Intuitive Eating

Intuitive eating has been growing in popularity (yay!) and in conversations online. The strict black and white rules of what is or what is not intuitive eating are catchy for views and engagement…but they lack nuance, compassion, and understanding for individual needs. It can make intuitive eating feel a lot like a diet. Here’s a breakdown of the truth behind intuitive eating.

Embracing the Complexity of Hunger and Fullness Cues

Intuitive eating is not as simple as just eating when you’re hungry and stopping when you’re full. Hunger and fullness cues can be absent or difficult to interpret during recovery, illness, or if you’re not accustomed to sensing them. Even during these times of not being able to sense hunger and fullness as strongly, you still need to nourish your body.

Celebrating Individual Experience & Intuitive Eating

What we see on the internet isn’t always the full story. It can seem like if you don’t look a certain way or eat a certain way, then it’s wrong. There is not a singular “right” way or an exact approach to healing your relationship with food and your body. Honor your individual experiences, allow for flexibility, and recognize that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to nourishing our bodies and minds.

Anti-Diet is not Anti-Dieter

Anti-diet is not about being anti-dieter. The truth about intuitive eating is it’s about creating a compassionate and inclusive space for everyone. We acknowledge that food is more than just nourishment. It’s intertwined with our emotions, experiences, cultural values, politics, and social stigmas. There are a lot of reasons why it’s so hard to let go of dieting and everyone’s journey looks different.

Beyond Physical Hunger

Nourish yourself beyond physical hunger. There are so many different reasons to eat, including practical hunger, gentle nutrition, and eating for pleasure. Practical hunger might look like eating lunch around 11:30 even if you’re not fully hungry yet if you have back to back meetings in the afternoon. Gentle nutrition might look like having a post-movement snack because you know that it’ll aid in your recovery. By broadening our perspective, we can cultivate a more balanced and fulfilling relationship with food.

Embracing Intuitive Eating Imperfections & Self-Compassion

It’s is not about perfection. Appetite, stress levels, activity, and life will all affect how your food choices look. You might think that being “too” full or having an imperfect relationship with food means you’re not good at intuitive eating. The truth about intuitive eating is that eating past comfortable fullness is not a failure. The journey is going to look different day to day. Offer yourself self-compassion and understanding because these moments hold no moral value and are very normal.

The way I view intuitive eating has changed a lot from when I first learned about it and the way I practice now. It will probably continue to change as I continue to learn, grow, and experience life. And that’s exactly the point. Embrace the complexities, honor individual experiences, and cultivate self-compassion to develop a healthier and more authentic relationship with food. Join our community, where you can tap into the joy of nourishing your body and embracing the wisdom it holds.

Why diets don’t work, let’s get into it. Dieting is a 297-billion-dollar industry that has over one-third of Americans on a specific diet at any given time.

Whether it’s Noom, Weight Watchers, or the keto diet, diets come in all shapes and sizes and usually revolve around quick fixes and weight loss to fuel results.

So with this many people engaging in them and the huge amount of money poured into dieting, you’d assume they would work… right?

Actually, wrong! Research has estimated that over 95% of diets fail. That means it doesn’t matter which one you pick and decide to do, 9.5/10 times that diet is going to fail you.

If a medication only worked 5% of the time, would you try it? Probably not.

But yet as consumers in a body-obsessed world, we constantly reach back and get caught in this dieting cycle. We know they don’t work, yet we assume we will be the one it works for.

In today’s article, I will be giving you my perspective on dieting as a non-diet and food-freedom dietitian.

Keep reading to learn more about the dangers of dieting and what you can do instead, that does work!

Why Diets Don’t Work

Let’s get into why diets don’t work. Have you been here before, trying a new fad diet and being frustrated that you aren’t seeing the results you hoped for or were promised?

If I want anything to hit home it is this- it is not you that failed, it is the diet.

Dieting made you more preoccupied with food. Dieting slowed your metabolism. Dieting made you want to be a smaller size. Dieting makes you feel guilty when you aren’t eating “diet foods”.

Since the premise of most diets involves restricting foods and calories, it is basically a form of short-term starvation.

What happens when you starve yourself and then finally get access to food- you get desperate. You overeat, overindulge, and eat until you are past uncomfortable.

Then you feel guilty about it, and the restriction cycle repeats. But this goes against everything we know about our bodies’ biology.

Out-of-control eating is a normal reaction to starvation and dieting. It doesn’t mean you lack “willpower”, your body just doesn’t work that way. It needs fuel and will do what it has to to get it.

When you are underfed, you will obsess over food. This is the reason dieting and food restrictions don’t work. And never will- because you can’t fight biology.

Your cells don’t know that you are starving yourself voluntarily, right? They just notice the lack of food, calories, and energy.

The Dangers of Dieting

Not only does dieting not work, but it can be dangerous for your health. It can be the root of many health problems, both mentally and physically.

Here are a few dangers of dieting that can happen:

• Weight gain. Studies show that people who diet actually gain more weight than they originally started out with. Even if there is an initial weight loss, the rebound weight gain is generally more.
• Increased risk of developing an eating disorder. Many eating disorders start out as disordered eating thoughts and restrictive or binge cycles. Fad dieting can turn into an eating disorder if the cycle continues.
• Feelings of depression and anxiety. Science shows us that people who diet are generally more depressed and anxious. This can start to affect your daily life including work, relationships, and more.
• Nutrient deficiencies. Chronic dieting and food restrictions can lead your body depleted of nutrients that it needs to function properly.
• Poor digestion and gut health. Binge and restriction cycles can cause unwanted gut symptoms like bloating, indigestion, and more.

What Does Work: Intuitive Eating!

After reading this far, you now know some of the dangers of dieting and why diets don’t work. So your next thought may be, well, what does work?

The good news for you is there is a style of eating that you can introduce into your life that will support you and your body. It is called Intuitive Eating!

Intuitive Eating is a revolutionary approach that focuses on tuning into your body and developing a healthy relationship with food.

It is a program that is guided by 10 key principles which involve rejecting the dieting mentality, honoring your hunger cues, and respecting your body the way it is.

If you want to learn more about my favorite resources for learning more about intuitive eating, check out this blog post!

The Takeaway from a Non-Diet Dietitian

Remember: you did not fail the diet, the diet failed you.

Dieting has shown us time and time again that it doesn’t work and does more harm to your body than good. You have the opportunity to break the cycle! You do not have to be a victim of dieting any longer.

If this feels really far out of reach for you right now, don’t worry, you aren’t alone. Breaking the chains of dieting and any pre-conceived notions and food rules will not be an overnight process.

If you want a helping hand to guide you throughout the process, that is where a non-diet dietitian like myself comes in! Here at Tap Into Nutrition, we work with clients to break free from chronic dieting, make peace with their bodies, and learn how to use food in a supportive way.

Head over to my services page to learn more about our services including our brand new Group Coaching Program that is starting March 12, 2025.

Psst… want to know a secret? You don’t HAVE to eat vegetables every day. Permission is granted from your local Detroit-based, food freedom dietitian.

Now before you run with that, notice that we didn’t say you don’t ever have to eat vegetables ever again. In striving for balanced nutrition, we do still lovingly encourage eating plenty of fruits and vegetables (like this recipe for the perfect summer salad).

What we’re saying is that you don’t need to beat yourself up if you didn’t have the “recommended four to five servings of fruits and vegetables daily” that we heard about when we were kids, either because it’s been A DAY (you know what we mean) or you just weren’t feeling it. LIFE HAPPENS!

My Thoughts as a Food Freedom Dietitian

Recall a moment when you genuinely were craving a salad. Or maybe some gorgeous fresh produce you picked up from the farmer’s market.

Especially in the summertime, sometimes a crunchy cucumber or refreshing watermelon just hits the spot! Fruits and vegetables taste better when you eat them from a place of enjoyment. This means you ACTUALLY want to eat them. No need to force. No need to add pressure.

Once you allow yourself to be intuitively led by what your body needs, you may find yourself eating cereal, bread, pasta, pizza, and sweets one day (yum!) and then genuinely craving something lighter and fresher a few days later. Take a macro lens view instead of hyper-focusing on the dos and don’ts of the day.

PS: Did you know that studies show that intuitive eating is associated with higher fruit and vegetable consumption among adults? It’s true!

PSS: Ranch, hummus, dips, etc are absolutely allowed! Vegetables can act as vehicles for yumminess.

Looking for more food freedom content? Make sure to read my blog post about why diets don’t work and what you can do instead!

If you’re looking to schedule a free discovery call to learn more about working with an intuitive eating dietitian and finally finding the food freedom you deserve, click here.

We would be honored to support your journey.

Letting go of diet culture is hard. Finding resources to support you in doing so shouldn’t be. Intuitive Eating resources can be a great way to learn more about intuitive eating and how to apply the principles to your everyday life.

See my favorite podcasts, books, and Instagram accounts below, and make sure to share them with someone who might need these resources as well!

Are you local to Metro Detroit? Let’s stay connected! I am a dietitian in Detroit and I would love to hear from you. Fill out my contact form to learn more about my services.

Recommended Books:

• Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch
• Intuitive Eating Workbook by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch
• Anti-Diet by Christy Harrison
• Fearing the Black Body by Sabrina Strings
• The Body Is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor
• Body Kindness by Rebecca Scritchfield
• Gentle Nutrition by Rachael Hartley
• Unapologetically Eating by Alissa Rumsey

Favorite Podcasts:

• Food Psych Podcast with Christy Harrison
• Maintenance Phase
• Love Food Podcast with Julie Duffy Dillon
• Food Heaven Podcast with Wendy Lopez and Jessica Jones
• The Nurtured Mama Podcast with Lindsay Stenovec
• RD Real Talk Podcast with Heather Caplan

Instagram Accounts to Give a Follow:

Non-Diet Dietitians:

• @TapIntoNutrition
• @moxiemind
• @rdrealtalk
• @your.latina.nutritionist
• @whitneytrotter.rd
• @wholesomechicknutrition
• @thehungryclementine
• @restoreeasedietetics
• @leahtsuinutrition
• @bellalargin.rdn
• @balogarithm
• @alyson_rd

HAES aligned therapists and counselors:

• @paigesparkman
• @kat.the.therapist
• @car_hat
• @amaliamiralrio
• @psychology.of.wellness
• @heytiffanyroe
• @Jennifer_rollin

Fitness/yoga/meditation accounts that utilize a health at every size lens:

• @afc.strong
• @healthybunhead

Meditation and yoga from a non-diet approach:

• @mindsetwitheileenrose

Anti-diet influencers:

• @victoriagarrick
• @danaemercer
• @mikzazon

Who am I forgetting on this list? Let me know below!

Intuitive Eating Resources: The Takeaway

Overall, I compiled this list together to give you a brief rundown of a few of my favorite Intuitive Eating resources. It is important to have tools such as these in your back pocket to help guide you on your journey to becoming an Intuitive Eater.

While it is not a linear road, it will be so worth it in the end when you find true food freedom. Follow a few of the accounts above and fill your news feed with encouraging and motivational content. This makes more of a difference than you may think!

Looking for more IE blog posts? Head over to my article on reframing your relationship with exercise next!