If you’ve ever found yourself trapped in the cycle of dieting, restricting, or obsessing over food, you’re not alone - few women are immune from the societal pressures that trigger these loops. The trouble is, when we chase the latest fad or outsource what our body inherently knows, we risk losing touch with innate cues that better guide what, when and how we should eat.
I get it though, if you’ve spent years following strict meal plans or chasing weight loss goals, the idea of simply ‘listening to your body’ can feel vague or even daunting which is where this gentle framework comes in really handy.
"Intuitive eating is about trusting your body; being guided by your hunger and satiety and not being influenced by typical dietary rules or culture."
Tune Into Hunger & Satiety Cues
The diet industry has conditioned us to eat by the clock, follow strict portion guidelines, and even suppress our appetite. Consequently, reconnecting with our innate appetite and fullness cues is an essential first step to becoming an intuitive eater.
Next time you reach for a snack, pause and rate your hunger on a scale of 1 to 10. If there’s no tummy grumble (or the like) ask yourself what else could be driving your desire for food. Have you been restricting? Did something stressful happen earlier in your day? Are you feeling emotional, anxious, tired or bored?
Eat Foods That Nourish You
When planning meals or choosing from a menu, most of us unconsciously abide by long-held ideas about food. Whether it’s sticking to low-carb, avoiding fats, or forcing ourselves to eat foods we don’t truly enjoy, these patterns influence our choices. Instead of focusing solely on whether a meal is “healthy” or helps achieve a specific goal, shift your perspective to how the meal interacts with your body and how it makes you feel, both physically and emotionally. Ask yourself: How does this meal impact my energy levels? Does it leave me feeling satisfied? Is my digestion content after eating?
Tune Into Seasonal Changes
If tapping into your body’s wisdom feels challenging or unfamiliar, begin your intuitive eating journey by tuning into the environment around you. Our bodies naturally crave different foods as the seasons change. In Spring, fresh and lightly steamed foods like leafy greens, sprouts, and bitter vegies make us feel good. During Summer, raw, cooling, and hydrating foods like fruit and salad come naturally. As Autumn arrives, we gravitate towards more cooked meals, warming spices, grounding root vegetables, and quinoa bowls. In Winter, our body appreciates nourishing, well-cooked comfort foods like lentil soup, slow-cooked beans, tempeh stews, and mugs of hot chai tea.
Be Mindful & Present At Meal Time
How often do you find yourself eating while simultaneously scrolling on your phone, watching TV, working, or even driving? When we eat while distracted, we miss fullness cues and end up overeating or feeling unsatisfied. To eat intuitively, set aside time and space to sit with your meal or snack. Begin with five deep breaths to activate your body's ‘rest and digest’ response and then observe the texture, smell, and taste of your food. Midway, pause and check in with yourself - are you still hungry? Does the food still taste as good as when you started?
Ditch Diet Culture & Food Guilt
Diet culture thrives on black-and-white thinking; labelling foods as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Try shifting your mental landscape to a more neutral one:
All foods have a place in a balanced diet
Soul' food is just as important as nutrition
Food is not a moral issue - eating a salad doesn’t make you “good,” and eating cake doesn’t make you “bad”
By removing judgment around food, we free ourselves from guilt and cultivate more flexibility and enjoyment.
Practice Gentle Nutrition
A solid understanding of whole-food nutrition is fundamental to intuitive eating. The notion of simply eating whatever we want, whenever we want, overlooks the impact that conditions like insulin resistance, hormonal imbalance and dysbiosis can have on our appetite. Moreover, keeping our bodies biologically ‘fed’ and properly nourished helps prevent cycles of restriction and the urge to overeat.
Honour Your Emotions Without Food
Food is undeniably more than mere fuel. It weaves its way into every celebration, tradition, and cherished childhood memory, offering comfort when we need it most. This said food should never serve as our primary coping mechanism. Cultivating alternative strategies to truly honour, process, and manage our emotional worlds is essential for maintaining a balanced relationship with food. Consider exploring breathwork, dance, hot/cold therapy, time in nature, or even diving into a good book.
If you struggle with overeating, emotional eating or binge eating, get my free 'Emotional Eating Survival Guide' or work with me 1:1 with an 'Emotional Eating' naturopathic package of consultations and supplements.
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