The Best Diet: Not Having One at All

by Jessica Yu

Juice cleanses, low-carb and low-fat diets, cabbage diets,

raw diets, and calorie restrictions ; there are tons of diets that

you can choose from, many of which promise fast results and

instant weight loss. These diets are oftentimes dangerous, and

weight can be gained just as quickly as it was lost. If long term

lifestyle changes are not made, it is quite difficult to lose weight.

No one wants to be on a diet forever, so there is always a

constant struggle between the body and food.

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​Recently, there has been a new lifestyle plan that has been

gaining popularity. It is not a diet, but rather a permanent

change to eating habits. It’s called Intuitive Eating; a lifestyle

where you listen to your body’s needs. If you’re hungry, eat. If

you’re full, stop eating. There are no cheat days, calorie

restrictions, or foods you aren’t allowed to eat. This lifestyle is

aimed to help you become more in tune with your body, and in

time, help you find balance. Oftentimes, when we eat too fast we

miss our body’s signals of telling us that we are full, therefore

eating more than what is necessary. This is not a diet, and can

not help you lose weight quickly. However, adapting to this

lifestyle can make diets unnecessary and no longer needed in

your life.

Intuitive Eating seems pretty simple, and many people

believe that they are already doing this, but it is much harder

than it seems. Having the self control to stop eating when your

body is full takes time to develop, and establishing a healthy

relationship between your body and food is not easy to achieve.

The positive effects that it has had on a lot of people has

persuaded many others to join Intuitive Eating, creating a

wonderful community. For more information on Intuitive Eating

and where to start, visit http://intuitiveeatingcommunity.org/.