How to Become an Intuitive Eater
Have you ever wondered how to become an Intuitive Eater? The principles seem easy enough to understand, but in diet culture, it can also be really easy to turn the Intuitive Eating principles into a diet. Today, we are unpacking how to become an Intuitive Eater and addressing a variety of myths, barriers, and important things to know.
What is Intuitive Eating?
As a refresher from our Intuitive Eating 101 overview post, Intuitive Eating is a framework for helping you tune into and honor your body’s needs. In the words of the authors, Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch,
“Intuitive Eating is a dynamic mind-body integration of instinct, emotion, and rational thought. It is the personal process of honoring your health by paying attention to the messages of your body and meeting your physical and emotional needs.” The 10 principles work together to help you remove the obstacles to body attunement and empower you to cultivate body attunement.
Because diet culture is so adaptable, it has co-opted Intuitive Eating language and certain principles attempting to integrate them into the latest diet and wellness trends. As we explore what it means to be an Intuitive Eater, it’s important to highlight what intuitive eating is NOT.
Intuitive Eating Myths
Intuitive eating is NOT a diet. | It’s easy to turn the Intuitive Eating framework into a diet. The 10 principles and their accompanying suggestions can feel like just another diet plan to follow. Folks who have followed diet or wellness plans their entire life are well-seasoned (pun intended) at following rules, so they often feel like they can and should approach Intuitive Eating in the same way.
* Intuitive Eating is sometimes called The Hunger/Fullness Diet (look at diet culture trying to make sure it’s included). Honoring your hunger and feeling your fullness are two of the principles, but they are not the only ones. There is so much more to this framework!
The Intuitive Eating Principles must be followed rigidly. | The intuitive eating principles are guides to help you explore how to engage with food and your body in a more gentle, flexible way. The principles do not need to be followed in a specific order (see below for recommendations). You do not need to ‘master’ one to move to the next. Rather than attempting to follow the principles perfectly, consider using them to build awareness so you can get curious about your relationship with food and your body.
Intuitive Eating will help me lose weight. | While losing weight by practicing intuitive eating might happen for some, it is not guaranteed. I like to say that intuitive eating and the pursuit of intentional weight loss is like adding oil and water to a lidded jar. If you shake it well enough and long enough they can appear as one, but eventually, they separate. The intentional pursuit of weight loss might feel like it works while practicing Intuitive Eating, but these methods do not work well together in the long term. Practicing the intuitive eating principles teaches you to embrace and honor your internal cues rather than solely relying on external cues (when/what/how much to eat).
Now that we’ve addressed a few myths, let’s explore what it means to be an Intuitive Eater.
How to be an Intuitive Eater
“Intuitive Eaters march to their inner hunger signals and eat whatever they choose in a satisfying way, without experiencing guilt or an ethical dilemma. The Intuitive Eater is an unaffected eater.” Let’s unpack this quote from the Intuitive Eating book because while I agree, I think it’s important to note a few things.
Yes, Intuitive Eaters do march to their inner hunger signals and allow themselves to eat whatever they choose. They understand the nutritional significance of food and allow for the enjoyment of nutrient-dense foods AND play foods. They aren’t governed by food rules, food labels, or the food police. They trust and respect their body’s inner cues and wisdom.
However, Intuitive Eaters are not perfect. Intuitive Eaters are just humans, who likely have struggled with their relationship to food, exercise, and their body for years, and are trying to practice something that is completely countercultural to diet culture.
Intuitive Eaters still might experience guilt and shame around their food choices. There might be times when they struggle to challenge the diet/disordered eating voices. They might use food to cope with their emotions, but they also have other tools in their fanny pack. They slide back and forth on the body image spectrum and some might never get to the point where they love their body. They might realize they still have rules around certain foods after practicing Intuitive Eating for years (oh hi, it’s me!). They might need to reclaim certain ‘diet foods’ and practice eating them regularly before they feel comfortable. Intuitive Eaters practice curiosity around food and take time to understand their preferences. Intuitive eaters might need to check food labels depending on their medical condition.
For those wondering if they can ever be an Intuitive Eater, keep in mind that it’s not an all-or-nothing thing. Intuitive Eaters exist on a spectrum; no two Intuitive Eaters are exactly alike. Becoming an Intuitive Eater is not a destination; it’s a practice.
So, what makes intuitive eaters so different?
Intuitive eaters went through a re-education. | The first intuitive eating principle is to Reject the Diet Mentality. As a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, I don’t believe that the principles need to be followed in a specific order and tend to jump around when working with clients (though starting with Principle 1 and working towards ending with Principle 10 are my two suggestions!). That said, rejecting diet culture is a crucial principle because it provides the re-education needed to start understanding and practicing the principles. This re-education period is not always easy and can feel really uncomfortable, but it’s worth it.
Intuitive eaters have different tools. | Practicing Intuitive Eating will help you respond to difficult body image days differently, manage stress differently, understand the role moving for enjoyment brings, challenge dieting/disordered eating/eating disorder voices easier, and spot diet culture more often. Each principle has a variety of new tools to add to your fanny pack that provides support.
Intuitive eaters understand the importance of building self-trust and self-compassion. | When external cues have ruled you and don’t trust your body or self around food, it can be challenging to make the shift to trusting yourself. This is not to say that non-Intuitive Eaters don’t understand the importance of self-trust and self-compassion, Intuitive Eaters must embrace these ideas as they practice the principles.
Moving Forward
We understand that Intuitive Eating is not for everyone, especially depending on where people are in their eating disorder recovery journey. Intuitive eating can also present barriers and challenges for neurodivergent folks, folks who experience food insecurity, folks who have experienced trauma, and more. Many people practice Intuitive Eating on their own, but it can be beneficial to work with a coach, or dietitian, or be part of a group or community of other Intuitive Eaters. If you or someone you know is looking for support, feel free to reach out to our Team by visiting the contact page.
Sources Used:
[1] Resch, E., & Tribole, E. (2021, June 1). The Intuitive Eating Journal: Your Guided Journey for Nourishing a Healthy Relationship with Food (1st ed.). New Harbinger Publications.
[2] Tribole, E., & Resch, E. (2020, June 23). Intuitive Eating, 4th Edition (Updated). St. Martin’s Essentials.
Collaborative Counseling & Nutrition is an outpatient nutrition and body image counseling center, with locations in Indianapolis and Carmel, that provides compassionate, holistic eating disorder treatment. Through practicing mindfulness, intuition, and Health At Every Size, we are on a mission to help you find a true state of well-being! We take an anti-diet, weight-inclusive approach with all our clients and work to help guide you towards a way of healthy living designed by you, just for you! This post is for education purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for treatment for an eating disorder. If you are looking for a registered dietitian or therapist to assist you on your recovery journey, please reach out today!
