Ever heard of the proverb; Eat well and save the planet? Maybe not since I just came up with it. However, you really can eat without affecting both your relationship with food and the environment. By combining the principles of sustainable and intuitive eating, you can practise the subtle art of eating without guilt.
Intuitive sustainable eating is the most effective way to eat without affecting both yourself and the environment in a negative way. Intuitive eating affects the person and the meal, while sustainable eating affects how foods are sourced and its environmental impact on Earth. Hence, intuitive and sustainable eating helps to promote balanced and joyful eating for you and the environment. The first step to practice intuitive sustainable eating is to always buy food with a plan. Since your food choices ultimately affect the environment, you can track what you buy and how it affects others. Although no food is off-limit, you can opt to buy foods when they are in season, and preferably from the local market to support your local economy and the people growing your food.
Apart from this, when you shop, buy food in bulk and in reusable containers. When you buy in bulk, you reduce waste since your purchase is intentional, which most often also benefit your wallet. Buying in reusable containers or bringing your own grocery bags to the store reduces waste too.
To enjoy the interaction between your body and food, eat nutrient-dense food, practice mindful eating, and move your body when you crave it or when it feel right. The aim should always be to enjoy food, satisfy your hunger, and improve your health, also regardless of its environmental. We need to understand that if we want to take care of Earth, we need to take care of ourself first. So if you want to buy a chocolate, wrapped in plastic and that is not locally sourced – That should always be okay! Remember, the idea is always to eat intuitively, and add in eco-friendly decisions when you can and want to.
The definitions
Intuitive eating is a non-diet approach to meals and food. Instead of relying on external dietary rules, the principles emphasize internal cues as the indicator of whether to eat or not. Hence, instead of focusing on the scale and unrealistic body goals, intuitive eating attempts to promote a healthy relationship with food. Additionally, it also promotes a better body image and encourages health-enhancing behaviours. Intuitive eating guides your food choices so that you can promote a healthy relationship to connect with how what you eat makes you feel. For example, by connecting with your internal cues, you will better optimise your response to hunger, cravings, and fullness. Hence it allows you to honour your hunger, cravings and fullness by responding to your hunger cues, eating what feels good in the moment, and stop whenever your full and satisfied.
Sustainable food is a type of food system and guidelines that encourages eco-friendly food choices. It strives to create a sustainable economic, social, and environmental system around food. By implication, sustainable food is not just about how your body responds to food. Instead, it deals with how your consumption affects the environment and economic system. Sustainable food cuts across sustainable practices, sustainable food distribution, and reduction of waste. By changing how and where you buy food and cutting down on food waste, sustainable eating lets you get the best out of every meal without negatively affecting Mother Earth.
It is all about finding balance
All humans are born intuitive eaters. Look at babies; they cry when they want to eat and stop when they are satisfied. Without the need for any schedule, they only rely on their internal cues as an indication for cravings or satisfaction. Apart from this, babies don’t have rules guiding how much they eat. They may eat less one day and eat more the day after. The same behavior is also common in kids. Nonetheless, they always end up with essential nutrients needed for healthy and normal body functioning.
Kids change their food preference as they want each day. However, they often end up with enough variety for healthy growth. The reason for this is because everyone is born to be an intuitive eater. However, as we grow, we learn diet rules and are either forced to eat while we’re still hungry or limit our consumption. We have also learned that our bodies are more valuable than others; hence, a physical change may make our bodies less valuable.
Unfortunately, this food approach erodes our relationship with food and we fail to listen to our internal hunger and satisfaction cues. Instead, we listen to external cues about what to eat and in what quantity. Unfortunately, it promotes unwanted food behaviors like restricting diets, food guilt, food obsession, emotional eating, dieting, and binge eating.
But as far as you can tell, intuitive eating only seems to do so much for the body. Right? Wrong!
We all have probably heard the term “sustainable” thrown around more time than we can remember. However, contrary to what many people think, sustainable eating does not mean staying away from food and restricting your diet. In fact, intuitive eating is one of the effective ways to practice sustainable eating.
Although the concept dates back several centuries, sustainable eating puts the focus on foods whose production is beneficial to the environment. Not just this, but it should also support farmers, workers, animals, and support the local community. Hence, sustainable food production is essential to the environment, our health, and our future. For example, it reduces food waste, harmful chemical exposure, emissions, and preservatives in foods.
The problem with many people is that we don’t consider sustainability when considering a healthy diet. The quest and pursuit of killer body goals or body perfecting diet force us to view food as a means to an end. Instead, food should be considered an end itself. When you are free to make minor modifications to your food and shopping pattern, you can eat ethically and keep the planet in healthy condition for the next generations.
The link between the two
Intuitive eating allows you to eat what you want anytime. Hence, it puts you firmly at the helms of the affair to determine what you want to eat and in what quantity. In other words, no one is making the rules for you. Why? Because your body and internal cues are the ones in control. By implication, you can make responsible food choices that positively affect the environment.
The ability to make slight modifications and adjustments to your diet is the secret to intuitive and sustainable food. The secret is to make conscious food choices to only include the ones that positively affect the environment. Ultimately, the power to choose what to eat and the quantity of consumption still rests with the consumer.
A diet plan looks like this: eat no animal products. A sustainable food plan looks like this: eat fewer animal products. An intuitive and sustainable food plan looks like this: eat animal products when you want until you are satisfied. When you are, don’t eat anymore. Not just this, but you must also dispose of your waste appropriately.
Look at the analogy above; which do you think is best? The one that puts the choices completely beyond your control or the one that lets you choose what to eat and how to eat it.
One of the concerns of sustainable food and consumption is waste and environmental impact. From the consumer’s point of view, there is nothing a consumer can do about the production process. However, the consumer determines what to buy, the quantity to cook, and how to dispose of it.
Intuitive eating teaches responsible food consumption and disposal. Hence, it won’t tell you not to buy meat at all since meat production affects the environment. Instead, it tells you to buy meat only when you need it, buy only the quantity you want, eat when you want, and dispose of it appropriately. You don’t need to worry about waste since you will only buy and cook what you want.
Intuitive-sustainable eating promotes a balanced diet for you and the environment.
How to practice intuitive-sustainable eating?
Don’t buy without a plan
I know planning seems to contrast what intuitive eating advocates; however, the plan is about what you buy not what you eat. Why should you plan? Because your choices, whether big or small, will eventually make a huge impact with time.
There has been growing interest in sustainable eating over time, with good reason as data shows how food choices and waste negatively affects the environment. Not just this, but the living organism. This is why we must strive to keep our food supply in balance. As much as we want to blame the big corporations, we the consumers must also play our roles in achieving sustainability.
Available foods are a product of demand. Hence, our shopping habits determine what the stores will keep on their shelves. For example, if we demand fresh fruits all year even when fruits are not in season, mega corporations will create genetically modified seeds to meet the increasing demand. In other words, the consumer can change the food system if only you can choose what you want to buy.
Healthy eating has a lot of meaning to everyone. However, you should be able to eat what makes you happy. Whole-food natural foods, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and healthy fats are not off-limits. Sustainable eating does not mean eliminating meat from your meal because of the environment. Instead, you can buy beef, turkey, or chicken from small grocery stores or local farmers that assure quality meat.
When you go into the grocery store without a plan, you will likely grab everything that looks good on the shelf. Unfortunately, in your hurried effort to make a meal, some food will never be eaten. As much as you want to be intuitive with your consumption, you should take the time to plan every meal.
Buy from the locals in season and in bulk
Nothing about buying from locals or in season is contrary to the principles of intuitive eating. When it comes to violating environmental health, mega corporations take the high spot. Hence, if there is a way to encourage healthy food production, it is by buying from local shops. For example, the farmer’s market in your area has better vegetables than the one that came from the next town. The absence of preservatives and pollution is enough help for the environment.
Apart from this, foods that are not in season need to be shipped from another place. Hence, when you demand such products, they will be shipped from another country or state where they are grown. However, when you shop seasonally and locally, you will save money on transport and enjoy fresher produce.
When you visit a grocery store, shop with your bulk bins and recyclable shopping bags. Bulk purchases discourage petty purchases and disposal. For example, if you visit a grocery store ten times a week with ten shopping bags, you have to dispose of all ten shopping bags. Conversely, when you visit the shop once and with one bag, you only need to dispose once. Furthermore, certain bags and containers are reusable for other purposes.
Instead of buying certain foods and produce in plastic bags, bring containers to reduce your plastic consumption. Reusable produce and grocery bags let you save cost as you can always save them for future use and also helps the environment. This way, you can use the container to store something else and avoid unhealthy plastic disposal.
Buying in bulk is an extension of making plans before every purchase, instead of buying on impulse, make plans before you buy.
Stay clear of fix fads
Humans are naturally curious. Hence, we are always interested in quick recipes and new trends. Unfortunately, this approach is not always sustainable for ourselves and the environment. For example, fix marketing will tell you there is a way to alter your body image. However, the reality is that such ways eliminate entire food groups, reduce calories, and involve other drastic measures.
You can’t override your cravings and natural biology for an extended period. Instead of eating foods that will only make you feel like a failure every time you fail to meet expectations, you should stop it altogether. It is pretty much simple. If you think about it, there is no new and better diet around the corner. Instead, return to the meal structure and lifestyle that has worked for people through centuries.
When you eat real food, practice moderation, and exercise your body, you will enjoy the interaction between your body and food. Always eat nutrient-dense food for a healthy body, steady energy levels, and a stable mind regardless of what the rules say. The aim is to enjoy food without trying to be perfect. Hence, you should make food choices that satisfy your hunger and improve your health. Body goals should not take the center stage as the motivation to feel good and improve your body health.
Depriving your body of calories and essential nutrients affects metabolism. Instead, recognize the importance of food to your body and honor the biological changes.
Prioritize plants, grow your foods
Vegetables and fruits are essential parts of an optimal diet. However, no one can tell you to eat vegetables when you don’t feel like eating them. That is the essence of intuitive eating after all. However, you need to prioritize plants. When you connect to the outside world and the environmental entity around you, you will respect them more.
Human activities and consumption are a few of the things that affect environmental balance. Not just use, but it affects the plants and animals. However, when you spend enough time outside just admiring the beauty of plants, you will feel the need to protect them. Deforestation, freshwater withdrawal, etc. is bad for the environment. But if you can do your part, that is one less evil from the world.
Since you can’t live your life outside, you can bring the outside world into your home. Plant trees, bring a flower pot inside, make a garden, or any other activity that lets you connect with nature. Apart from bringing you closer to nature, planting your garden lets you enjoy fresh food and prevent over-reliance on processed and unsafe foods.
Eat mindfully
Intuitive eating principles allow you to eat till you are satisfied but not stuffed. It whispers in your ears when you should stop a meal and respect your fullness. Mindful eating lets you discover the satisfaction factor behind every meal. Although you have the right to enjoy what you want, you should not abuse such a right. Instead, you should eat to enhance your mental health and human experience by enjoying the taste, sound, and smell of every bite.
By intentionally choosing your plate, you won’t overeat or waste food. Contrary to what many people fear, you will stop eating when you are filled even if the food tastes good. Mindful eating is sustainable as it lets you focus on where the food is from, how it is sourced, and how it nourishes your body. By tuning into your hunger cues, you learn not to use food to deal with your emotions and that you may not need food as much as you think. This way, you will choose your food accordingly with respect to the source.
By paying attention to what you eat, you will clearly see the bigger picture to monitor your consumption, reduce food waste, and embrace sustainable food sources.
Conclusion
Sustainable eating does not question the person. Instead, it questions the food source, consumption pattern, and eating attitudes. On the other hand, intuitive eating does not question the food source. Instead, it questions the person eating the meal, the mindset behind each meal, and the eating attitude.
If you combine the two, intuitive-sustainable eating monitors the food sources and consumption pattern to allow an individual to eat what he/she wants at any time, but without damaging the environment. So, yes. You can eat what you want by relying on external cues without posing any danger to yourself, the animals, plants, and the environment.