Why is this kind of nutrition counseling different from all other types of counseling?

  Why is it that I thank Hashem each and every night before I go to bed for allowing me to find this work and to teach it to other women? Why is it that I feel a nutrition framework can create a new framework for the entirety of living? Why is it that so many people are resistant to this exact type of change? And lastly, does eating intuitively lead to living intuitively? I consider myself lucky to be doing what I love - but I don’t think the true word to describe all of this is luck.

When I first learned about Intuitive Eating - I was sitting in a therapist's office.

"What does one have to do with the other?" one might ask. Precisely this. This is the official definition of Intuitive Eating - “Intuitive Eating is a self-care eating framework, which integrates instinct, emotion, and rational thought and was created by two dietitians, Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch in 1995. Intuitive Eating is a weight-inclusive, evidence-based model with a validated assessment scale and over 100 studies to date. It’s a personal and dynamic process, which includes 10 principles” (https://www.intuitiveeating.org/definition-of-intuitive-eating/)

Go ahead - let it sink in.

The reason this work is so revolutionary to many and was to me is because nutrition and food choices do not occur in a vacuum. When we make a food choice - there is usually a dynamic interplay going on that we may or may not be aware of. This, coupled with years of diet culture - of the world telling you what to eat, when to eat and how much to eat - of the world telling you what a beautiful person looks like - obviously the smaller the better - many food choices become completely wrought with guilt, shame, confusion and doubt. Nutrition is just that. Nourishment for the body. We don’t feel guilt for going to the bathroom too much or breathing too much but somehow, we have enormous guilt when it comes to how much we eat. Now, this isn’t to say that one never overeats - I am not suggesting that - I am suggesting that there is a mechanism at play that sets us up to overeat and then feel extreme guilt about.

And the irony of it all - the more we indulge in guilt, the more we tend to engage in that exact behavior causing the guilt.

Why is it that so many Americans are “overweight?” That so many of the people who I know who have chronically dieted, are still dieting? Why is it that I can’t have a conversation with most people without their weight coming up? Because dieting and weight loss have arbitrarily become a status symbol in our world. Food becomes an excellent target for inappropriately dealing with our lives.

The more you restrict food, the more you tend to crave those foods and binge on them.

The more you bury yourself in self loathing and guilt, the more distracted you feel from the actual problems in your life. The more you fit into societal normalcy of living, the more disordered your eating becomes. The more disorder YOU become. I too was on this path not long ago. When I read Intuitive Eating, it felt like a ton of bricks falling on me - for better or for worse. I understood why I felt so badly about myself. I understood why dieted had never worked for me or anyone I knew. I understood that not liking the way my body looked and obsessively thinking about what to eat or what not to eat - was a really great distraction from what was truly important to me in my life.

Body image isn’t about how you look, it’s about how you feel on the inside.

Diet culture tells you that you're not good enough because you're not small enough and then continues to sell you a product that fails every time. You, in turn, blame yourself and never the diet. Everyone around you seems to praise you for your efforts and tries doing the same - so it therefore seems normal. No, it's not normal. There is so much more to life than dieting or not dieting. Than the way you look or how small you are. Nutrition is important and part of Intuitive Eating, but it’s one aspect of taking care of this one and only body you will live in your entire life. Exercise too, is a powerful self care tool, but it becomes powerfully dangerous the more you use it to shrink your body again. Food should be enjoyed - and then moved on from. You don’t have to stay trapped in the obsession of weight. There is another choice. Choose wisely.   In today's podcast episode, I reposted my interview with Yael Trusch, where you can access here - https://jewishlatinprincess.com/?s=gila+glassberg In this episode, Yael interviews me and asked me some of the most frequently asked questions about Intuitive Eating. This episode was relatable as I am home with my children and without much help. I often quote Jessica Setnick - who is an eating disorder expert. She says, "the way we take care of ourselves, is how we model for our clients." It's true. I love putting out an episode a week, but it can be challenging when my kids are around. This is the best of both worlds.

The podcast episode can be found here as well as 29 other episodes!

Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast and YouTube channel! Please leave a review and share with those you think will benefit. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/get-intuit-with-gila/id1507567418#episodeGuid=53117c1d-7297-48c0-b356-04b8dddecb34 If you are interested in making peace with food through the principles of Intuitive Eating and the practices of self care, go ahead and schedule a free call via my website. You can work with me one on one, or sign up to be in one of my online support groups.