There are plenty of problems with the current culture of diet and weight loss programs.
Maybe the biggest problem is that these programs tell you you need them. Then, if you’re struggling, these programs (that you paid for!) want you to believe it’s because you’re not listening to them or there’s something wrong with you.
The real reason diets don’t work is because they subject your already stressed and inflamed body to more stress. They feed you unnatural foods and supplements, restrict your calories, or require high-intensity, possibly harmful workouts.
And, even if you succeed for a while, the diets, the workouts, the starvation…it’s unsustainable, and you give up. Your body tries to refill its tank by eating all those missing calories or food groups, and then it desperately holds onto them!
This cycle, combined with the stress your body was under while dieting, is why you gain it all back, and then some!
That’s why diets leave you feeling more unhealthy and defeated than when you started.
But there is another way. It’s called “Intuitive eating,” and it’s healthier and more effective than any weight loss “flavor of the month.”
In this article, we’ll discuss the concept of intuitive eating by answering the following questions:
- What is intuitive eating?
- How do I practice intuitive eating?
- How does intuitive eating fit into the Betr program?
Read on to learn about the benefits of this healthier approach to healthier eating.
Intuitive Eating: It just feels right!
Intuitive eating rejects the dieting mentality.
The key concepts of intuitive eating are:
- Your body knows what it needs when it needs it
- Your body knows when it’s full
- Food isn’t “good” or “bad.”
- Focus on how you feel, not how you look
So how do you practice intuitive eating?
You recognize when your body is hungry and when it’s satisfied. You become aware of the foods and ingredients that do not provide you with satisfaction and energy or foods that cause unwanted side effects!
Takeaway
Intuitive eating is about learning to eat in an enjoyable, healthy way that fuels your body and honors your hunger and fullness.
Intuitive Eating: It works!
When you look at the research on intuitive eating, there’s no question that it’s more effective than dieting.
A 2014 review of individuals who practiced intuitive eating found several benefits compared to diets or “restrictive eating” programs.
- Improved cardiovascular health: Studies that tracked cardiovascular health found intuitive eaters experienced lowered blood pressure, total cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol.
- Increased physical activity: Intuitive eaters engaged in more physical activity. The study’s authors guessed this might be because intuitive eating’s philosophy focused on developing an enjoyable exercise regime rather than one designed to burn calories.
- Improved psychological health: This is a BIG ONE! Intuitive eaters had healthier psychological attitudes around food and eating, better self-image and self-esteem, more self-acceptance, and lower anxiety and depression.
- Long-term sustainability: This is just the icing on the cake. At one year, 92% of intuitive eaters showed all the above benefits and weight-loss maintenance. How does this stack up against traditional dieters? One study put the fraction of dieters who gained back their weight (and then some) after one year at around two-thirds.
The science behind intuitive eating doesn’t leave much room for argument. Learning to eat healthy by listening to your body is better for you in virtually every way!
Takeaway
Studies have found intuitive eating has numerous health benefits, such as improved cardiovascular health, physical activity, and psychological health. In addition to these benefits, it’s a much more sustainable path to health.
Intuitive Eating, the Betr Way!
Betr aligns with the intuitive eating philosophy in a lot of ways. We don’t want you to count calories. We want you to eat until you’re satisfied. We want you to listen to your body and see how certain foods make you feel.
But that Level 1 food list. That seems, well, counterintuitive.
There’s a method behind the madness, though.
At Betr, we believe that intuitive eating is challenging because of the constant emotional, physical, and environmental stress our body is battling in our everyday environment! Emotional anxiety, inflammation from environmental pollution and food additives, and physical illness and injury cause our body to tell us to eat a lot and eat it now!
Your body is in a state of panic and thinks it needs high-calorie, high-fat foods for fuel. This emotional and physical stress leads to physiological cravings by disrupting your gut microbiome and putting your body in a constant state of doubt and inflammation.
The Level 1 Foods feed your gut microbiome. A healthy gut microbiome decreases inflammation and calms stress. Without all the added stress and inflammation, your body functions how it’s meant to and sends appropriate signals when you’re hungry or full.
The goal of the Betr Program is to get your body in a state to recognize what foods fuel you to feel great. We give you the tools to reset and recharge so that you can eat ANY food you want without engaging in the shame, doubt, and stress of eating “bad” food.
You don’t have to listen to some diet “guru” tell you what you should eat. You can find the balance of objectively nourishing foods and enjoyable treats that keeps YOU happy and healthy.
That’s why Betr isn’t a diet. It’s a healing protocol that will reset your gut microbiome and allow you to enjoy food your way!
Takeaway
The Betr Program will reduce stress and inflammation, heal your gut, and teach you to listen to your body.
Wrapping up Intuitive Eating
Some facts that we’ve covered about intuitive eating:
- Intuitive eating is about learning to eat in an enjoyable, healthy way that fuels your body and honors your hunger and fullness.
- Studies have found intuitive eating has numerous health benefits, such as improved cardiovascular health, physical activity, and psychological health. In addition to these benefits, it’s a much more sustainable path to health.
- The Betr will reduce stress and inflammation, heal your gut, and teach you to listen to your body.
The healing, anti-inflammatory foods of the Betr Protocol empower you to manage your eating intuitively in a way that keeps you healthy and happy!
Let us support you on the path to an easier way of life!
If you’ve struggled with restrictive diets, fad shakes and supplements, and punishing exercise regimens, ask yourself, isn’t it time for something Betr?
After reading this article, you may be asking yourself if your own health hurdles could be related to an unhealthy gut.
Explore Betr's risk-free trial to see if you could benefit from using food as medicine to rebuild your microbiome and realize the healthy potential you never knew you were missing!
