Doing Well

Zoe Nicholson: Savoring Every Bite – The Art of Mindful Eating | Doing Well #58

Individuals struggle to maintain a positive relationship with food amidst guilt and shame. Zoe Nicholson discusses the importance of intuitive and mindful eating, encouraging listeners to trust their bodies and break free from diet culture.

Meet Zoe Nicholson

Zoe founded her dietetic practice, Love What You Eat, in 2004. A love of food is key to Zoe’s success as a dietitian, and one of her primary goals is to help people stop dieting. Instead, establish a positive relationship with food and their bodies. She loves seeing people change their mindset about food and health, enjoying all food, and feeling comfortable. in their body.

Additionally, Zoe uses the intuitive eating framework and Health At Every Size principles and is a member of Size Inclusive Health Australia (SIHA). She also focuses on food intolerance and gut issues, which make up about half of her clientele.

About the episode

Zoe explains intuitive eating, focusing on trusting your body’s food choices over external dietary advice. Intuitive eating aims to help individuals enjoy their food without guilt or shame and to foster a healthier relationship with food. She also highlights diet culture’s influence and stresses listening to your body’s natural cues for positive eating.

Additionally, Zoe emphasizes that health and eating habits are fluid, with no fixed endpoint or perfect way to eat. The importance of surrounding oneself with supportive and understanding people is noted, as well-being is described as a dynamic concept rather than a static state of perfection.

Mindful eating means being aware of hunger and enjoying food, even if you are in a hurry. Zoe advises maintaining mindful eating by recognizing hunger cues and savoring food despite distractions

Furthermore, mindful eating encourages giving oneself permission to eat what is desired when hunger strikes. This approach helps prevent overeating and fosters satisfaction by rejecting restrictive food thinking. Focusing on food enjoyment helps avoid the sunk cost fallacy, where prior investment pushes you to eat more

The discussion also addresses mindful eating and the significance of identifying emotional eating triggers. Mindless eating can often be driven by emotional needs such as seeking comfort or pleasure. Redirecting focus to other positive aspects of life can improve one’s relationship with food. At the same time, healthy emotional eating involves finding comfort in food during challenging times, with pleasure being a key element of well-being.

In conclusion

Embracing intuitive and mindful eating can profoundly transform your relationship with food and overall well-being. By trusting your body’s natural hunger and fullness cues, you can move away from a restrictive diet culture and toward a more satisfying and guilt-free eating experience.

Acknowledging and addressing emotional eating triggers and making room for pleasure in our diet can create a more harmonious and fulfilling approach to nourishment

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