Intuitive eating goes a step beyond mindful eating, which is about being present in the actual eating experience. Rather than just suggesting a nonjudgmental presence while you eat, intuitive eating encourages you to change your relationship with food by listening to—and honoring—what your body wants to eat. A simple definition of intuitive eating is respecting your health and meeting your physical and physiological needs by listening to and honoring your body’s messages about what to eat. In other words, you base your eating decisions on what your body wants. You eat when you’re hungry and you stop when you’re full. Intuitive eating is not a diet plan. In fact, it’s often deemed an “anti-diet.” Because of that, there’s no right or wrong way to do it. Jessica Sepel, a nutritionist and instructor for the mbg class How To Stop Dieting & Learn To Eat Intuitively, previously told mbg that the foundation of intuitive eating is giving yourself permission to enjoy and love food. “Remind yourself that you are worthy of enjoying and loving yourself. You have to let go of a desire to deprive yourself,” she says. “If you love yourself enough—you will let go. When you rebuild that foundation of self-love, you realize you don’t deserve to put yourself through deprivation and restriction; your body is too precious for that.” Researchers from one study specifically focused on postpartum weight loss found that new mothers following an intuitive eating approach may have an easier time losing weight4 without the need to measure or record food intake. The first step of intuitive eating is learning the difference between physical and emotional hunger. Physical hunger, which presents as lack of energy, increased irritability, and hunger pangs, is a physiological need to eat. Emotional hunger, which is driven by uncomfortable emotions like sadness or boredom, is the desire to eat to satisfy cravings, even if you’re not physically hungry. Once you’ve learned to differentiate between physical and emotional hunger, the next step is to pay attention to when they show up. Next time you feel hungry, ask yourself if you’re experiencing physical or emotional hunger. If the hunger is physical, eat until you’re comfortably full, but not overstuffed. Christy Harrison, MPH, R.D., CDN, an anti-diet registered dietitian nutritionist and certified intuitive eating counselor, says, “The solution to wonky or absent hunger cues is showing your body that it won’t be deprived anymore; that means eating consistent meals and snacks, even if you don’t feel hungry. Slowly, you’ll start to rebuild that trust with your body,” she says. “And eventually, you’ll get back to being able to recognize and honor your hunger the way you were born doing.” Sepel also points out that it’s important to let go of negative self-talk. “No more ‘I’m eating too much’ or ‘I have no willpower,’” she says. “When you become a whole food eater and give up dieting, there should be no such thing as good or bad food. You’re just committing to eating well 80 to 90% of the time, then relaxing with the rest. Your body can handle imperfect eating with moderation, but you need to trust your body first.” She has written twelve books and has had more than 2,000 articles published across various websites. Lindsay currently works full time as a freelance health writer. She truly believes that you can transform your life through food, proper mindset and shared experiences. That’s why it’s her goal to educate others, while also being open and vulnerable to create real connections with her clients and readers.
