How to Get Started with Intuitive Eating

What is Intuitive Eating?

Intuitive Eating is a non-diet approach to eating that emphasizes tuning into your body’s natural hunger and fullness cues, as well as your emotions and cravings, to guide your food choices. Created by Elyse Resch and Evelyn Tribole, this philosophy encourages a healthy, trusting relationship with food, free from restriction or guilt. Intuitive Eating is built on 10 core principles that foster self-compassion, body respect, and sustainable well-being. Read on to discover how to get started with Intuitive Eating!

The 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating

Two people eating intuitively at breakfast
  1. Reject the Diet Mentality

  2. Honor Your Hunger

  3. Make Peace with Food

  4. Challenge the Food Police

  5. Respect Your Fullness

  6. Discover the Satisfaction Factor

  7. Honor Your Feelings Without Using Food

  8. Respect Your Body

  9. Exercise — Feel the Difference

  10. Honor Your Health with Gentle Nutrition

How Do I Know if Intuitive Eating is Right for Me?

Intuitive Eating may be a good fit if you’re:

  • Tired of the cycle of restrictive dieting and weight cycling

  • Feeling guilt or shame around food

  • Struggling with rigid food rules that leave you disconnected from your body’s needs

If you want to heal your relationship with food and build trust in your hunger, fullness, and satisfaction cues, Intuitive Eating offers a compassionate, evidence-based approach. It’s particularly helpful for those seeking a sustainable way to nourish their bodies without focusing on weight loss or external measures of health. While Intuitive Eating works for many, it requires patience and a willingness to unlearn diet culture, so it’s most effective for individuals ready to approach food and body image with curiosity and self-compassion.

Some of the benefits of Intuitive Eating include:

To check out and learn more about all of the benefits of Intuitive Eating, visit our other blog post here!

How to Get Started with Intuitive Eating

If you are interested in trying Intuitive Eating, here are some foundational steps to help you get started:

  1. Reject Diet Culture
    Let go of the idea that thinness equals health or happiness. Start by unfollowing restrictive diet trends and committing to a more compassionate approach to food and your body.

  2. Listen to Your Body
    Pay close attention to your hunger and fullness signals. Before eating, ask yourself, How hungry am I? After eating, reflect on how satisfied you feel. A hunger scale (from 1 to 10) can help you tune into your body’s unique needs.

  3. Give Yourself Permission to Eat
    Release guilt and shame around food. Intuitive Eating encourages unconditional permission to enjoy all foods. Restricting certain foods often leads to feelings of deprivation and can trigger overeating.

  4. Practice Mindful Eating
    Savor your meals by focusing on the flavors, textures, and aromas of your food. Minimize distractions like phones or TVs to be fully present during meals. This can deepen your connection with your body’s signals.

  5. Tune Into Your Emotions
    Emotional eating is part of being human. Rather than judging yourself, explore how you feel and consider expanding your coping tools. Journaling, meditating, or confiding in a friend can provide support beyond food.

  6. Exercise for Enjoyment
    Shift your mindset from exercise as punishment to movement as joy. Discover activities you genuinely love — whether it’s dancing, yoga, or hiking — and focus on how they make you feel rather than calories burned.

How to Get Started with Intuitive Eating

Intuitive Eating is about building trust with your body and fostering a healthy, positive relationship with food. By rejecting diet culture, listening to your body’s needs, granting yourself unconditional permission to eat, practicing mindful eating, acknowledging your emotions, and embracing movement for joy, you can take meaningful steps toward a more balanced and fulfilling way of eating.

If you're feeling inspired to explore Intuitive Eating but aren’t sure where to start, we’re here to help. Our compassionate, non-diet dietitians specialize in guiding individuals toward a healthier relationship with food and their bodies. Whether you’re looking for personalized support, practical strategies, or a safe space to ask questions, we’re here to meet you where you are. Contact CV Wellbeing today to set up a session and take the first step toward food freedom and self-trust; available for telehealth in ME, MA, NH, CT, and VT, and in-person in our Gorham, ME office. Let’s navigate this journey together!

 
CV Wellbeing Intuitive Eating Dietitians in Maine

Written by Alison Swiggard, MS, RDN, LD, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist at CV Wellbeing

510 Main Street, Suite 103, Gorham, ME 04038

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