Women who accept their bodies,
flaws and all, are more likely to eat healthily
or intuitively, new research shows. This suggests
that women's typical reasons for dieting --
dissatisfaction with their bodies -- may backfire.
"There is a lot of negative body talk among
women; women think that they can best lose
weight and feel better if they are first dissatisfied
with their bodies," Dr. Tracy Tylka stated.
"Rather, this research shows that adopting
a positive body image is more likely to be
associated with intuitive eating."
Intuitive eaters don't diet -- they recognize
and respond to internal hunger and fullness
cues to regulate what and how much they eat,
Tylka explained. Intuitive eating has three
components: "unconditional permission to eat
when hungry and whatever food is desired;
eating for physical rather than emotional
reasons; and reliance on internal hunger/fullness
cues."
Tylka, an assistant professor of psychology
at Ohio State University's Marion campus has
conducted several studies on the concept of
intuitive eating. In one study published in
April involving 199 college-aged women, Tylka
found that women who followed intuitive eating
principles had a slightly lower body weight
than women who did not.
"Intuitive eating was negatively associated
with body mass, such that people who ate intuitively
weighed less than people who dieted," she
said.
In her latest studies presented this month
at the American Psychological Association
meeting, Tylka and her colleagues examined
who was most likely to follow intuitive eating
principles.
They found, among nearly 600 college women,
that those with higher levels of appreciation
and acceptance for their body were more likely
to be intuitive eaters.
Intuitive eaters spend less time thinking
about how their body appears to others and
more time considering how their body feels
and functions, Tylka observed. They "perceive
the body as an agent of action rather than
an object of attraction...focusing on how
the body functions rather than its appearance,"
Tylka stated.
Intuitive eating, Tylka's found, is "positively
associated with psychological well-being,
such as self-esteem, positive emotions, adaptive
coping, self-acceptance, optimism, and resilience
in the face of stress."
Intuitive eaters also reported receiving
more positive messages from parents and others
regarding their bodies.
