What is Intuitive Eating?

To start, let me ask you a question: have you ever felt guilty for either feeling hungry or for eating too much?

For most of us, that answer is probably yes. But, why? After all, hunger is a natural biological signal. We all eat until we’re over-stuffed sometimes, no matter what size we are. Especially when you’re having a favorite meal, you’re having a celebration, or your food is just so. delicious. Is anyone else suddenly daydreaming of the shrimp fajitas I had on my birthday last year or is it just me? 

Thanks to centuries of influence from diet culture, we have been trained not to trust our bodies and their natural signals. Instead, we spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars following diet plans to give us rules to follow. Rules about when we can or cannot eat, what type of foods we can eat, how much food we can eat, how to substitute something healthier for the dessert we’re actually craving, and the list goes on and on and on….

While that might work for a while, soon you find yourself having a lot more “cheat days” than “good days”. Then that familiar feeling of shame comes around to remind you “you’ve never had the willpower to stick to a diet anyways, just quit”.

Ugh. That cycle is not fun. Let’s talk about the alternative.

The core ideas behind Intuitive Eating (IE) are to say goodbye to dieting rules (forever!), heal your damaged relationship with food, re-learn how to listen to your body’s internal hunger and fullness cues, and to respect your body’s natural weight and size.

The amazing thing about becoming an intuitive eater is that you not only heal your relationship with food, but you also decrease the mental stress and shame you feel about your failure to stick to a diet. You will learn how to just eat, no guilt required. Most people even find that they have a better balance of foods in their diet from becoming an intuitive eater. When all foods are neutral, you find yourself craving more nutritious foods because they actually just make you feel good.

The Intuitive Eating book was originally written in 1995 by two dietitians, Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. The book has been continuously updated over the years to include the growing research showing the effectiveness of this style of eating on better physical and mental health. The 4th edition was recently released, and I am looking forward to seeing the updates!

The book takes a deep dive into the 10 principles of IE, which are listed here (based on the 3rd edition of the book):

What makes intuitive eating unique is that there is no right or wrong way to go through this process and the principles. Intuitive eating respects the fact that each of us have had different relationships with food, dieting, and our bodies.

There just aren’t strict rules to being an intuitive eater other than just… eat. Which sounds scary after years of trusting that following rules like “no dinner after 7 pm” and “avoiding carbs will help me lose weight” would certainly make you healthy. Did they really, though?

In reality, you are the expert of your body and only you know the best way to keep it healthy.

Maybe you’re thinking it’s time to give intuitive eating a shot. Here are two easy ways to start incorporating practices of intuitive eating into your daily life:

1. Meditation
   Meditation is an ancient practice done to help focus your awareness in order to get in touch with your inner self and gain more mental clarity. This makes meditation a great practice to start if you want to become an intuitive eater. In order to honor your hunger, you have to be able to recognize your body’s internal hunger cues.
   
   If you’ve never meditated before, you can start with just a minute or two! Sit in a quiet, comfortable area without distraction and try to focus on being in the present moment. Click HERE for a great article from the New York Times that further discusses the value of meditation plus a few short, guided meditations to try out!
   
   Yoga is also a meditative practice that can help you achieve similar mind and body clarity goals while incorporating strengthening movements. I enjoy practicing yoga and especially enjoy savasana (corpse pose) at the end of a yoga session! This time for relaxation of mind and acknowledgement of the good work your body has just done is the best way to finish up a routine.
   
   
2. Start thinking in the addition mindset instead of the restriction mindset.
   When planning or making your meals, try thinking about what nutritious foods you can add to your meal instead of worrying about what foods you “aren’t allowed to have”. By focusing on increasing nutritious foods instead of following strict rules, you can take pressure off of your food choices and give yourself more wiggle room for fun foods. After a while, you’ll realize meals with more nutritious foods make you feel good and you’ll want to eat more of them. Even better, you’ll be able to enjoy fun foods you used to deny yourself!
   
   For example, if you find yourself craving macaroni and cheese, the restriction mindset will probably tell you:
   “No! You are not allowed to eat that processed, carb-y meal even though you would really like it! Don’t you want to lose weight? Have some willpower. Ignore your cravings and eat your chicken breast and vegetables again”.
   
   Instead, with an addition mindset you will find yourself thinking:
   “I have permission to eat whatever foods I like. I am craving macaroni and cheese and I am working on eating more fruits and vegetables because of their health benefits, but mostly because they make me feel good. Hmmm.. I love how broccoli and cheddar cheese taste together! I think I’ll add some broccoli to my mac. I can’t wait!”.

If you are ready to start your journey into intuitive eating, consider working with a registered dietitian who specializes in intuitive eating (like me!!!).

Understanding the full effects of your dieting history on your current relationship with food and body can be challenging. Some of my clients found that they were following diet rules they didn’t even realize were restrictive diet culture rules. It is so helpful to have someone who has read all the books and been through this process herself (hi, me again) to guide you and encourage you!

If you’re interested in learning about what I have to offer in my 1:1 Intuitive Eating Counseling Program, CLICK HERE to learn more and hear from current clients who are finding joy and success in their process.