Intuitive Eating: The Non-Diet Is the Best Diet | The Pursuit (2024)

Emily Compton

MPH Candidate, Nutritional Sciences

March 2, 2018

"To be healthy!" a 4-year-old exclaimed when I asked her, "Why do we eat fruits?" Health is on everyone's mind, whether you're 4 or 94. But how do we achieve health? How does weight status contribute to our health? How do physical, mental, and emotional health relate?

With an abundance of easily accessible information, many people are turning to diet fads for health and weight loss. Although participants of these diets may have good intentions, fad diets often cause yo-yo weight trends and can actually cause great harm to the individuals, both physically and psychologically¹. Intuitive eating (IE), a non-diet, offers a sustainable solution to weight maintenance, and may even answer some of our questions about how to live a healthy life.

What Is Intuitive Eating?

The phrase "intuitive eating" was coined in 1995 and describes a non-diet lifestyle that encourages the participant to rely on their own internal body cues for hunger and fullness as opposed to external cues².

My stomach growling is an example of an internal cue. I can note that I am feeling physically hungry. External cues, on the other hand, are the "should" thoughts. For example, when I was craving a piece of chocolate but told myself I should eat a piece of fruit instead.

External cues can also relate to timing. For example, eating dinner while watching TV may make it hard to pay attention to fullness cues, so you may continue to eat until the show is over without realizing that you are full.

IE centers on the idea that our bodies are intuitive and know what food they need, how much they need, and when they need it to maintain a healthy weight and a positive health status³.

Also, IE does not restrict the type of foods you can consume³, so chocolate and fruit are both OK.

Dietitians Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch developed the 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating. Researchers have been able to break down all 10 principles into four main categories³:

• Unconditional permission to eat when hungry and to eat what sounds good³
• Eating for physical reasons, instead of emotional reasons³
• Reliance on internal hunger and fullness cues to determine eating behaviors³
• Honoring your health³

Why Is Intuitive Eating Beneficial?

The magic of intuitive eating—and I really do believe it is almost magic!—needs to be shared widely because of its power to radically change how we interact with food. IE allows us to listen to our bodies when it comes to food choices and frees us to fully enjoy our food without judgment. Research has demonstrated IE results in better health outcomes, both physically and psychologically, and has also shown improved behavioral outcomes¹.

Research has shown IE can offer a range of outcomes, including physical, psychological, and behavioral.

• Physical outcomes include:
• Correlation with a lower weight status and BMI throughout the body²
• Association with significantly improved total, LDL, and HDL cholesterol— whereas weight-focused diet interventions do not demonstrate an association^1,3
• Potential positive effect on blood pressure and inflammation markers—some studies show positive outcomes¹, but more research is required
• Correlation with weight maintenance¹—more research is needed to identify the effects of IE on weight loss long-term

Psychological outcomes include:

• Improved body satisfaction³
• A decreased prevalence of depression³
• Protection against overly-restrictive diet messages³

Behavioral outcomes include:

• Decreased eating disorder behaviors¹
• More healthful nutrition choices²

So why does this matter? Well, if that 4-year-old wants to be healthy, I want to help her! If you are a current or future health practitioner, consider educating your clients or patients about intuitive eating. If you personally have the desire to live a healthy lifestyle, consider trying intuitive eating. So many people struggle to figure out how and what to eat, and helping them lean into their own hunger and fullness cues using intuitive eating could be the exact tool they need to start living a healthier lifestyle.

• Learn more about Nutritional Sciences at Michigan Public Health.

• Interested in public health? Learn more.

References

1. Mensinger JL, Calogero RM, Stranges S, Tylka TL. A weight-neutral versus weight-loss approach for health promotion in women with high BMI : A randomized-controlled trial. Appetite. 2016;105:364-374. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2016.06.006.
2. Bush HE, Rossy L, Mintz LB, Schopp L. Eat for Life : A Work Site Feasibility Study of a Novel Mindfulness-Based Intuitive Eating Intervention. 2014;28(6):380-389.
3. Dyke N Van, Drinkwater EJ. Review Article Relationships between intuitive eating and health indicators : literature review. 2013;17(8):1757-1766. doi:10.1017/S1368980013002139.

About the Author

Emily Compton is a graduate student at the University of Michigan School of Public Health studying nutrition and dietetics. Compton has identified her passion for working with patients with eating disorders and hopes to be an eating disorder dietitian after her dietetic internship. Compton also has a passion for women's health and promoting a healthy relationship with food. Outside of her studies, Emily enjoys running, cooking, and photography.