Finding Joy in Eating Have we lost the joy of eating? I think many of us have. I know I did for some time. We live in a culture that praises restricting, counting, and limiting and so we have lost the joy in eating. Much of the praise we see from our culture stems from underlying goals of weight loss and trying to achieve a certain aesthetic. We begin to search for anything that will help us achieve this and we often choose a particular meal plan or “diet” that…
Health at Every Size®: Is it Biblical? Let me preface this article by saying that I only wish to comment on the principles of this movement. Below you will find an outline of the 5 main principles, a description of common misconceptions, and finally, an evaluation of the principles as they relate to the bible. I hope you find it helpful to establish your thinking to be pleasing to the Lord in all things including taking care of your body. Blessings! Jenn Principles of Health at Every Size® (HAES) Weight…
Have you been on a diet before? Almost all of us have at some point in our lives. Many times people will tell me they are a “professional dieter” or they have been on so many diets they can’t even count them. Or even that they have lost over 1,000 pounds! If this is you, please keep reading! Even if you have only been on 1 diet, or if you are considering starting one sometime soon, you should also keep reading! I realize I am going counter-cultural here as I…
How to Challenge the Food Police You’re done with dieting! You want to be an Intuitive Eater! Except there is this voice in your head that tells you not to let go of diets just yet…Because there is one out there that has got to be “the ONE” that will work – right? It can be nearly impossible to improve your relationship with food and body if the diet culture voice is still being obnoxiously loud. The authors of the Intuitive Eating framework call this voice “the food police” because…
Can Science and Faith Come Together in the Nutrition World? Science and Faith I have been thinking about this question a lot lately. Confusion abounds when we consider how to believe science and still continue in our faith. Let me first just say they are absolutely not mutually exclusive. I firmly believe that God gave us science to help us understand His creation! We also must remember that His creation is so beautifully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) that it is certain, we will never know everything. It helps us…
Intentional Eating: What is it? Intentional eating is not a new concept, but we seem to have forgotten the benefits of being intentional about life in general and also about our food and nutrition. I have used the phrase Intentional Eating to describe a combination of Intuitive Eating concepts and Biblical Concepts and how they can come together. Intuitive eating consists of 10 principles. Each of these principles focus on getting rid of dieting! In fact, three of the principles involve getting back to feeling and understanding your hunger. Principle…
Freedom from Shame and Guilt Do you ever get that feeling of guilt after eating a little too much dessert? How about a piece of pizza? Do you find yourself often feeling guilty about something you ate or because you didn’t do something (like exercise)? Hmmm. I wonder though, should you feel guilty? Guilt and shame happen frequently for many of us when we “break the rules”. These feelings come up more and more often as we continually add food and exercise rules to our list of “shoulds”. These feelings…
