Diet is one of the main pillars that significantly impact our physical and mental health. It can affect our energy and athletic performance, as well as hormonal balance or the regularity and course of a woman's menstrual cycle. That is why, during individual consultations with clients, we carefully focus on diet and meal composition.
However, it's not just about the choice of food itself, but equally important is the approach to food. An unhealthy relationship with one's body and food, fear of certain foods, or constantly switching between diets or nutritional trends can long-term distance us from feeling overall healthy.
Today, Sára Zemancová, intuitive eating coach and co-founder of Oasa, will tell us about freedom in eating.
Sári, what should an ideal healthy relationship with food look like in practice?
A healthy relationship with food is primarily a combination of flexibility, eating freedom, and nutritional literacy, where we view food not only as a source of sustenance and energy but also as a source of pleasure, socialization, discovering new tastes and cultures, and much more. We don't categorize food as good or bad, nutritious or non-nutritious, and so on. We don't use food as a means to suppress emotions. Furthermore, it's about realizing how I eat and why I eat that way. It's also about perceiving hunger and fullness and other body signals. Last but not least, it's about feeling good about food in all aspects.
What first or subtle signs might indicate that someone doesn't have a completely healthy approach to food?
When we are persistently the opposite of any of the above points, and it has a negative impact on our functioning. However, it's important to mention that it manifests completely differently in everyone. It can start, for example, with dissatisfaction with our body, excessive food control, avoiding social events due to our "lifestyle", not listening to hunger and satiety cues, obsessive exercise, viewing food as a means to suppress emotions, and so on.
What do you think is the biggest problem with diets or various nutritional approaches? Do you have any positive or negative experiences with them yourself?
Nutritional trends come and go; they are not sustainable and have a negative impact on health. We even have scientific confirmation that they have a very negative impact on a person's psyche. Diets also tend to omit certain foods, which can lead to impaired nutrient absorption and even malnutrition. In addition, they increase our cravings for the very foods we are trying to avoid. (1)
The Minnesota starvation experiment is a perfect example of how restriction doesn't work, doesn't build healthy habits, and leads to food obsession. (2) We demonstrably end up at a higher weight than we started in most cases. (3)
In the context of the relationship with food, we often associate it more with the psychological aspect. Can you share with us how the approach to food can affect a woman's physical body?
Yes, the physical and psychological aspects are very closely intertwined, and we communicate this in OASA as well. Many people often forget that it's really not enough to "just" eat healthy and exercise regularly; much more important is how we feel about everything we do. Our lifestyle has a great influence on hormones, e.g., cortisol, which needs to be handled very carefully, especially in women. A large part of the active female population tends to wake up in the morning, skip breakfast, have coffee, and go to train. This approach affects women's menstrual cycles, often in combination with insufficient nourishment of the body, even leading to secondary amenorrhea.
What is your opinion on generally targeted advice that for weight loss, one needs to eat less and exercise more?
Our body is much more complex than a caloric deficit calculation. Some people may have different needs due to metabolism, genetics, lifestyle, and health status. Eating less and exercising more can be an effective approach for many people, but it is also difficult to maintain and not suitable for everyone. Food quality, eating habits, emotional factors, and other aspects play an equally important role. So, rather than focusing on weight loss itself, we should focus on overall health and choose strategies that align with our lifestyle and values.
Do you encounter women in your practice who fear gaining weight with intuitive eating?
Certainly… I'd say on a daily basis. However, with intuitive eating, we only gain weight if our current weight is unsustainable long-term and if we are at that weight only due to restriction. Intuitive eating can, on the contrary, lead to weight loss because it brings us to a natural weight range where our body feels maximally satisfied in all aspects.
Does the relationship with food reflect in movement and exercise?
Yes. If we have a problematic relationship with food, it can manifest in using movement and exercise as a means of weight reduction rather than something from which we can derive long-term health benefits. Or we might use exercise as compensation or punishment for what we have eaten.
How can women proceed if they feel they need support or help in this regard? Do you have any tips that women in our community could implement right away?
Firstly, don't be afraid to ask for help. Follow OASA COACHING (haha) and download our "starter-pack" e-book From Saying Goodbye to Diet Culture to Intuitive Eating from our website, which is completely free. In our practice with clients, we use a 4-step method. First is rejecting the diet mentality, then free eating, compassionate nutrition (i.e., nutritional literacy), and intuitive eating.
Is there anything else you would like to tell women who are currently building a healthy relationship with food and their bodies?
Don't give up. Every problem is relevant, and on the contrary, no problem is "too small" for you to address. And you don't have to be alone in it.
What exactly is OASA and how did it come about?
We call OASA an oasis of free and intuitive eating in a desert full of diets and nutritional trends. In the Czech Republic, there are many nutritional consultancies that specialize in creating fixed meal plans and other restrictive plans. These do not make sense to us as intuitive eating coaches. Our tools, on the contrary, are intuitive eating, freedom, respect for the individuality of each woman within nutritional coaching, and especially kindness. And that's why we founded Oasa. Our goal is to educate everyone caught in diet culture and those recovering from a problematic relationship with food with the most relevant information on free and intuitive eating through a compassionate approach to nutrition.
Many thanks to Sára for sharing excellent information, tips, and experiences with us, which many women will surely appreciate. 🤍
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With love,
The Femvie Team
Sources:
- Pelchat, M. L., & Schaefer, S. (2000). Dietary monotony and food cravings in young and elderly adults. Physiology &Behavior, 68(3), 353-359)
- Keys, A., Brožek, J., et al. (1950). The Biology of Human Starvation (2 vols). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
- Hall, K. D., & Kahan, S. (2018). Maintenance of Lost Weight and Long-Term Management of Obesity. MedicalClinics Of North America, 102(1), 183-197.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a normal period last?
A healthy period lasts 3 to 7 days. If you bleed longer or shorter repeatedly, consult a gynecologist.
Why is menstruation painful?
Menstrual cramps are caused by prostaglandins—substances that contract the uterine muscles. Magnesium, heat, exercise, or natural patches can help.
Are organic pads and tampons safer?
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What affects the regularity of the menstrual cycle?
Stress, diet, exercise, sleep, and hormonal balance—all of these affect the length and regularity of the cycle. Tracking your cycle will help you identify patterns and any deviations.
