When I used to diet, I would have the same foods every single day, no matter how little I enjoyed them. I used a dieting app, and it would allow me to save meals so that I could plan each day out in advance according to what fit into my recommended calories to lose x amount of weight per week (so the app promised) . This left little wiggle room for me to change the type of food I allowed myself to eat.

Oftentimes, this meant turning down something that my body truly craved. Our bodies actually crave foods based on the season of the year. Think about it. During wintertime, we love being cozy. Think-hot chocolate, root vegetables, and warm, hearty soups. In the summertime, we tend to gravitate towards light, cooling meals like a smoothie, a salad with lots of veggies, or a yummy snack plate.

Our bodies are SO smart in knowing what we need with each season of life and what will satisfy us (satisfaction is a key element in having a calm relationship with food). When it’s cold, we need extra energy to keep our bodies healthy, so we want hearty, warm foods. In the summertime, when we do not require as much energy, we tend to want lighter foods. This is all a balance – aren’t our bodies amazing if we just listen to them?

Once I broke free from dieting and listened to what my body needed, I realized that it was okay to crave more dense, heartier foods during the winter. My body was simply trying to stay healthy. Do you ever find yourself craving a warm, hearty bowl of soup during the summer? Probably not! Here in SLO, it is currently HOT, so I’m craving lots of smoothies, sandwiches, fruit, and yogurt bowls!

So, when practicing intuitive eating, remember that it is OKAY if your body is craving more food or less food. It is a season of life. What is she asking of you? Is she craving a certain type of food?

Cravings are important. They teach us what to pay attention to and show us what we need. Sometimes our need is emotional, sometimes physical. Pay attention and get used to being curious about what you need. What are you missing? Do you need fun? To laugh? Rest? Take a break? Check-in.

Your body knows exactly what she wants and needs, you just have to learn how to listen.

Your body was designed to survive and THRIVE. Your body doesn’t want to be sick, unhappy, or imbalanced. She wants vibrant health. This is the ultimate goal.

Remember, we all go through various seasons of life, and this is NORMAL; seasons of being around tons of people; seasons of having more rest and staying home; seasons of wanting to go out to eat; seasons of wanting to cook at home; seasons of wanting raw-foods; seasons of craving cooked/warm foods; seasons of wanting to dress fancy; seasons of wanting to be cozy…You name it. You are allowed to have fun with it and trust it all.

It really just depends on what you need and what you want, for this season.

IF YOU LIKED THIS POST…

• Read this post How I Started Eating Intuitively and the Challenges I Faced
• Subscribe to my newsletter for loads of encouragement every other week
• Download my 1-Day Intuitive Eating Guide for free!
• Share this post with a friend – they’ll appreciate it! And so will I!