Sezgisel Yeme

Abstract

Eating behavior is an action in response to physiological, psychological and social cues. The physical hunger state of the individual, the mood she is in and the social environment she lives in affect her eating attitudes and behaviors. Intuitive eating is a new understanding of nutrition as an alternative to diet programs that tell individuals what, when and how much they should eat. In this understanding of nutrition, only the body will guide the individual. The hunger and satiety signals created by the body direct it to the most appropriate food at the most appropriate time. Although diet programs that have been applied for years to lose weight show effectiveness in the short term, they have resulted in weight gain in the long term. In contrast to traditional weight loss methods, intuitive eating is thought to be a new intervention in the prevention and treatment of obesity. Intuitive eating has both physiological and psychological effects on human health. In terms of physiological health, intuitive eating has been associated with lower body mass index, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels, while insufficient studies have yet found it to be associated with higher levels of physical activity. In terms of psychological health, many eating pathology indices were found to be negatively associated with body image disorders and psychological distress, and positively with improved psychological health. There are studies that include the positive effects of intuitive eating without diet logic on health. Future studies are expected to shed light on the unexplored aspects of the effects of intuitive eating. In this review, literature information about the physiological and psychological effects of intuitive eating will be summarized. Keywords: Intiutive Eating, Physiological Health, Psychological Health