Intuitive Eating (IE) is a core part of my philosophy. It was created by two dietitians, Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch (2012). It is a non-diet approach to eating and nutrition that focuses on tapping into ones own intuition and creating health practices and behavior that are sustainable over the long term.

IE consists of ten steps and principles. I meet clients where they are in terms of their relationship to food and dieting and support them through the steps towards becoming true intuitive eaters.

The 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating

Reject the Diet Mentality - Diets set us up for failure. Reject diet culture and its focus on weight and quick-fixes.
Honor your Hunger - Hunger is a normal biological function not a weakness or a problem. Keep your body fueled adequately. When we get to the point of ravenous hunger, as is common on restrictive diets, our ability to eat mindfully and intentionally disappears. We build trust in our body by keeping it fed.
Make Peace With Food - Give yourself unconditional permission to eat. Dieting leads to restricting and binging. Making peace with food allows us to stop feeling deprived which stops uncontrollable cravings and the binge-restrict cycle.
Challenge the Food Police - Learn to think about foods differently. Stop labeling foods as “good” or “bad.” No one food can make you healthy and no one food can make you unhealthy.
Feel Your Fullness - Trust that you are giving your body what it needs. Listen for body cues that tell you you are no longer hungry. It is ok to stop eating midway through an official meal because you are full just as it is ok to have a snack after another meal because you are still hungry. How much food we need on any day or at any meal will fluctuate depending on a number of factors and it is impossible to plan for that perfectly. Learning to listen to body cues takes that pressure off.
Discover the Satisfaction Factor - See food as more than fuel but as a source of pleasure and community. Eating things you enjoy in comfortable settings leads to greater feelings of satisfaction and enjoyment. We can also be full not not satisfied. Discover what you need to feel truly nourished after a meal and incorporate it into your life.
Cope with you Feelings with Kindness - Find ways to comfort and nurture yourself and process emotions in a healthy and productive way. Emotional eating is completely normal and ok but it becomes a problem when it is not helping or when it is the only tool we have.
Respect your Body - Embrace your unique body’s shape and size. Appreciate body diversity. Acknowledge that weight is not an indicator of health on its own.
Movement: Feel the Difference - Focus on how movement feels in your body rather than on calorie-burning or muscle sculpting. Find activities and routines that you enjoy and that fit your lifestyle.
Honor Your Health: Gentle Nutrition - Make food choices that are both tasty and supportive of long-term health. Focus on a way of eating that you can maintain consistently over time rather than on a crash diet. As with exercise, think about how certain foods make you feel rather than focusing on what you should or shouldn’t eat. Realize that one meal or one day of eating will not dramatically affect your health positively or negatively. Instead, think about the big picture.

The Science of Intuitive Eating

Coupled with a health at every size approach, intuitive eating principles have been shown to contribute to lasting behavior change while traditional diets do not (Bacon, Stern, Van Loan, & Keim, 2005).

IE supports positive physical and mental health outcomes including lowered risk for both obesity* and eating disorders (Saunders, Nichols-Lopez, & Frazier, 2018).

IE has been associated with less disordered eating, more positive body image, and greater emotional functioning (Bruce & Ricciardelli, 2016).

People trained to learn self-regulate their eating by relying on their hunger and satiety signals rather than external cues (like meal plans) experienced significant improvements in blood sugar control, insulin sensitivity, and HbA1c. (Ciampolini, Lovell-Smith, & Sifone, 2010).

Why I’m Passionate About Intuitive Eating

Since discovering IE, I have become a passionate advocate. As someone with a history of disordered eating, I know how scary and uncertain the concept of giving yourself unconditional permission to eat can seem. But as someone how has been practicing it for nearly a decade, I can also tell you it works. It is a foundational principle for me because I have both read the science and lived it. Because I’ve struggled with eating, I also can appreciate how these principles might be easy to comprehend but difficult to put into practice. As a coach, I help you tune out the noise and take things step by step.

IE allows us to develop healthy, sustainable relationships with food and exercise. My goal for all my clients is that they leave their time with me feeling knowledgeable and empowered about their own bodies and the choices they make for it. I believe small changes over a long time are more important than big changes that don’t last. I believe that there is a way that you can eat that benefits your health as well as the health of the environment and the food system that also makes room for food as fun, pleasure, and enjoyment.

On Accessibility

Though I am passionate about IE, I recognize that incorporating it fully may not be possible for everyone depending on their financial status, access to the foods they would like to eat, and other factors. I use the Food Access Hierarchy developed and outlined here by Patrilie Hernandez to inform my work with clients.

References:

Bacon, Linda, Judith S. Stern, Marta D. Van Loan, and Nancy L. Keim. "Size acceptance and intuitive eating improve health for obese, female chronic dieters." Journal of the American Dietetic Association 105, no. 6 (2005): 929-936.

Bruce, L. J., & Ricciardelli, L. A. (2016). A systematic review of the psychosocial correlates of intuitive eating among adult women. Appetite, 96, 454-472.

Ciampolini, M., Lovell-Smith, D., & Sifone, M. (2010). Sustained self-regulation of energy intake. Loss of weight in overweight subjects. Maintenance of weight in normal-weight subjects. Nutrition & metabolism, 7(1), 4.

Hernandez, P. (2020, July 04). Food Access and Intuitive Eating: Barriers to Successful Implementation. Retrieved July 09, 2020, from https://www.embodylib.com/blog/food-access-and-intuitive-eating-barriers-to-application

Saunders, J. F., Nichols-Lopez, K. A., & Frazier, L. D. (2018). Psychometric properties of the intuitive eating scale-2 (IES-2) in a culturally diverse Hispanic American sample. Eating behaviors, 28, 1-7.

Tribole, E., & Resch, E. (2012). Intuitive eating. Macmillan.