The Nutritional Institute

We know that it is important to think ahead about the foods we plan to consume for that day so we can eat well, healthily and wholesomely. If we don’t have the right foods ready, we end up eating whatever is readily or easily available. This selection is generally never very good and could leave us with feelings of guilt because we strayed from our health goals, or else we struggle with gut discomfort due to eating the wrong foods or gobbling them up too quickly.

But let’s say that we are well prepared most of the time: unfortunately, we are often working under pressure and looking for the fastest and easiest ways to cook and prepare our food. What also happens is that we may tend to use the same cooking methods, herbs and spices, and the same protein and vegetable sources. This lack of intuition and diversity could mean we miss out on opportunities to magnify the nutritional content that a wholesome approach to food could otherwise metaphorically bring ‘to the table’.

As a natural chef, I am especially observant of automaticity in food preparation because I have been studying and working in the intuitive nutrition space for over four years now. I've personally adopted an intuitive approach and have taught a number of practitioners and trainee chefs to do the same; the transformation is clearly advantageous in terms of your health and wellbeing.

Can we define intuitive cooking and intuitive eating?

Perhaps the best place to begin this blog is to consider what the terms ‘intuitive cooking’ and ‘intuitive eating’ mean. Thinking back on my own training as an intuitive chef and a teacher at the School of Natural Cookery, a definition was never specifically discussed because it’s about an experience; a feeling one gets that’s unique to each and every one of us. Instinctively, I already knew and understood what the term meant. But what does the research have to say on this subject? Most of the clinical studies that I reviewed suggested that intuitive eating simply consists of eating when you’re hungry, stopping when you’re full, and following no specific dietary restrictions. This definition, to me, feels far too clinical, constrained and regimented.

It made sense to me to also review what scientists define as ‘mindful eating’, hoping for similarities to my own experience. Some scientists propose that mindful eating is the process of purposely paying attention and being present to what you are eating. While this definition explains some of my experience and training, it doesn’t embrace the whole philosophy of intuitive eating. I decided to contact my mentor Julianaa Satie from the School of Natural Cookery for her insights on the subject. In her words: “Intuition relies on multiple levels of awareness and uses the whole of us. In cooking, this includes seven basic chakras, five simple tastes, the olfactory function of smell, visual response from colour, feeling textures, and learning to trust oneself that the decision of each step is safe.” Satie also explains that intuitive eating is a way of customising our diet: “Feeding information into our knowledge base about what is nourishing sets our intuition to automatically make the correct selections.” In other words, even if a particular ingredient is healthy, if it doesn’t digest (or sit) well when we eat it, we should avoid it, no matter who tries to promote it.

So returning to the research, it would make good sense then to merge the terms intuitive eating and mindful eating and continue to broaden the definition further. Personally, I don’t believe we can cook and eat intuitively without being completely present in the moment, and aware and mindful during the process. These two terms definitely coexist because one couldn’t happen without the other. Expanding further, I would suggest the addition of one’s own experiences, plus the accessing of inner cues. Now this definition of intuitive eating feels more balanced, complete and appropriate to me.

My approach to cooking

To sum up the intuitive process, my personal approach in the kitchen, which is a very special experience, looks something like this. When I am ready to cook, I stop for a moment and think about who I am cooking for. I tune into my heart centre, while drawing in a deep full breath, which brings conscious awareness of my body, whilst simultaneously accessing my right brain because I don’t want to be over-thinking or analysing; I want to be feeling or sensing information through my body. I then respond to these inner cues that I receive and allow the work in my kitchen to begin. Using this inner wisdom while cooking helps me to make the most appropriate ingredient and cooking method choices that suit my body and those I am cooking for. It is also a moment filled with great love and respect of self, those I’m cooking for, and for the quality ingredients that I select. Through this beautiful process, the end product is the creation of a meal that is meaningful to the bodies that it will nourish - whole foods made wholeheartedly.

So what does this mean for you?

If you could learn a similar ‘connecting-with-the-body-and-food’ experience and become completely present during the process of food preparation, you too could find nutrients your body craved. Arthur-Cameselle from the book Mindfulness, eating, body and performance suggests that being mindful can relate to a body appreciation; by making nutritious food choices which can aid in a more fully functioning body. The process of intuitive cooking allows you to select different cooking methods, make varied whole food choices, and to select unique accompanying ingredients, that results in a beneficial meal that your body really needs and wants. Satie explains that the benefits and improvements to health is when we understand how the food we eat affects us: “This essential, personal understanding comes not from being told by a diet book, health professional, or famous chef, but from recognising deep within our own body-systems those ingredients and cooking methods also known as “dishes” and “meals” that resonate and create identifiable responses.” She explains that the idea behind this is to attain a cooking or eating practice that works specifically for the individual, without applying external principles of unnecessary restrictions like low fat or high protein diets, and the likes.

The body’s requirements could be small and simple in the form of micronutrients, such as salt, vitamins, minerals and certain antioxidants. For example; on a very hot day you may perspire more than normal so there would be a physiological need for more salt. If you understood the intuitive process, you could observe this need and honour that salt requirement.

Or it may have a larger physiological need for a specific macronutrient. For example, if you feel you’re on the brink of an infection, your food selection could be that of a warming and hearty soup that comforts and replenishes the body and the ‘soul’, as opposed to the cold Thai crystal spring rolls you had anticipated consuming.

Summing up intuitive cooking and eating

My feeling is that if you knew how to cook and eat intuitively you could be potentially way ahead of your game. This internal ‘knowing’ often resonates and empowers you to make meaningful food decisions irrespective to what your schedule suggests. In other words, you would be better prepared to prevent illness, IBS and bloating, empty your bowels daily, find your best natural weight; the list of positives are endless to optimal wellbeing! The key is to honour your own food needs that come from a selection of healthy, whole foods. My sense in eating this way and having the ‘knowing’ would suggest that it could also help eliminate cravings altogether. Automated, mindless eating simply bypasses this awareness.

To conclude, it makes good sense to our health and wellbeing to cook and eat intuitively. This awareness empowers us to make appropriate and relevant choices in relation to our own food preparations in the kitchen, and in our selection of whole foods and accompanying ingredients. The end result will be a tailor-made meal that serves our bodily requirements, which in-turn can make an obvious impact on our current state of overall health. In Satie’s eloquent words: “Intuitive eating and cooking is the place where control meets the grid of where you hold on, and where you let go.” To me, this far surpasses the rushed, mindless style of eating that many of us are currently following.