even if it’s empirically-supported.
I notice that you use the word play when you describe trying your forbidden foods, and I wonder if you can apply that same approach to eating foods you think of as “diet-y”? How would it feel to eat salad as part of a meal you currently enjoy? I encourage you to continue to focus on being attuned with your body during these experiments, and to notice how these vegetables and salads taste and how they make you feel.
Reclaiming Vegetables
Salads and vegetables can taste delicious and deeply satisfying.
Try these flavor boosters!
Aleppo chile flakes (fruity and medium spicy)
Smoked paprika
Lemon zest
Lemon juice
Pecorino Romano cheese
Grated fresh ginger
Soy Sauce
Toasted sesame oil
Toasted almond slivers (I buy these at Trader Joe’s)
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Butter
Salt, for sure
Plus, seasoning, dips, and sauces you enjoy!
Easy Recipe Guide
Best-Ever Broccolini
Toss together: Broccolini + EVOO + salt + garlic powder + Aleppo chile flakes
Broil or grill at high heat until tender (about 6 minutes)
Add a generous squeeze of lemon juice
Roasted Smoky Cauliflower
Toss together: Cauliflower + EVOO + salt + smoked paprika
Roast at 450 degrees until tender (20-25 minutes)
Lemony Arugula Salad
Mix together: lemon juice + EVOO + salt
Toss with fresh arugula, toasted almonds, grated pecorino romano cheese
Dieting and diet culture wouldn’t make sense if we simply accepted that people come in all different sizes.
Virgie Tovar
