What is intuitive eating?
Intuitive Eating is a self-care eating framework, which integrates instinct, emotion, and rational thought and was created by two dietitians, Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch in 1995. There are over 100 research studies – and counting! – that look at the benefits of intuitive eating.
Intuitive eating is a practice, not a diet, that honors physical and mental health. In its simplist terms, intuitive eating works to honor our internal hunger and satiety cues and needs in a way that mirrors the way we are naturally born to eat: choosing food that satisfies us when we’re hungry, and stopping when we’re full. However, for many adults, especially those who have tried diets, restriction, or have been influenced in any way by diet culture (hello, most of us!), we’ve lost sight of those innate cues. Intuitive eating helps to dismantle the diet rigidity and rules that negatively impact the way you eat and treat your body.
With intuitive eating, there are no rules on how, what, when or how much to eat. Instead, the work is to strengthen our own internal cues on what, when and how much to eat by honoring our body on a day to day - and meal to meal - basis.
The goal of intuitive eating is not weight loss but rather learning how to nourish your body based on your own needs and likes, reject the diet mentality, be in touch with your body and heal your relationship with food.
The intuitive eating practice has 10 guiding principles:
Reject the Diet Mentality
Honor Your Hunger
Make Peace with Food
Challenge the Food Police
Respect Your Fullness
Discover the Satisfaction Factor
Honor Your Feelings without Using Food
Respect Your Body
Exercise—Feel the Difference
Honor Your Health with Gentle Nutrition
Moving through these principles (and returning to them often and as needed!) takes time and is not a linear process! The principles of intuitive eating guide you to let go of diet culture expectations and learn to trust your body
The thought of intuitive eating can sound overwhelming and vague at first, especially if you’re used to the rigidity and rules of diets. But intuitive eating is possible and takes practice to break down all of the rules you’ve adopted over time, and truly learn how to trust your body again.
If you’re ready to move forward with intuitive eating, reach out for a free discovery call so you can learn how intuitive eating can benefit you.
