Intuitive Eating is core component of the Non-Diet Approach and an incredible tool to help us mend our relationship with food. Essentially we are tuning in to our intuition with regards to food. We respond freely to internal cues of hunger and fullness without criticism or judgement, but with a greater sense of awareness and unconditional permission to eat. We might start by asking ourselves questions like “How hungry am I?”, “How full am I?”, “What is going on for me in this moment that is impacting the way I’m interacting with this food?”.

Those who practice intuitive eating are more likely to have better diet quality, greater body satisfaction, higher self-esteem and improved quality of life. They are also less likely to engage in disordered eating behaviours (especially binge eating). Sounds pretty good, right?! It is, AND it takes a lot of practice. For those who have been stuck in the trap of dieting for as long as they can remember, learning to tune into hunger and fullness cues is initially quite difficult. Dieting often results in a dampening down of the body’s hunger and fullness signals - it’s almost as if the body is saying, “well you’re not listening to me anyway, so why would I tell you when I’m hungry?!”

How does intuitive eating differ from mindful eating?

Mindful eating comes under the umbrella of intuitive eating, and is an important part of learning to trust your body’s internal cues of hunger and fullness. Mindful eating is the intention of mindfulness, or presence, to the eating experience, and is similar to meditation. It can help us to better understand our physiological needs, what our true food preferences are and aims to bring pleasure and enjoyment to eating.

Intuitive eating is a broader evidence-based framework, consisting of 10 principles created by world renowned Dietitians Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. It considers the emotional response to eating, the impact that diet culture has on our eating behaviour, the way we feel about our bodies, how we move our bodies, as well as encouraging size acceptance and body respect.

What intuitive eating is not

The goal of intuitive eating is not, and should never be, weight loss. As tempting as it might be to use intuitive eating as a weight loss tool, unfortunately it misses the point. Intuitive eating is about connecting with and responding to internal body cues or intrinsic motivation (from within). The desire for weight loss or thinness is an externally driven motivation, largely resulting from the pressures of diet culture and weight stigma. The psychological health benefits seen in intuitive eating are much more profound when used within a weight neutral framework and when we minimise external drivers of behaviour. Providing ethical weight neutral care is really important to us at Feel Better Nutrition, so you can get the most out of your sessions with us and leave knowing you are equipped with lifelong skills.

How do I do intuitive eating?

Working with a trained intuitive eating professional is a game-changer for learning how to be a more intuitive eater. I absolutely love to teach this way of eating - there will be light bulb moments, maybe some tears but ultimately a lot of fun and delicious food tasting along the way as well!

If you have babies or young kids in your life, watch how they eat. We are born with very strong signals around hunger and fullness, and children can be a lovely reminder of where we started (before diet culture got in the way). You could also try a mindful eating meditation on your favourite meditation app to get you started.

When might intuitive eating not be suitable for me?

Honouring hunger can be really tricky if you are unwell, but it is still possible to practice intuitive eating. For many of my oncology clients, aspects of intuitive eating might not be feasible until the side effects of cancer treatment have diminished. Chemo and radiotherapy can impact our hunger and fullness signals, and they may not be reliable for some time. There may be some restrictions on what you are able to eat during treatment which adds another layer of complexity. Many aspects of intuitive eating can still be really valuable, and you can honour your health with the nutrition it needs despite the absence of hunger signals. Be informed about your body’s changing needs and seek support from your healthcare team and a non-diet dietitian.

Hazzard, V. M., Telke, S. E., Simone, M., Anderson, L. M., Larson, N. I., & Neumark-Sztainer, D. (2021). Intuitive eating longitudinally predicts better psychological health and lower use of disordered eating behaviors: findings from EAT 2010-2018. Eating and weight disorders : EWD, 26(1), 287–294. 

Hensley-Hackett, K., Bosker, J., Keefe, A., Reidlinger, D., Warner, M., D'Arcy, A., & Utter, J. (2022). Intuitive Eating Intervention and Diet Quality in Adults: A Systematic Literature Review. Journal of nutrition education and behavior, 54(12), 1099–1115. 

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