Redefining health in a world of disorder
WHAT DOES HEALTH MEAN TO YOU?
We are living in a time in our society where people are hyper focused on their health, so much that it’s resulting in stress and anxiety around achieving the “perfect” eating and exercise routine. Most people have the best intentions in wanting to improve their health. However, the intense focus on weight and weight loss is linked to diminished health (Tylka et al., 2014).
Our goal is to help you enjoy their life more – and free up mental space that was previously dedicated to achieving an unrealistic definition of well-being. Instead of imagining that health is only possible at a specific weight, our goal is to support you in improving your health, regardless of where you fall on the weight spectrum.
We recognize that this a very different message than what you have heard throughout your life, but research shows that weight loss is not sustainable for most individuals, and can result in negative health outcomes (Tylka et al.,2014).
The Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH) embodies a holistic definition of health, which “cannot be characterized as simply the absence of physical or mental illness, limitation, or disease. Rather, health exists on a continuum that varies with time and circumstance for each individual”.
We hope to support you in figuring out what health looks like to you, and ensures that all aspects of health are considered.
WHAT IS INTUITIVE EATING?
In 1995, Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch published the first edition of “Intuitive Eating”, and will be coming out with the fourth edition next year.
Evelyn Tribole defines Intuitive Eating as “the personal process of listening and responding to the direct messages of your body in order to get your physical and psychological needs met.
We are all born intuitive eaters. Babies show us what it means to eat intuitively – they rely on their innate wisdom to regulate hunger, fullness and satisfaction. Unfortunately, we all grow up in diet culture, which Christy Harrison defines as a system of beliefs that:
- Worships thinness and equates it to health and moral virtue
- Promotes weight loss as a means of attaining higher status
- Demonizes certain ways of eating while elevating others
- Oppresses people who don’t match up with it’s supposed picture of “health”
Growing up in diet culture teaches us that our bodies can’t be trusted, and the result is that we follow meal plans, count calories and macronutrients, and have no idea how to listen to our bodies.
Our goal is to help you re-connect with your body to help you decide what, when and how much to eat. The process of intuitive eating is designed to help you heal your relationship with food and your body – it is not designed to shrink your body or to use the scale to track your progress. Through this approach, we hope to help you discover what health means to you and support you in figuring out what caring for your body truly looks like.
There are 10 guiding principles of intuitive eating:
- Reject the diet mentality
- Honour your hunger
- Make peace with food
- Challenge the food police
- Feel your fullness
- Discover the satisfaction factor
- Cope with your emotions without using food
- Respect your body
- Exercise – feel the difference
- Honour your health with gentle nutrition
Are you looking for support with your own dietary concerns? Contact our team of Registered Dietitians at Pine to learn more and book your consultation.