What is Intuitive Eating and is it Right for You?
Intuitive Eating is often thrown around as a buzzword for listening to your body, but did you know that it is an evidence-based model with over 100 studies to date, created by two dietitians in 1995? Let’s learn more, and explore how to know if Intuitive Eating is right for you, or if it’s a goal for you in the future.
Intuitive Eating was created by dietitians Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch in 1995. According to intuitiveeating.org, “Intuitive Eating is a self-care eating framework, which integrates instinct, emotion, and rational thought.” Tribole and Resch created this weight-inclusive model to be a powerful and personal tool, based on its 10 principles. The 10 principles, which are in a specific order are:
Reject the Diet Mentality
Honor Your Hunger
Make Peace with Food (check out our blog post on this principle here)
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
Intuitive Eating isn’t meant to be another rigid system or diet, but rather, a practice that respects the individual’s mental and physical health. The principles, when followed in order and used by someone ready to practice Intuitive Eating, help to recognize and tune into body signals in order to meet biological and psychological needs, and also help to remove distractions that get in the way of tuning into these bodily cues.
Intuitive Eating isn’t for everyone. It can be a fantastic goal for someone in eating disorder recovery, but only when the eating disorder is on the backburner enough that someone can really commit to honoring their body’s unique needs.
Some common concerns with Intuitive Eating are that when nutrition is the last step, people will only eat junk food, and way too much of it. This misconception has been disproven several times over in the myriad studies done on Intuitive Eating. While initially, there is a phase that many people may find themselves eating things they haven’t in years, or eating in quantities they don’t normally eat, our experience as eating disorder dietitians has shown us that someone truly tuned into their body won’t do this forever. Even when it feels like it, it’s a temporary swinging back from years of restriction. Whether you’ve had an eating disorder or not, there may be foods or quantities you haven’t allowed yourself, and when you give yourself full permission to eat, your body pendulum swings back the other way. It’s simply science- when our ancestors didn’t have food, our bodies had to adapt to survive on less food for a period of time, but when food was available, our ancestors had to eat as much as they could, in order to pack their reserves for times of famine. Whether you’re undernourished because you are hunting and sources of food are scant or you’re on the latest diet, your body has no idea, so it goes into primal starvation mode. As you continue to show your body that you trust it, will nourish it regularly, and will listen to and honor its signals, it begins to crave variety, and you’ll notice a subtle change.
How To Know if Intuitive Eating is Right for You
How will you know if Intuitive Eating is right for you, or if you’re at the right place in your recovery to give it a try? The best way is to ask your care team. Our dietitians are all Intuitive Eating experts, and can help guide you through the 10 principles, or let you know what is standing in the way.
Otherwise, if you’re tired of struggling with diets or someone else telling you what you “should” eat and you want to tune into the wisdom of your body and focus on your overall well-being, Intuitive Eating might be a good option for you. Intuitive Eating is about finding what works for your body, which cannot be known ahead of time, or prescribed by someone else.
When Intuitive Eating Might Not Be Right
The answer is the same as above- if you’re not sure if Intuitive Eating is right for you, check in with your care team. Our team can help you figure out if it’s appropriate, or if you need to progress in your recovery more. For some people struggling in their eating disorder, Intuitive Eating can feel very scary, or like another set of rules, and the principles can become strict rules in your mind, which we want to avoid. Intuitive Eating is a goal for the end of eating disorder recovery, so if you are in an active eating disorder, Intuitive Eating isn’t right for you yet. Additionally, anyone with physical or emotional trauma or complex medical conditions may not be able to do Intuitive Eating. Check in with your care team if you’re interested though!
We also want to mention that, for someone experiencing food insecurity, Intuitive Eating may feel difficult. There is obviously privilege that comes along with practicing Intuitive Eating, and we want to acknowledge that. If you are experiencing food insecurity, you can still practice Intuitive Eating as best as you can, however, you will sometimes need to be flexible to eat what you can, when you are able.
If you have questions or thoughts about Intuitive Eating, or would like to get guidance in your eating, whether for an eating disorder, general eating questions, or for other conditions like diabetes, PCOS, or sports nutrition, we are here to help. Our team of registered dietitians specializes in providing personalized nutrition care to you. We are in network with most insurance companies and offer both in person and virtual care. Reach out to us today!
*Intuitive Eating was written by Evelyn Tribole, MS, RDN and Elyse Resch, MS, RDN, CEDS-S, Fiaedp, FADA, FAND. The 4th edition of the book is available now and you can learn more about Intuitive Eating at intuitiveeating.org. If you’re interested in exploring Intuitive Eating in your own life and would like support from local experts, please reach out to us. We’d love to help support you.