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Intuitive Eating, Nutrition

Implementing Gentle Nutrition

July 27, 2018 By Robyn 23 Comments

Hi everyone! It’s Connie, one of the interns, here again back after 3 weeks away from my normal kitchen to spend a week directing a camp filled with 200 kids followed by 2 weeks in the beautiful country of Croatia. By the time I got home my body was physically and mentally craving some gentle nutrition – things like those colorful leafy greens that we couldn’t find anywhere in Croatia and my beloved whole grain pancake mix. The cool thing about travel is that it exposes our body to different foods so that when we come home we sure are ready to get back to our version of normal. But what about when you have been living your normal day to day life and gentle nutrition doesn’t sounds appealing?

Even though intuitive eating and the Health At Every Size paradigm do encourage listening to your body’s internal cues and honoring your cravings, sometimes we have to think beyond what will solely taste good right now and ask the question, “What tastes good, but will also make me feel my best?” Before I continue, I do want to stress the importance of moving through the other principals of intuitive eating first before we even think about gentle nutrition. Because if you’re still holding onto, for example,  food rules around donuts and all you are craving are donuts, but you haven’t moved through the principals of IE and you read the above paragraph your decision might look like this…

“I reallly want a donut for breakfast right now… but that’s filled with sugar and carbs… ugh … maybe I should just eat something more nutrient dense and forego the donut altogether. The donut isn’t good for me. ”

Here’s what your decision might look like with gentle nutrition in mind after coming to a neutral place with all foods and giving yourself full permission around all foods…

“I reallly want a donut for breakfast right now, ok that donut has some carbs, sugar, and fat from the oil it was fried in.. cool. But that might only hold me over for an hour or two and I might not feel my best eating just the donut… so maybe I can bring along a banana and a hard boiled egg with me to either eat with my donut or have as a snack later so that my body has some good fiber and protein to hold me a bit longer and keep my blood sugar stable. That way I have my desired food, but also keep in mind some gentle nutrition which provides me with some staying power and extra vitamins and minerals.”

Gentle nutrition is made to compliment the food we truly desire not override our whole decision. When we begin to stress so much about “health” and “healthy eating” the stress itself can make those once “healthy” decisions no longer healthy – physically or psychologically. A restrictive mindset like telling yourself you can’t have the donut altogether not only heightens our desire for that donut, but it also heightens our reward response when eating that donut,  setting us up for overeating or having a chaotic experience the next time we are around donuts.

Most recently I’ve been having a hard time with lunch. It’s funny, when I’m on campus all day taking class or teaching class I have no problem thinking ahead and prepping something for myself. When I’m at home working or I choose to write some of my thesis at a coffee shop it’s like my lunch brain falls out of my actual brain and I lose all desire to think about what I want to eat and what foods would provide my body with good nutrition as well.

Here’s some things that have helped me incorporate some gentle nutrition when I just don’t have the desire to put mental energy towards it.

  1. Write down what things sounds satisfying to you during your grocery shopping trip and have them in the house so it’s easy to grab. Or when you are sitting at that coffee shop, think about what really sounds good to you. Can you shop for those foods when you go to the store so your are more prepared next time?
  2. Loosely plan out a protein, carb, fat, and fun food for each meal. That gives me fullness and satisfaction.
  3. Switch it up! Variety is the spice of life and sometimes out tastebuds just need a change up to feel like planning lunches again!

For me, what sounds the best lately are Trader Joes pre-packaged salads that I can bulk up with extra greens and add some fun sides like carrots and hummus or pita chips/bread and cheese or hummus + some cookies or chocolate chips. These salads are more expensive than if I just bought some ingredients in bulk and spent some time making them but that sounds so blah to me. I’d rather pay a few extra bucks to make sure I’m nourished and I enjoy my meal versus nibbling on random stuff that leaves me unsatisfied and unnourished. I completely realize that being able to buy pre-packaged salads is a privilege and intuitive eating will look different based on each person’s time, overall  health and financial resources (among other factors)

My future self thanks me when my belly starts to rumble at the coffee shop. I have something nourishing and satisfying ready to go instead of running across the street to the local pizza joint out of desperation and ordering a slice even though I might not have wanted pizza to begin with.

So I hope some loose prep and thinking of how you want to feel both psychotically and physically is helpful when you think about choosing foods with gentle nutrition in mind. I can’t emphasize enough though, if you’re in eating disorder recovery, are just beginning your IE journey or find yourself stuck in diet mentality…implementing gentle nutrition won’t be appropriate yet. But you are right where you need to be, it’s okay to be where you are, and you are moving through your own journey at the pace you need to <3


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Filed Under: Intuitive Eating, Nutrition

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Comments

  1. Annie says

    July 27, 2018 at 6:31 am

    I was just going to say I don’t think I am there yet when I saw your last paragraph!
    Although I was debating what to have for breakfast this morning and while I kinda wanted toast I had something else. My reasoning was : I know I can HAVE toast if I want it but I also know it’s not going to keep me full for long. I guess next time I will simply add a morning snack and maybe pair it with eggs!

    Reply
    • Connie says

      August 5, 2018 at 11:16 am

      Hey Annie 🙂
      Yes, totally. I think theres room to fit what you actually want in your meals- that’s if you have it in the house of course! It’s all a process so maybe you can incorporate wants and some needs in your next meal or snack! Hope you are having a lovely weekend!

      Reply
  2. Jen says

    July 27, 2018 at 10:13 am

    Love seeing an article on gentle nutrition through an intuitive eating lens!!

    Reply
    • Connie says

      August 5, 2018 at 11:22 am

      Hey Jen! Wohoo! Glad this resonated with you 🙂

      Reply
  3. Dana Wansing says

    July 27, 2018 at 2:03 pm

    I loved this!!! I’m well into my IE journey after working with Robyn 4ish years ago – so this really resonated with me. Thank you!!!

    Reply
    • Connie says

      August 5, 2018 at 11:23 am

      Hey Dana!
      I am so happy this resonated with you! Happy weekending 🙂

      Reply
  4. Kaitlyn @ Powered by Sass says

    July 27, 2018 at 4:28 pm

    Love this whole idea and explanation and it’s TOTALLY helping me feel more at ease about food during this transitional season in my life. The entire month of July has been a whirlwind with back-to-back vacations and then a cross-country move and I’ve been feeling a little guilty for not being able to cook very much. But this idea of gentle foods to accompany other cravings is amazing. – Kaitlyn | http://www.poweredbysass.com

    Reply
    • Connie says

      August 5, 2018 at 11:25 am

      Hey Kaitlyn!
      I’m so glad this resonated with you! My summer has been quite the transition as well with traveling galore but thats the beauty of life and when we can just bring nutrition with us instead of making nutrition our only focus it can be a beautiful thing! I hope you get settled and enjoy your new home 🙂

      Reply
  5. Rosie says

    July 28, 2018 at 11:21 am

    Great post! However in this sentence “Gentle nutrition is made to compliment the food we truly desire not override our whole decision.” I think you mean complement not compliment 🙂

    Reply
    • Connie says

      August 5, 2018 at 11:26 am

      Hey Rosie!
      Eek yep that’s what I meant. I’m a human who makes some typos 🙂

      Reply
  6. Emily Swanson says

    July 28, 2018 at 4:32 pm

    I LOVE LOVE LOVE this Connie. Sorry, I’m so emphatic, but I really appreciate how you had us think about what it would be to keep ourselves satisfied with a donut plus an egg plus something else to keep us satisfied for several hours. 🙂 I love how you’re reminding me that it’s ok and a GOOD thing to think about those gentle nutrition choices that will nourish our body, mind, and soul. 🙂

    Reply
    • Connie says

      August 5, 2018 at 11:29 am

      Hey Emily!
      I’m SO happy you loved this! Right? I think when people hear about IE they are like “oh they just eat donuts all day!” and while sure that could be true- they don’t know where that person is on their journey and many others may eat a donut and enjoy some eggs or a yummy salad for lunch. You know? IE totally is health focused- just in a very gentle way 🙂 Happy weekending!

      Reply
  7. Leo says

    August 3, 2018 at 2:49 pm

    Hey Robyn! I love those tips to avoid falling into despair. But I find out there is another method to stop thos hunger cravings. Look: https://bit.ly/2KpJhRL

    Reply
  8. Katherine says

    August 5, 2018 at 9:01 am

    Great practical breakdown of gentle nutrition! When learning about gentle nutrition it can be so hard to apply because it’s not concrete. This was helpful in showing how it plays out in real life.

    Reply
    • Connie says

      August 5, 2018 at 11:31 am

      Hey Katherine!
      I’m so glad this resonated with you 🙂 I found it hard to think about too in the beginning and reading other people’s experiences made it more understandable for me! Happy Weekending 🙂

      Reply
  9. beanpip says

    August 21, 2019 at 10:10 am

    I love how you explain Gentle Nutrition – especially the paragraph about the donut for breakfast! Just perfect – and exactly what I needed to read right now. Thank you for this! Big hugs from Scotland xxx

    Reply
    • Robyn says

      August 26, 2019 at 11:14 am

      so glad it was helpful!

      Reply
  10. Luiz Antonio Duarte Ferreira says

    August 24, 2024 at 11:33 am

    This blog on implementing gentle nutrition is fantastic! It offers a compassionate and practical approach to fostering a healthier relationship with food. The tips are insightful and achievable, making it a valuable resource for anyone looking to improve their eating habits.

    Reply
  11. Veronica Dantas says

    October 17, 2024 at 6:22 am

    Great read, thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  12. THE JEMBE says

    November 30, 2024 at 1:26 am

    Thank you for this insightful post on implementing gentle nutrition! I love how you emphasized the importance of being kind to ourselves and taking a balanced approach to eating. It’s refreshing to see a focus on nourishment and intuitive eating rather than restrictive diets. The tips shared are practical and relatable, and I appreciate how you highlighted the need for mindfulness and self-compassion in our food choices. This is a much-needed perspective in today’s diet-obsessed culture. I’m definitely going to incorporate some of these ideas into my own routine!

    Reply

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A non-diet dietitian and nurse practitioner helping women find peace with food, accept their natural body size and heal from hormonal issues and period problems.

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