It’s very possible that you’ve heard about Intuitive eating in your quest to feel better in and about your body. I get it, you just want to be comfortable in your body again without food rules and restrictions running your life. You might have even dismissed it, thinking it couldn’t possibly be the way because of a very common myth. Many think Intuitive Eating is a free-for-all, meaning you can just eat whatever you want, whenever you want. So, I want to clear this up for you and show you that Intuitive Eating isn’t just about letting go of the rules, but also about creating sustainable health that feels freeing and catered to you as a n individual
Why This Myth Persists — and How It’s Holding Moms Back
As Moms, we face a lot of pressure to “bounce back” after having kids and eat perfectly. We have to listen to the experts and follow the rules they’ve laid out for us. We couldn’t possibly know what, when and how much we should be eating on our own, could we? Again, a diet culture lie. Our bodies actually do know!
Diet culture wants us to believe that it’s their way or stay stuck in an unhealthy body and unhappy life. They want us to think that we have to fully conform to the rules and that there is something that we are doing wrong if we can’t. They need us to buy into what they are selling instead of trusting ourselves to know.
Of course the idea of eating unrestricted and without rules feels scary, even if it also seems like it would be amazing. It feels scary because we think we will be out of control and eat anything and everything we’ve been told to avoid, leading to our health being damaged beyond repair. We think it will mean feeling even worse in our bodies and feeling guilty about our behavior. On the flip side, it would feel amazing not to obsess about food, feel restricted, frustrated and like we have to control ourselves.
But, what if you could feel good in and about your body without the rules and restrictions? What if we could eat intuitively, listening to our own cues instead of someone else’s rules?
What Intuitive Eating Really Means
Here are the 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating, developed by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch :
- Reject the Diet Mentality– Let go of diet books, plans, and false hopes of quick fixes. Recognize the damage diets cause and stop engaging in them.
- Honor Your Hunger– Keep your body fed with adequate energy and carbs. Listen to early signs of hunger and respond with respect.
- Make Peace with Food– Give yourself unconditional permission to eat. Resisting certain foods can lead to intense cravings and overeating.
- Challenge the Food Police– Silence the inner voice that labels food as “good” or “bad.” These food rules breed guilt and shame.
- Feel Your Fullness– Listen for body signals that indicate you’re comfortably full. Pause in the middle of eating to check in.
- Discover the Satisfaction Factor– Find pleasure and satisfaction in eating. When you enjoy your food, you often eat just the right amount.
- Cope with Your Emotions with Kindness– Learn to comfort, nurture, and resolve your emotions without turning to food. Emotional eating is often a symptom, not a problem.
- Respect Your Body– Accept your genetic blueprint and show your body respect, no matter its size or shape.
- Movement — Feel the Difference– Focus on how it feels to move your body, rather than exercising to burn calories.
- Honor Your Health — Gentle Nutrition– Make food choices that honor your health and taste buds while making you feel well. Progress, not perfection.
These are scientifically backed principles, not just ideas that someone came up with no real proof if they are effective in creating sustainable health and well-being.
These principles are about trust and attunement, not recklessness. You don’t have to control yourself to get healthier, you need to listen and care for yourself.
Why Intuitive Eating Works — Especially for Moms
After having kids, we don’t need more stress. We don’t need to beat ourselves up for how our bodies have changed and believe that we need to fix them. What we need more of is self-compassion, self-nurturing and self-trust. We should respect our bodies for the amazing feat that they accomplished, bringing another human being into this world.
Plus, our attitude and behavior around food and our bodies doesn’t end with us. Our kids are watching, even if they are not hearing the words come out of your mouth all of the time. They pick up on how we feel about ourselves. They see us trying to control our food intake and our unhappiness in our bodies. Are you displaying what you want them to repeat or would you rather they didn’t struggle with their relationship with food and their bodies?
When you let go of the guilt and shame, you can start to enjoy food again, and live your life more fully. You don’t have to feel stuck living by someone else’s rules. You can feel free to choose what does and does not serve you and your goals.
But What If I Eat Donuts All Day? Debunking the Fear
Do you know what really happens when you stop restricting? When you stop seeing food as the enemy and trying to avoid it, you stop giving it power over you and your mind. You no longer feel the deep desire to have it. Might seem hard to believe, but it’s true!
You will also find that eating nutritious foods doesn’t have to mean sacrificing your enjoyment and satisfaction with food. When you learn to feed your body in a way that feels good to you and explore different foods, you create the ability to feel empowered by your food choices and actually enjoy them as well.
Once you’re able to stop seeing food as “good” or “bad”, you can also stop using it as a way to cope with your emotions or feel guilty for eating. You won’t feel out of control around food when dealing with big emotions when you are able use the tools and techniques that are learned within Intuitive Eating.
What Real Freedom Looks Like for Moms
Real freedom means feeling good in your body without having to count calories/macros, tracking or restricting. How tedious does it feel to be so in control and exact when it comes to food? Don’t you have so many other things in your life that you could be spending your time and focus on? It would be so much easier to just trust and listen to you body when it comes to knowing when, what and how much to eat, wouldn’t it?
Freedom means having the energy to do the things you want and need to do in your life. Restriction and trying to do things perfectly can be so draining on us, mentally and physically. Restricting foods, often means not getting the nutrients and energy through food that you need. Using so much mental focus on your food, leaves less mental capacity for the things that are truly important in your life. We will experience life more fully and be more present and helpful to those around us if we don’t feel exhausted all the time.
Truly feeling free means choosing self-care over self-control. Self-care means nourishment and compassion. It means providing your mind and body what it needs to thrive. Whereas, self-control often comes from a place of feeling at odds with yourself. You think you need more self-control because you don’t trust yourself to behave in a way that is healthy. You feel like healthy behavior means punishment and working against your natural desires, but this is the opposite of of what creates true and sustainable well-being.
The Truth About Intuitive Eating
Intuitive Eating is not giving up and letting yourself go, giving into every desire and craving that pops up. It’s finally making peace with your body and food. It’s healing your relationship with yourself and allowing yourself to behave and think in ways that support you in all areas of your life.
If this feels like a path you’d like to explore, click below and get my free starter guide. It will help you begin building the simple foundations that support Intuitive Eating and your health.
