Trusting your body-key to healthy nutrition

Listening to our body and trusting its clues is such an important and easy way to stay healthy!
With food availability recently becoming more than excessive; with advertising becoming more sophisticated and intense by telling us we "need' to have this snack, drink or sandwich "right now"; with the modern fast- paced lifestyles that most of us follow and pressures to look thinner or younger...We simply disconnect from our bodies.
No wonder many of us develop habits of eating in many situations we dont need to: when we are stressed, sad, bored, distracted or because our diet plan tells us so.
Theres nothing wrong with eating when you aren't hungry and yes it's true chocolate can improve your mood...
But what we forget to do in these moments is to check whether this is what we actually want/need and fulfilling on the actual need.
When we aren’t in touch with what our body is telling us, we are missing out on a key component to our health - intuitiveness.We all have been given a natural ability to know what our body needs, what it doesn’t, and what it is saying when it comes to our nutrition.
This simple realisation took me 20 years to discover and has changed my life and health significantly.
The key points in intuitive eating are:
1. Pausing.
2. Checking-in with yourself & asking:
Am I actually hungry right now?
- If yes: then what do I actually need to feel satisfied and nourished?
-If no: then what kind of need is it?
How am I feeling, what is my mood?
Am I shaky? Sleepy? Irritable? Worried or anxious? Emotional? A little nauseated?
Once you identify your emotion you can meet your actual need- whether its talking to a friend, getting some fresh air, taking a break and resting, praying, reading an inspirational quote or book...
3. If you are having a meal then make sure you enjoy it and notice how you feel after.

This is a skill I believe all of us can develop -easily over time and it can help us lead a balanced healthy lifestyle.