Kristen Murray, founder of The Intuitive Eating Center of Ohio, recently sat down with Paragon Health & Fitness to answer the most common nutrition questions they are receiving in the fitness world.
Intuitive eating is a flexible approach to nutrition that really centers the individual’s unique experience with food, hunger, and satisfaction. I like to think Intuitive Eating is really just normal eating without all the rules and external feedback we get from our culture around how we should eat. Instead it’s a framework that supports folks in listening to that internal feedback and to trust that your body knows what, when and how much to eat. And it’s okay for these answers to look different for each individual. I really shifted my nutrition approach to weight inclusive, non-diet and Intuitive Eating after seeing client after client express guilt and shame around what their eating looked like and many times never coming back because of it. It became more and more obvious to me that folks were afraid of food and it was controlling them. I committed to supporting folks in moving away from rigid food rules and finding a more compassionate, flexible approach to nourishing their bodies.
How we nourish our bodies impacts how we feel in bodies – especially during movement. Historically I’ve found that many folks start restricting when they start exercising – these two things are coupled together in an attempt to manipulate/shrink our bodies. When we shift our thinking towards the idea of doing something kind and respectful for our bodies there is room for flexible and adequate nourishment and movement that’s more sustainable – probably because it actually feels good rather than being punishment!
I like to keep it simple and really prioritize that carbohydrate which is the fuel your body is going to use during workouts. Try pairing a carbohydrate with a protein/fat – choose one from each category below. Most importantly, notice what feels good to you! And always add more if needed.
| Carbohydrate | Protein/Fat |
| Pretzels | Nuts or Nut Butter |
| Crackers | Milk |
| Bread, Bagel, English Muffin | Cheese |
| Chocolate/Chocolate Syrup | Protein Bar |
| Fruit (apple, banana, applesauce, etc) or Juice | Yogurt or Cottage Cheese |
| Muffin | Hummus |
| Graham Crackers, Vanilla Wafers | Deli Slices or Jerky |
| Waffles, Pancakes | Eggs |
I rarely see folks NOT consuming enough protein. It is the golden child of macronutrients! I find that most people who are eating consistently and adequately get plenty of protein. Body size does impact how much protein we need – for example if you weigh ~300 lb and are eating 7 oz of animal protein at each meal (ie. 7 oz chicken, turkey, beef, pork) you will get all the protein you need for the day. And if you are including snacks that have protein you are doing absolutely doing fine!
Consistency is my biggest priority! For most people this looks like eating within an hour of waking up and every 2-4 hours for the rest of the day. If you aren’t getting consistent hunger cues I would recommend following this pattern until they become more established. Then I recommend working on adequacy – this is making sure you eat enough. I like to use a general guideline of carbohydrate+protein+fat+fiber+/-dairy. Sometimes my clients find it helpful to use Entree + 2 Sides as a guideline (ie. meat lasagna with roasted broccoli and garlic bread). Once we have good consistently and adequacy add variety! More variety with your food choices means more variety with your nutrient intake.
Carbohydrates are your body’s preferred source of fuel (versus protein and fat). It’s the fuel your body can use most efficiently. Do carbohydrates increase blood sugar levels? YES! And they should, this tells your body to produce insulin to utilize that energy appropriately. When we pair carbohydrate with protein and fat we see more sustained energy and a lower glucose peak. Pairing these foods together helps folks feel full, satisfied and content at a meal and generally gives enough energy for 3-4 hours.
After working with hundreds of clients I have found that when we start any kind of restrictive diet/eating pattern, like IF, there is a honeymoon phase. It feels exciting and good until it doesn’t. Your body catches on to the fact that it’s chronically not getting enough nutrition and starts to panic. This looks like craving carbs (and maybe bingeing), thinking about food all the time, eating followed by guilt/shame, experiencing urgent hunger or maybe no hunger at all because digestion has slowed down. Your body needs nutrition consistently throughout the day. This keeps both your digestive tract happy and your energy levels. Work towards trusting that hunger and if you don’t get hunger cues you probably aren’t eating enough.
Gentle nutrition takes all the principles of Intuitive Eating and puts them together! This looks like nourishing your body consistently and adequately with a variety of food. It’s being able to be flexible with your eating but also intentional and planful. Gentle nutrition really leans into trusting your body to guide you in what, when and how much to eat – all while letting go of those food judgements to do so. There is no right or wrong way to nourish your body. It may look different for you than it does for your friend, sister, neighbor or coworker and that’s okay!
I would want to get really curious about WHY someone wants to diet/restrict. What is it they are hoping to accomplish/gain from the diet? And what is the cost (not just financial!)? Does restricting result in feeling tired/low energy, irritable, and foggy brained? Does this look like skipping social opportunities because of fear of not having something to eat or being “tempted” by what foods are available? If so, I wonder if there is another way to navigate the goal without the diet/restriction.
Different things are going to work for different people/families. Through lots of experimenting I have found we need to do grocery shopping every week. Access (or lack of access) to food is one of the biggest challenges to nourishing consistently and adequately. We also make a flexible menu plan for the week. We typically pick four meals to make for the week and are sure to have those groceries on hand. In addition to these meals we have one leftover/clean out the fridge day, one carry out day and one wild card day. Our wild card day can be an additional meal out or something that takes minimal prep (like frozen pizza and salad kit)! My last recommendation to help make eating during the week a bit easier to navigate is to keep a running list of meal ideas. Having a list of meals to choose from can make it much easier to decide what to eat/prepare.
I would start to get curious about what your current relationship with food and movement looks like. (Please do this with loads of compassion and no judgement!) When do you notice guilt showing up? Why do you feel guilty? Is this thing you feel guilty about helpful/serving you? If you find there are some things that are no longer serving you, you can slowly start to move away from those behaviors/thoughts.
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