Intuitive Eating and The Non-Diet Approach
“I just want to be able to have a cookie without the side of guilt.”
If you’ve ever said those words to yourself, you’re not alone. We live in a world that treats dieting like a hobby and weight loss like a moral obligation. But what if there was a way to nourish your body without the rigid rules, the "good vs. bad" labels, and the endless cycle of restriction?
Let me introduce you to Intuitive Eating.
At its core, Intuitive Eating is an evidence-based, mind-body health framework. It focuses on health, not weight goals. Created by two dietitians, Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch, it is now backed by a vast body of research showing its effectiveness in improving both physical and mental health.
Intuitive eating is about learning to trust your innate knowledge about what your body needs. We are all born intuitive eaters, but we often unlearn this skill quickly due to the influence of diet culture and the constant noise of external cues telling us what we "should" or "shouldn't" eat – or even the well-meaning advice from our parents: “you can’t have dessert until you finish your dinner.”
The Science.
Research shows that people who move away from restrictive dieting toward intuitive eating experience significant improvement in health outcomes that have nothing to do with the scale:
Cardiovascular Improvements: Better blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Metabolic Health: Improved insulin sensitivity.
Mental Well-being: Lower rates of depression, anxiety, and disordered eating.
Long-term Sustainability: Unlike diets, which fail 95% of the time, intuitive eating creates habits that last a lifetime.
Study after study shows that diets don’t work. In fact, most people who diet for the purpose of weight loss actually gain weight in the long term - yet we continue to pursue it because our society is so weight-obsessed. Isn’t it time we tried something different?
A Day in the Life: What does it actually look like?
Many people fear that without a meal plan or diet rules, they will just eat "junk" all day. In reality, an intuitive eater’s day is quiet, peaceful, and balanced. Here is an example of a day in the life of an intuitive eater, let’s call her Emma:
7:30 AM: Emma wakes up and checks in with her appetite. She feels a gentle rumble of hunger. Knowing she has a busy morning, she chooses a bowl of oats with peanut butter and berries—a perfect mix of fibre and healthy fats to help keep her satisfied throughout the morning.
11:00 AM: A colleague brings in donuts. She stops, checks her hunger, and realises she’s still quite satisfied from breakfast. She decides: "I don't actually want one right now, but I know I can have one later if I'm hungry for it." The "food noise" disappears.
12:00 PM: Lunchtime. Emma is moderately hungry. She has a colourful salad with chicken and avocado, and she adds a wholegrain roll because she knows that without a source of carbohydrate, she won't feel truly satisfied.
3:00 PM: She feels a dip in energy and concentration. Instead of reaching for caffeine to "mask" hunger, she honours it with a handful of nuts and a piece of fruit. This re-energises her and keeps her going until dinner.
6:30 PM: Dinner is pasta with the family. She eats until she feels comfortably full (not stuffed). She notices there’s a little left on her plate, but she stops because her body says, "I’m satisfied!"
8:00 PM: She wants something sweet. She has two squares of dark chocolate, enjoys them mindfully, and goes to bed without a single thought of "guilt" or feeling out of control.
Intuitive eating isn't a "hunger/fullness diet" where you simply eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full. You don't "fail" if you eat past the point of fullness. It’s about becoming more curious about what satisfies your hunger, and being able to trust that your body knows how to nourish itself. When you become an intuitive eater you will know how to honour your hunger, feel your fullness and truly make peace with food. You will honour your health with gentle nutrition, incorporate joyful movement and respect your body for what it can do for you, not just what it looks like.
If you’re sick of dieting and want to explore a different approach, I would love to hear from you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out or book a discovery call if you want to learn more about intuitive eating.
