EP 75 – Fueling Your Body with Gentle Nutrition
One of the most common questions I get from clients is “what’s the best way to eat to fuel my body so I can feel and function my best…without dieting”.
The average woman tries 60+ diets by the age of 45, each one a little different from the next, and each one claiming that theirs is the “healthiest” or “right” way to eat. So it is no wonder we feel completely confused and overwhelmed about how to feed ourselves.
Nutrition and eating DOES seem complicated. The diet and fitness industries have made it so, so that you NEED to rely on them, rather than trust yourself and your body, to tell you how to eat.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. You don’t have to have a degree in nutritional science or perform complicated math formulas to eat in a healthful way and fuel yourself well.
Eating can be easy and simple and can support your health while also honouring your satisfaction and tastes.
Gentle nutrition means feeding yourself in a way that supports your health, and helps you feel and function your best, while also honouring your satisfaction. It’s honouring the sensual experience of eating while honouring how the food makes you feel. It’s having a healthy balance of foods, while having a healthy relationship with food.
What you’ll learn by listening:
- Why following an eating plan SEEMS easier, but always ends in reverting to old habits
- The missing piece from all eating plans that is responsible for your cravings and “off plan indulgences” – spoiler alert: it’s not your lack of willpower
- How a gentler approach to nutrition can make eating easy, sustainable and fun and keep you off the cycle of “on plan/off plan” for good
- Tips to incorporate gentle nutrition into your life without changing your entire eating habits.
—Mentioned in the show: “Intuitive Eating” By Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch
—About the Host—Kim Hagle is a certified Personal Trainer, Body Image Coach, mom of four and founder of Radiant Vitality Wellness. Through mindset coaching and intuitive movement and eating, Kim helps women go beyond the desire to lose weight so they can feel healthy and confident in their now body.
— Want to feel good in your body without focusing on weight. Download “5 Steps to Feeling Healthy, Happy and Confident (without obsessing over the scale)” – our FREE guide that will help get started with the non-diet approach. Inside you’ll learn 5 simple shifts to feeling better in your NOW body! www.radiantvitality.ca/freeguide
—-Ready to take the next step? Visit our website to learn more about our coaching programs www.radiantvitality.ca/programs
—For health professionals looking to adopt the non-diet approach in your business, visit Kim’s mentor, Stephanie Dodier’s site for free resources to get started. https://www.stephaniedodier.com
—Let’s stay in touch! Kim is on Instagram and Facebook @radiantvitalitywellness. Or visit her website at www.radiantvitality.ca
—Disclaimer. The information contained in this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Always consult a health care professional about your unique needs.
Transcript:
EP 75 – Fueling Your Body with Gentle Nutrition
[00:00:00] Hey there, friend. And welcome to the joyful movement show. It’s me, your host Kim Hagle certified personal trainer. And body image, coach. And this is episode 75 and today we’re starting a three-part series. All about nutrition. And fueling our bodies. As well as being a personal trainer, I’m also a holistic nutritionist. So I do get a lot of questions about food and fueling our body for activity and life.
[00:00:28] Now, of course y’all know I’m anti diet. So that means that I don’t talk about nutrition in terms of weight loss. I have zero interest in telling people how to create a caloric deficit or what the right macro ratio is to preserve muscle and lose fat, because it’s all just diet talk that centered around aesthetics and it’s just not my jam. So the questions I’m more interested in answering and the questions that I get more often are along the lines of: how do I best fuel myself for the activities that I’m doing so that I can feel good and have the energy I need to get through my day and fuel my workouts or. How do I eat “healthy”, without obsession or focusing on the scale.
[00:01:15] Now here’s my little disclaimer, my little caveat before we get into all of that is that I just want to say that healthy eating. It’s a really subjective term. And to be honest, it’s a term I kind of try and stay away from because it is so subjective and also it implies that one: eating is the most important factor for good health. And two: that. If we eat a certain way that we can control our health. So the first point I really want to drive home here is that health is so much more than just how we eat and even how we exercise. The world health organization tells us that social determinants of health, like housing, employment, access to food, education, access to good quality healthcare, whether we feel included or discriminated against, or whether we face stigma in our life, social isolation, all of those social determinations account for 30 to 55% of our health status. So the remaining 45 to 70% is determined by our individual choices and lifestyle factors. But, our privilege to be able to do anything about those factors has to be considered as well.
[00:02:38] And even within those individual factors, it’s so much more than just the food we eat and how we move our bodies. Lifestyle accounts for factors like sleep, substance use, like smoking, drinking any other drugs or even prescription medications or over the counter medications, recreation, sexual behavior. Like there is so much to individual lifestyle. Oh. And stress. Stress is probably the biggest lifestyle factor that influences our health. So, it’s not just food and exercise.
[00:03:10] All that to say, yes, health is important and definitely how we eat and how we move contributes to that. And there are things that we can do if we have the privilege to access those things that promote the health and good functioning of our body, but it just goes way beyond food.
[00:03:29] And there are no guarantees that even if we do everything right. There’s no guarantees that eating healthy or exercising regularly will result in good health. Right? Health is not a guarantee in life. And there’s only so much that we can do. So. I just want to caveat all of that because I feel like there’s this real problematic misconception, that health is a personal responsibility and that if we do everything right, that health should be our right. And that’s not the way it is.
[00:04:04] So, that’s why today we’re going to be talking all about fueling your body with gentle nutrition. So I’m wondering, is that a new term for you? I didn’t make it up. Gentle nutrition is the 10th principle of intuitive eating; the framework that I teach my clients. That’s an evidence-based non diet approach to eating and health.
[00:04:26] And my hope is that in explaining nutrition in this way. It will help make eating healthfully a lot simpler, a lot easier and a whole lot more sustainable for you. Because that’s my observation. When people ask me these questions about fueling their bodies and eating, so that we can feel and function our best, it seems, really complicated and confusing and impossible to attain or maintain.
[00:04:55] And it shouldn’t be that way. You shouldn’t have to have a degree in nutritional science to be able to feed yourself and feel good. And you shouldn’t have to perform complicated and math formulas in order to figure out what to eat in a day.
[00:05:12] Eating really should be easy and we all want it to be. But it feels hard because diet culture and the fitness industry have made it complicated. There’s about a zillion and one programs and plans out there, each one a little different from the next and each one claiming that theirs is the healthiest or the right way to eat.
[00:05:38] They say that by the age of 45, most women will have tried 60 diets. I wonder if you find that number shocking, or if you look back and you : go.. “Makes sense”. Right. So how can we not be confused? Even if you’ve only tried, say 10 different plans or programs or diets. You know, maybe one saying that you should eat high protein and fat and limit carbs, or the next one that says where you should have carbs, but always make sure that you pair it with a protein and a fat. And then the next one you try says, eat anything you want, but don’t eat until noon each day. Or all foods fit, but you got to count your calories or your points and make sure that you stay within your allotment. Or the next one where you drink green juice and avoid gluten sugar and dairy. Or maybe the next one where you count your macros and aim to have a certain percentage in grams of protein, carbs and fats. Or maybe you just try eating quote, clean fruits, whatever that is. And you avoid anything processed or with more than three ingredients.
[00:06:45] You know what I mean? There is so much conflicting information. How on earth is a person to make sense of it all? Well, we can’t, it’s confusing as hell. I mean, even for me back when I was trying to find the so-called right way to eat, that’s actually what led me to become a nutritionist, because I thought that if I just got enough education, that maybe I wouldn’t feel so confused and I’d finally be able to figure out the secret to easy, healthy eating.
[00:07:15] Nutrition is made to feel confusing and complicated. And I believe it is this way on purpose. Think about it. If something seems hard and complicated, what do you do? You turn to the experts, right? You pay someone to tell you what to do so that you can get out of the overwhelm you’re feeling and hopefully get the results that you want.
[00:07:40] And we think that following rules, having structure and accountability will make eating easier. You know what I mean? “If I just would follow the plan, then there’s no room for error and there’s no confusion in my brain.” It seems easy. And maybe for a time, it is as long as we’re able to follow the plan consistently and to a tee.
[00:08:04] And there in lies, the problem often implementing the plan is really hard work. There’s a lot of prepping and planning and shopping and recipe searching and figuring out how to match the plan to the lifestyle we want to live that includes our taste preferences. And it takes a significant amount of brain power to try to figure out exactly what our nutrition needs might be. Especially if you’re trying to count macros, it can turn into this really complicated math problem, trying to calculate your intake and your output and your fat burning and your muscle needs and like all of this stuff.
[00:08:43] And that’s where a lot of people will turn to someone like me, like a nutritionist, to just make them a meal plan and do all that math for them. Take all the guesswork out and thinking that if, if I can just tell you exactly what to eat, that it’ll be easier and you can just follow the plan and do it.
[00:09:02] But it’s not easier. Because eating by the rules or on plan doesn’t account for real life, it assumes that we always have the time, energy and financial resources to stick to the plan. And often we just don’t. When real life happens and our time and energy is needed elsewhere. What’s the first thing to go? The diet or exercise plan. Why? Because it’s too hard to maintain that level of rigidity when our mental resources are needed elsewhere.
[00:09:35] Another problem with following prescribed plans is they assume that what your body needs is always the same day in, day out. There’s no accounting for higher or lower activity levels, which would affect your appetite, hormonal changes, seasonal changes, or just your mood that day. There’s a lot of factors that can affect our appetite and our nutrient needs. We don’t live in a bubble or a test tube. And then that will show up as cravings, which will lead us off of our plan or at the very least feeling very unsatisfied by what’s on our plan.
[00:10:12] And that’s the biggest problem with any eating plan right there is that there really is no consideration for satisfaction or personal preferences. The messaging is that to attain good health, we must eat on plan foods only and deny our cravings or desires for our cultural foods, for comfort foods, fun foods, and convenience foods.
[00:10:39] Instead we’re given exchange lists for things to substitute if we’re having cravings. Like, you know, you want chips, so they tell you eat some carrots for the crunch. Or you’re craving sugar you want candy and they tell you to eat a piece of 80% sugar-free dark chocolate. Or we’re told to save the foods that we’re craving for cheat days and like ration them out and have a tiny little bit to satisfy you. Or we’re taught to Healthify certain foods like cookies and muffins by putting in all of these fancy ingredients.
[00:11:10] And for a time you might be okay with that, but eventually you’re just really gonna want some damn chips. And then when you eat them, it’s like this last supper mentality and you end up having the whole bag. Or you’re scheduled cheat meal turns into a cheat day, which turns into a cheat weekend because you blew it anyways, followed by intense feelings of guilt and shame, and needing a so-called reset on Monday.
[00:11:41] And here’s the thing satisfaction is basically that’s our pleasure. And that’s what our brain is hard wired to seek in life. As soon as satisfaction is denied, even a little bit, the feeling of deprivation kicks in and our brain sees deprivation as a threat. Whether it’s a physiological threat, like we’re in a calorie or nutrient deficit and our brain senses starvation. Because our brain honestly cannot tell the difference between true famine and imposed restriction for the sake of weight loss. It feels the same in our body. Or whether it’s a psychological threat, like, we feel different than other people. We feel like we’re less than, or like we don’t belong because we don’t eat like our friends. That’ll manifest as feelings of jealousy and rebellion and wanting to cheat.
[00:12:36] It’s all the same to our brain. It feels like a threat to our safety and our belonging and our brain likes pleasure, easy and fun. It does not like scarcity starvation, struggle or shame. So when things feel too hard or too complicated or too confusing, or makes us feel separated from our community- our likelihood of sticking with it is very low.
[00:13:10] So that’s why eating healthy feels like such a struggle because of the all or nothing thinking that’s applied to it. And all the confusing confounding rules and guidelines. And yeah, like we can do hard things in life and yes, there’s benefit to eating in a way that supports your health and wellbeing. I’m not saying that nutrition doesn’t matter and it’s not worth making food choices that promote health and help us feel and function our best.
[00:13:36] Nutrition does matter. What we eat and how we fuel our body can make a difference in how we feel and function a big difference. But it doesn’t have to be crazy complicated. And it shouldn’t feel restrictive and it absolutely can be easy and enjoyable.
[00:13:54] What I’m saying is that nutrition and satisfaction can exist together. And that taking a gentler approach to nutrition is much more sustainable than harsh rules and rigidity. When pleasure satisfaction and your body’s individual needs are considered, it makes eating healthfully a lot simpler, a lot more enjoyable and empowering. And that’s, what’s going to keep you moving forward steadily rather than riding the cycle of on plan and off plan. I’m a good person. I’m a failure forever.
[00:14:31] So what is gentle nutrition then? Well, basically it’s feeding yourself in a way that supports your health and helps you feel and function your best while also honoring your satisfaction and your own desires. It’s honoring the sensual experience of eating well, honoring how the food makes you feel.
[00:14:51] It’s what a lot of people might refer to as moderation. Although that word is tricky because it implies that we need to limit or reduce the so-called bad foods. So without applying morality to foods. It would look like consciously choosing foods that fuel you well, while still, including the foods that satisfy you.
[00:15:14] Perhaps that might look like having a cookie with your lunch. If you like a little sweet at the end of your meal. Maybe that bit of satisfaction would keep you from fixating on chocolate and then hitting the vending machine later in the day.
[00:15:27] Perhaps it means giving yourself permission to eat chips when you want them, rather than forcing yourself to eat carrots. When we give ourselves permission to eat all foods and enjoy them, then we can have it and move on. And knowing that we’re honoring our desires and our satisfaction, and then we don’t have to be afraid to have chips in the house and worry that we’re going to be tempted to eat the whole bag.
[00:15:52] It looks like taking a more relaxed approach and knowing that we don’t have to have the perfect nutritional balance at each and every meal in order to be healthy. It’s trusting that our body will get what it needs over time. Over the course of the day or the week, maybe even over the course of the month or over the seasons. If we’re practicing, attuned, eating, it will balance out.
[00:16:16] For example, perhaps during your period week, you eat a lot more comfort foods, a lot more carbs and starch and fat. So rather than judge, that, the gentle approach would be to just notice and be curious and trust that your body needs that and is using that food for your highest good.
[00:16:34] Gentle nutrition is about adding in rather than eliminating or avoiding. We know that green vegetables are high in iron and calcium and antioxidants- all things that are health supporting, but if you’re used to eating sandwiches for lunch and you enjoy them and you find them satisfying and suddenly swap them for a huge green salad every day, you’ll likely start missing bread. So maybe you want to consider instead adding a green salad alongside your sandwich.
[00:17:03] Think about ways that you can add nutrition into what you’re already doing, maybe sprinkling some nuts and seeds on top of your toast. Adding some fruit to your cereal. Adding some avocado to your salad or smoothie. Maybe putting some fresh vegetables on top of your frozen pizza or putting veggies and dip on the table, along with the convenience foods that you’re serving for dinner. This way, you’re not changing everything at once. You’re building on what’s already in place, and you’re not setting yourself up to feel deprived or overwhelmed.
[00:17:37] Gentle nutrition is about knowing that all foods fit and no food is good or bad. Food is neutral. Packaged foods offer convenience and time savings to busy families. I mean, I don’t always have time to make a home cooked meal, and I’m not going to beat up on myself for making that choice. I’m a good mom. I value health and sometimes I just gotta get food on the table quickly.
[00:18:00] So it’s about sustainability. I recently saw a post of someone. Who was doing a challenge and the challenge required her to eat six cups of vegetables a day. And she was talking about how she’s now eating steamed, cauliflower and eggs for breakfast. And I mean, that’s great. You do you, whatever, floats your boat. And I mean, I love vegetables just as much as the next person, but I gotta ask, like, do you really want to eat cauliflower in the morning? Will you want to do that forever? Do you enjoy eating vegetables for breakfast? Are you going to be able to sustain the habit of planning, buying, and prepping that many vegetables whenever life happens.
[00:18:44] And I mean, if you’re tempted to say yes; What stopped you from carrying on the habit in the past, when you’ve tried these things? What if you’re in the mood for oatmeal or toast sometimes, how are you going to feel if you don’t get your six cups of veggies in? Are you going to be hard on yourself and feel like a failure? I mean, who says you need six cups of vegetables anyway?
[00:19:06] What’s wrong with grabbing a piece of fruit, like a banana or an orange. It’s a lot easier. You don’t have to prep it. Uh, fruit has vitamins and nutrients in it too. And it’s just so much more convenient in the morning when we’re pressed for time. Oh, but it has sugar. So it’s bad.
[00:19:22] Do you see what happens here when there’s this rigidity? And that’s how we complicate nutrition and apply morality to it.
[00:19:31] So here are some questions. That I want to leave you with so you can reflect on your eating habits. And these questions apply, whether you’re someone who would describe yourself as a so-called healthy eater or you’re someone who thinks that you’d like to be eating more healthfully, same questions apply across the board.
[00:19:50] So question one is: do you really like the taste of the foods that you’re eating or are you eating them because you think you should.
[00:19:59] Question two. How does eating this food make me feel physically, mentally and emotionally? And do I like this feeling?
[00:20:10] And three, how do I feel when I consistently eat this way, physically, mentally, and emotionally? And is this how I want to feel?
[00:20:21] And number four, how can I change my eating habits to support both my health and my satisfaction?
[00:20:29] So I want you to be really honest with these questions. And especially when I’m asking how you feel physically and mentally and emotionally. Because it’s very common for people to say: ” I Love how I feel when I’m eating really clean and healthy”. And I don’t doubt that physically, you feel good. There’s definitely feelings of better energy and better stamina. Your sleep is improved. Maybe your bowel function is better When you’re eating lots of nutritious foods.
[00:20:59] But I want you to also be honest about any feelings of deprivation, jealousy, or rebellion as well. Because those are the suppressed feelings that end up leading us to cheat, and eat the so-called bad foods and go off our plan.
[00:21:19] That’s exactly what leads to the all or nothing mentality. And judging ourselves as good or bad based on how we’re eating. Gentle nutrition is about choosing the right balance that allows you to have all of those great physical feelings, without the deprivation and jealousy.
[00:21:39] That is the ticket to sustainable, easy, healthy eating. You’ve got to honor your satisfaction while honoring your health. When your body feels satisfied, your brain feels safe. And then eating becomes simple, easy and fun. No willpower, math formulas, or rule following required.
[00:22:03] Okay, so that is it for today. I hope that you found this helpful and you’ve got some food for thought, so to speak about how you can move forward towards having a healthy balance of food while also having a healthy relationship with food.
[00:22:18] And if improving your relationship with food and finding a more sustainable way of chasing wellbeing without dieting or restricting is something you need support with, then I encourage you to visit my website, which is radiantvitality.ca, to learn about the different coaching programs I have available. This is just one of the many areas that I support my clients in. And I’d be honored to work with you too.
[00:22:41] So I will see you back here next week. We’ll be carrying on this conversation, talking about pre and post-workout fuel. If they’re really necessary, and how can we use nutrition to fuel our workouts and recovery, while, following the principles of intuitive eating and gentle nutrition. So make sure you tune in for that. In the meantime, I hope you have a great week and get out there and find some joyful movement be well. And here’s to your radiant vitality.
