3 INTENTIONAL EATING CHALLENGES: tangible ways to nurture a healthy relationship with food
Meal Challenge
Record what you eat for each meal & check what components that meal satisfies. Some foods will satisfy more than 1 component.
50% vegetables
palm size protein
healthy fat
whole food carbs
See the Meal Blueprints for ideas of how to incorporate all 4 of these components into your meals.
2. State of Receiving Challenge
Give yourself 1 point for each intentional eating tip you practice. Total your score for each meal.
relaxed & not rushed
gratitude before eating
respect level of fullness
choose nourishing foods
no distractions
sit at table
portion out food
chew each bite 20x
See the State of Receiving Handout to learn how to eat in a parasympathetic state.
3. Listening Challenge
Record your thoughts & feelings before & after each meal. Indicate your level of fullness and whether you ate in a state of receiving.
See the State of Receiving Handout to learn how to eat in a parasympathetic state.
Are you a health educator that wants to use this content with your clients? Customize these handout templates in less time than it would take to even think about hiring a graphic designer.
References
Tribole, E., & Resch, E. (2019). Intuitive Eating. Retrieved from https://www.intuitiveeating.org.Mindful Eating. The Nutrition Source. Havard School of Public Health. Retrieved from https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/mindful-eating/
Center for Nutritional Pyschology. Retrieved from https://www.nutritional-psychology.org/research-studies/
Hazzard, V. M., Telke, S. E., Simone, M., Anderson, L. M., Larson, N. I., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2021). Intuitive eating longitudinally predicts better psychological health and lower use of disordered eating behaviors: findings from EAT 2010-2018. Eating and weight disorders : EWD, 26(1), 287–294. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-020-00852-4
Brewer, J. A., Ruf, A., Beccia, A. L., Essien, G. I., Finn, L. M., van Lutterveld, R., & Mason, A. E. (2018). Can Mindfulness Address Maladaptive Eating Behaviors? Why Traditional Diet Plans Fail and How New Mechanistic Insights May Lead to Novel Interventions. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 1418. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01418
Fuentes Artiles, R., Staub, K., Aldakak, L., Eppenberger, P., Rühli, F., & Bender, N. (2019). Mindful eating and common diet programs lower body weight similarly: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, 20(11), 1619–1627. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12918
Jones, D. S., Bland, J. S., & Quinn, S. (2010). Textbook of Functional Medicine. Institute for Functional Medicine.Tribole, E., & Resch, E. (2019). Intuitive Eating. Retrieved from https://www.intuitiveeating.org.
NTA Student Guide. (2019). Nutritional Therapy Association.
Browning, K. N., & Travagli, R. A. (2014). Central nervous system control of gastrointestinal motility and secretion and modulation of gastrointestinal functions. Comprehensive Physiology, 4(4), 1339–1368. https://doi.org/10.1002/cphy.c130055