Podcast Series and Episode number: EP90
• Title: Top 3 Frequently Asked Questions about Intuitive Eating
• Host name and Credentials: Erin Gobeille, MS, RDN
• Facility: VA Portland Medical Center
• Guests and Contributors:
o Audrey Perkins, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor. Clinical Outpatient Nutrition at VA Puget Sound in Seattle, WA.
o Christina Johnson, MS, RD, Outpatient Dietitian at the VA Portland Medical center in Oregon

Erin: Welcome back to Fresh Focus Podcast, I’m Erin, a registered dietitian at the Portland VA Health Care System and I am excited to be your host again today. This week I am lucky to be joined by Audrey Perkins a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor at VA Puget Sound in Seattle, WA and Christina Johnson a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist at the VA Portland Health Care System in Oregon. Welcome back and thank you for joining me again!

Audrey: thanks Erin, Glad to be back!

Christina: absolutely happy to be here

Erin: so what would you say are the top questions that we get from our veterans and their family members about intuitive eating?

Audrey: so many people out there are confused on what to eat because there is so much conflicting info and this is exactly why I want to work with veterans on this approach and we’ve seen success with it. One main question I am frequently asked is “Does intuitive eating mean I can eat whatever I want, whenever I want?”.

Christina: absolutely Audrey, I hear that often as well.

Erin: yes so do I so how do you address that questions with your Veterans?

Audrey: I go about it while intuitive eating isn’t a diet and doesn’t include food restrictions it doesn’t just mean eating whatever you want whenever you want either. By doing that you are ignoring your body’s cues which is an essential part of intuitive eating. I like to explain to veterans that it deals more with our relationship with food and our emotional responses. By focusing on how foods make us feel often leads us to choose quality over quantity. A great example occurred when a veteran allowed hisself dessert after a period of restriction found that he didn’t always eat the whole dessert and he then shared that he was becoming more satisfasfied with smaller amounts when he was started paying closer attention to how his fullness and satisfaction was while eating desserts again.
I like to share study I read of college students that are intuitive eaters, which showed they had more diverse diets, lower bmi, with the added bonus of increased pleasure in eating so they were able to have that psychological emotional benefit as well. There have also been studies showing this style of eating improves health indicators such as blood pressure, healthier blood cholesterol and other blood fat and overall healthy diet, and diversity in foods.

Christina: thanks for sharing that study, Knowing that you have permission to eat foods and knowing if the craving gets strong, you are able to enjoy those items in a reasonable way, that is perfectly healthy. Mentally, it can even reduce your cravings for it. When you know you can have it, you’re not enhancing the demand for it by telling yourself no, an example I have to share is a veteran I have been working with for several months and she has recently started giving herself permission to start eating foods that she previously ate in large quantities she has now been able to enjoy small amount of those foods without the guilt saying to me I can trust myself in ways that I couldn’t before.

Erin: thank you for sharing those great examples, speaking of cravings I had a veteran the other day diagnosed with diabetes ask me if he could practice Intuitive Eating?
How do you both handle that situation when you have veterans with a specific health condition?

Audrey: yeah Erin, that is another question I get asked frequently I am currently working with a veteran with a dx of type 2 diabetes for over a year now practicing IE and just the other day she shared that with approaching her food choices through the lens of IE has been able to accept her diagnosis and special needs her body has with diabetes while also continuing to choose foods that are pleasing and satisfying. IE is often complimentary to chronic disease management and not contrary.

Christina: My answer is always: Yes, absolutely just like with Audrey’s veteran…..I like to remind everyone that you can practice Intuitive Eating in this setting.
Intuitive Eating teaches us to be more in tune with our bodies and to build that healthy relationship between our bodies and food. Although IE is not a diet plan, it does support the needs of people to be mindful and cautious with some diet components due to health concerns, such as diabetes example with carbohydrate intake, hypertension with sodium intake, and even food allergies. We can still use our intuitive eating skills to consider the physical and physiological effects that some foods have on our bodies, while at the same time honoring our hunger, fullness and satisfaction factor. Finding balance and being able to incorporate satisfaction with our choices is important here.

Audrey: yeah, I also had a veteran ask me “How can I make peace with food when I'm told to lose weight for surgery?” that definitely can be a tough one as well….

Erin: yes answering that question that I hear frequently is a little more challenging depending on the circumstance and individual. It is very stressful to be told that you are being required to be at a certain body weight, shape, or size to be able to improve your health.
Within IE, you can still make peace with food by including foods you enjoy, by honoring your body with adequate fuel, being flexible with your choices, and not demonizing certain foods (as dieting mentality often does). Working with a nutritional professional in this setting is going to be very important to focus on healthy habits to meet the required weight loss goals, while being realistic that weight loss may or may not occur, and to continue to foster a healthy relationship with food and your body.

Christina: yeah something else to keep in mind we are all unique individuals with different nutritional needs there is no right or wrong way to eat intuitively. IE encourages more flexibility and less rigidity in your food choices, as well as focusing on cues from your body to guide eating choice rather than external cues or food rules. One way to gauge if you are eating more intuitively is checking in on your intention behind the food choices you are making and the feelings that are coming up around eating. For example, when you choose a salad for lunch are you choosing it because it’s what you think you are suppose to have, or because it is the lower calorie option OR are you choosing it because it sounds good and feel better after eating it? One veteran who I am working with had stigmatized vegetables due to an experience during childhood which I hear frequently, over time he was able to keep an open mind and try new vegetables in a way he hadn’t had before and he learned that he actually liked them and that he felt better better and has been able to since then he has been adding them in add more consistently and looking forward to eating them.

Audrey: we need to pay attention to how we feel around food…… It’s important to remember Intuitive Eating is a long journey with many ups and downs that is going to look different for each individual person. We may need to remind ourselves frequently to checking in on how you feel after we eat. We want to worry about food less so if you eat one of your favorite comfort foods and experience that oh my goodness I shouldn’t have eaten that feeling then remember its ok we have to keep reminding ourselves to reject that diet mentality and work on having a healthier relationship with food.

Christina: absolutely, It fosters a healthier relationship with food. So if you have been told to lose weight for an upcoming surgery eating intuitively can mean less calories because were focusing on how foods make us feel. By prioritizing foods that make our bodies and minds feel good we could in turn be choosing more nutrient dense food options that could result in possible weight loss. For various reasons, the quality of our intake can often make a big difference on the quantity of our intake. However, the main objective of intuitive eating is not solely the number on the scale.
Erin: Yes and this is a topic that we could spend a lot time talking about. I am very excited to dive more into that next time! So thank you both for joining today and sharing your expertise. If you have additional questions about intuitive eating that we haven’t answered yet, be sure to subscribe to the podcast and tune into future episodes where we will continue to answer questions about intuitive eating and how you can incorporate it more into you life. If you have any questions or need personal recommendations, feel free to contact your local VA dietitian! Thanks for listening!