What is intuitive eating and how does it work?
Think intuitive eating just means eating everything you crave whenever you want it? There’s much more to it. We asked a dietitian to explain all…
By Priya Tew
Diet trends come and go, often demonising one food group at a time. Seen as an antidote to diet culture, 'intuitive eating' has become popular. So, what does it actually involve? And could it really be a healthy alternative to extreme diets?
Founded in 1995 by dietitians Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch, intuitive eating is often labelled as a hunger/fullness diet. But it’s actually far more complex than that.
Intuitive eating is a ‘non-diet’ approach that’s built upon the concept that we know the majority of fad diets do not work long term.
As a dietitian, I can tell you that cutting out food groups, restricting the foods you love and losing weight fast, does not work for the majority of people. You may lose weight initially, but the weight (plus more) is frequently regained over time. Intuitive eating uses a framework of principles that encourage a move away from diets, rules and restrictions.
It encourages people to move towards a way of eating, moving and looking after yourself that listens to your body's natural signals and trusts that it knows what it’s doing.
The basics
Intuitive eating moves away from weight loss and focuses on health behaviours that are good for overall physical health and mental health.
It rejects the concept of ‘good’ or ‘bad’ foods, encouraging you to make peace with all types of food and eat in a flexible way.
One of my own catchphrases is “all food is good food” and intuitive eating works on a similar premise – that the body inherently knows the quantity and type of food needed for your health and to maintain you at a healthy weight. By learning to listen to those cues we can find a way of eating for life that works without tracking or restriction.
Related stories
The 10 principles of intuitive eating
There are 10 core principles of intuitive eating…
1. Reject the diet mentality
We live in a culture that tells us thin is best and encourages quick result diets. The research on diets shows us that in actual fact, fad diets do not work for the majority. They can lead to a perpetual cycle of weight yo-yoing that can be harmful in the long run.
The truth is, weight alone does not equate to health. We cannot judge someone's health just by looking at them. Rejecting diets and quick-fix weight loss solutions is therefore a key part of intuitive eating.
2. Honour your hunger
Learning how to identify your own hunger signals and respond appropriately is vital. It’s easy to confuse hunger signals or disregard them. Honouring your hunger means choosing to eat when these signals arise, regardless of the time of day. This can be hard, as diets may have encouraged you to restrict and ignore your body's signals.
Quick, comforting recipes
Easy recipes to make when hunger strikes
3. Make peace with food
See all food as being part of a balanced diet. Foods that may be seen as ‘treats’ or ‘sins’ are instead seen as fun foods or play foods. In intuitive eating, all foods are back on the table to be enjoyed without guilt or shame but in the context of a nutritious, balanced diet.
4. Challenge the food police
There can be numerous rules from diet culture and our upbringing that create guilt around food. Identifying these rules, then questioning and reframing them in a neutral or more positive way can help improve our relationship with food and our bodies.
5. Respect your fullness
Listening to your body’s fullness signals and stopping at comfortably full is a core part of intuitive eating. This involves slowing down your eating, eating more mindfully and trusting your body.
Dr Rangan Chatterjee - Out of Hours. podcast
In this episode of Out of Hours, Dr Rangan Chatterjee speaks to body confidence influencer and podcaster Alex Light about intuitive eating
6. Discover the satisfaction factor
Think of a food you truly love and imagine yourself eating it, how does it feel? Now compare this to a food you really dislike, there’s a difference in the satisfaction you get from eating these foods. Choosing foods you truly enjoy brings more satisfaction.
Creating a pleasant environment for meals and taking time to savour the flavours and textures are also key to this.
7. Honour your feelings without using food
Food is not always about nutrition. We can use it as a way to soothe ourselves and sometimes that’s fine. However, it’s also important to recognise food cannot fix feelings and developing alternative coping strategies is important.
8. Respect your body
Diet culture is all around us and sets unrealistic beauty and body standards that we cannot live up to. Intuitive eating includes the acceptance that we have a genetic blueprint, all bodies are diverse and different. The focus is on treating your body with respect and focusing on the positives it brings you.
9. Exercise — feel the difference
In intuitive eating the focus is on the joy of movement, instead of exercise for weight loss .
So often in diets, physical activity can be punishing and a chore. Instead, finding movement that you enjoy and feel positive benefits from is encouraged.
10. Honour your health with gentle nutrition
This final principle gets into the nuts and bolts of nutrition but with the backdrop that perfect eating does not exist. While getting a wide range of nutrients is important, not every meal needs perfect balance and including food for pleasure and satisfaction leads to a lifelong enjoyable way of eating that is good for health.
Classic comforting recipes
Some classics aren’t necessarily the healthiest, but they definitely bring pleasure and satisfaction
The benefits of intuitive eating
Research has shown that intuitive eating can offer a range of physical, psychological, and behavioural benefits. There are numerous studies showing links to positive body image, self-esteem and wellbeing from intuitive eating.
Long-term studies have shown intuitive eating leads to better psychological health, a decreased risk of depression, low self-esteem, body dissatisfaction and reducing binge eating.
Physically, intuitive eating can lead to a lower BMI, lower blood pressure, more stable weight and a better quality of diet.
Intuitive eating has also been shown to lower the odds of chronic dieting, emotional eating and binge eating.
No longer having to weigh, track and micro-manage your food and weight can bring a real release and freedom. Connecting into your body’s signals, knowing how to respond to diet culture thoughts and moving your body in a joyful way means intuitive eating is actually a lifestyle rather than a short-term diet.
The negatives of intuitive eating
Intuitive eating may not be suitable for everyone. If you have a long-term health condition that requires you to eat in a certain way or follow a special diet, then you need to work with a dietitian on this.
Likewise, if you have a history of an eating disorder it’s very important to ensure you are in a stable, recovered place before diving into intuitive eating. As an eating disorder dietitian who is trained in intuitive eating, I work with people to incorporate these principles into recovery along the way. Intuitive eating is not going to be a quick fix, it will take time to tune into your body's signal, distance yourself from diet culture and work on reframing thoughts.
Intuitive eating is a lifelong approach to nutrition and health. It takes persistence and time; it is not a short-term fix. However, for many, it’s well worth persevering with as it can provide positive health and mental health benefits.
If you are concerned about disordered eating, help and support is available.
Originally published February 2025
Want more? Visit BBC Food on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. Want to watch the latest Food TV programmes? Visit BBC iPlayer.
