Respect Your Body with Gentle Nutrition
February is American Heart Month. As a dietitian I am reminded of the years spent creating educational materials and demonstrations that highlighted ways to love your heart through nutrition. In reflecting back, it all felt superficial. It’s not that I had a problem providing reliable nutrition education, its that I knew people were being flooded with information and that nutrition can be tricky to navigate.
Nutrition can be viewed in two ways. Either, as the science of nutrients and metabolism or, as food and nourishment. When it comes to the day to day engagement with feeding ourselves, the subject of nutrition becomes very complex. I have spoken to many people who feel overwhelmed with conflicting advice and stuck between what is “right” and “wrong.” So, how can you move forward if you are standing in a place of confusion and distrust around food and body?
We can start by recognizing that nutrition is a science, but there is a real art to nourishment. The body is a dynamic system and fueling that system can not be distilled to a set of static rules.
Image Credit: Anna Dröfn Daníelsdóttir, Freyr Jóhannsson, Soffía Jónsdóttir, Sindri Jarlsson, Jón Pétur Gunnarsson & Ronan M. T. Fleming from the University of Iceland.
This image is a map of human metabolism. Hundreds of types of chemical reactions are happening right now in your body, ensuring its functioning, repair and reset every day. Some pathways function independently, but most are interdependent. What feeds this system? Glucose from carbohydrates, amino acids from protein, fatty acids from lipids, vitamins and minerals from a wide variety of foods.
I show you this image not to overwhelm you, but to illustrate that this system is not only intricate, but also very resilient. Ultimately, the body likes balance and consistency; we have built-in ways to adapt and adjust as needed. There is no “one” meal or even a day of eating that will throw off the system. Instead, it is what happens consistently, over time that makes a difference.
The “art” of nourishment allows all foods. It can be joyful, engaging, and is not all-consuming or rigid. This letting go of right and wrong is what Gentle Nutrition is all about. It is about holding the task of nourishment with a gentle grip. It is letting the science inform, but allowing variety, flexibility, and attunement lead your daily choices so your body can stay consistently fueled.
The term Gentle Nutrition was coined by Evelyn Tribole, MS, RDN, CEDRD-S and Elyse Resch, MS, RDN, CEDRD-S in their book Intuitive Eating. The Intuitive Eating framework was designed to help individuals heal their relationship with food and body and is made up of 10 principles:
Reject the Diet Mentality
Honor Your Hunger
Make Peace with Food
Challenge the Food Police
Discover the Satisfaction Factor
Feel Your Fullness
Cope with Your Emotions with Kindness
Respect Your Body
Movement-Feel the Difference
Honor your Health with Gentle Nutrition
The Venn diagram above illustrates how Gentle Nutrition represents the balance between your internal needs and external information. “Take what you need and leave the rest.” Although I will not go into the details of Intuitive Eating here, I do want to highlight principles 8 & 10. There is a reason that Respecting Your Body (and all the other principles) come before Gentle Nutrition. Because, you can not honor your health with nutrition if you don’t respect your body or if you feel that food is an overpowering force.
Body respect is about understanding the needs of your body and following through with a supportive action. This could look like a restful night sleep, stopping when you are pleasantly full, purchasing clothes that comfortably fit, or preparing a satisfying meal that also considers your nutritional needs. If you have a hard time trusting your body or feeling that your body is un-deserving, it will be very difficult to engage in Gentle Nutrition; nourishment after all, is a form of self care.
Since it is American Heart Month, let’s consider some general nutrition guidelines for heart health:
Abundant fruits and vegetables daily (6-10 servings)
Whole grains daily (brown rice, whole wheat pasta or bread, oats, quinoa, etc.)
Unsaturated fats(nuts, seeds, oils, avocado, fish) >saturated fats(high fat meats or dairy, and tropical oils)
Limit intake of beef, cured or smoked meats
Incorporate 1 serving of soy or other legumes 3-4 times/week
Incorporate low-fat, calcium rich foods daily
Limit sodium intake <2300mg/day (1500-2000 for those who are salt sensitive)
It is likely that you have heard these recommendations before. You may have even gotten more pointed recommendations based on your individual health needs. If you struggle to consistently incorporate nutrition recommendations consider a gentle approach.
Evaluate your current dietary patterns. Are you already incorporating some of these guidelines? If it feels right, keep it up.
Are there any of these recommendations that don’t feel useful to you?. Maybe you are someone who has never liked soy, legumes or fish. Ok, then these recommendations are not for you, move on.
Do any of these recommendations pique your interest? Get curious; you can not fail.
Maybe you have been wanting to incorporate more vegetables, but struggle to find enjoyment in these foods. Pick one recipe (any recipe) or one vegetable that looks interesting. If you aren’t sure how to proceed, ask for help, a few simple techniques can make all the difference. If you don’t like it, no worries, you don’t have to like them all. Keep allowing curiosity and I guarantee you will find your sweet spot.
Are you noticing any resistance or uncomfortable emotions? Let yourself tune in to what you are feeling. Resistance can be a normal part of the process, but pushing through distressing emotion without support is not advised. Allow yourself to stay engaged and take all the time you need, this is not a race to the finish.
Lastly, have fun. Finding joy and satisfaction in your food does have value. It doesn’t have to look a particular way, as long as it feels good to you. Consider the words of the great Julia Child “in matters of taste consider nutrition and in the matters of nutrition consider taste.” This is Gentle Nutrition.