Why hello there! And welcome to Fab Finds Friday #15! This one is pretty heavy on content I haven’t talked too much on the blog lately.
Intuitive eating is something that is a relatively important part of my life, but I think the shift over the past couple years is that I am much more cognizant day by day of the “intuitive” aspect, as opposed to the “eating” aspect. What I mean by that is I strive to listen to my intuition every day, to live intuitively. Eating is obviously a part of living, and so this same philosophy extends to food as well. I no longer spend hours thinking about how to make sure I am eating intuitively or reading exclusively nutritional articles.
But, at the same time, intuitive eating, diet culture, and nutrition in general are huge interests of mine, and I do think it is important to share articles like the ones below to show how uncomplicated food can be. How food should never be a punishment or a source of pride or shame. How if we all stopped attaching so much value to what is going in our mouths and to the way it might affect our bodies, we would all be more attuned in all other areas of our lives.
Just some food for thought (HA).
Welcome to Fab Finds Friday!
A chance to reflect, not on the things you did, but on the things that did something to you!
Whether it’s something you heard, a sentence you read, a quote that spoke to you, or even something you wrote yourself, if it inspired you and you want to share it with others, we want to know about it!
Make sure you have a hyperlink in your post to both Laughing My Abs Off and My Little Tablespoon. Then drop your link below and discover what inspired others. You never know when you’ll stumble upon the next life-changing nugget of wisdom. Happy Friday!
Implementing Gentle Nutrition
Love this post by the lovely Connie. If you find yourself overcomplicating intuitive eating or having trouble finding the line between making “healthy” choices and eating whatever, this is a great post for you. I love how she breaks down all foods as essentially the same building blocks, and explains that if we choose mostly whole foods and eat our fruits and veggies in our day-to-day, there is nothing wrong with also sometimes eating something just for convenience or taste purposes (and not for its inherent nutritional value).
Your Body is Dynamic, Not Static
A beautiful article by Robyn that talks about set point theory. She explains that our set point weight is less of a point and more of a range that is also shifting throughout our lifetime. I love the compassion with which this post is written, the acknowledgement that it isn’t easy sometimes to accept a changing set point that isn’t necessarily in line with one’s “ideal body.” Her tips for coming to peace with the fact that our bodies are ever-changing and for separating our identities from our weight are so insightful, and I know I will keep coming back to this article for years to come. The learning never stops…
Intuitive Eating and HAES Are Not Anti-Health
Another great one from Robyn, especially for people who still are a bit confused about the concepts of intuitive eating and health at every size. I know it took me almost 2 years of research and reading before I actually started to understand what these concepts mean. Robyn talks about the importance of keeping an open mind, both for people who have been embracing these frameworks for a while and for those who are entirely new to them. We cannot ever learn if we hold to ideas just because they are what people have agreed on years prior. Robyn does a great job giving an overview on both of these and explaining that contrary to popular belief, these concepts are not at odds with the pursuit of health. In fact, they go hand in hand.
Debunking Intermittent Fasting
Something that REALLY answered a lot of questions for me. I never was particularly interested in trying intermittent fasting because I don’t love any way of eating that is dogmatic or requires you to ignore you body’s needs. But I was curious about it because there have been so many claims in recent years about the various health benefits of intermittent fasting, and how it’s what humans are meant to follow, etc. This article tackles a lot of those questions and debunks a lot of myths, so I highly recommend if it’s something you were curious about.
Eating Food Out of Obligation- Normal or Not?
A SUPER interesting read for people who become so scared of emulating diet culture that they choose to eat foods they don’t even necessarily want just to be “normal” eaters. But in the process, are they going against the fundamental pillars of intuitive eating?
Eating as a Form of Self-Respect vs. Eating as a Form of People Pleasing
Along the same lines, Naomi wrote this awesome raw post about her journey from being an “excessively intuitive normal eater” to being truly intuitive with her food choices, the difference being that she no longer tries to prove anything to herself and others and instead focuses on eating from a place of self-respect. These two posts are amazing to read side-by-side, and when I came across first one then the other, I knew this was something important to share.
I hope you enjoyed these tidbits of inspiration (I know I did!), and I’d love to see your links down below. Leave me a comment and tell me if any of these particularly resonated with you!
Have a fun Friday! 😉
Those all sound like interesting reads Nicole! happy Friday
Patrick@looneyforfood.com recently posted…Full Day of Fall Eats – Healthy fall comfort food
Ahhh I had many of these bookmarked myself! Especially the “gentle nutrition” one – that one really resonated and I think is wonderful for everyone to read, no matter their history with food. Too much black and white thinking in our society. And at the same time, there are such beautiful and simple ways to offer our bodies more nutrients – sometimes we just need reminding that our bodies need it.
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