It’s exciting to see #IntuitiveEating growing in popularity & being validated by research. But with this popularity comes co-opting by diet culture, which creates confusion. So let’s clear some things up.
What is Intuitive Eating (IE)?
Intuitive Eating is a self-care eating framework rooted in science and informed by clinical experience. It was created by two dietitians @evelyntribole & @elyseresch, and popularized in our book of the same name in 1995. Subsequently, researcher Tracy Tylka, PhD, validated the IE model in two seminal studies (1,2).
IE is a #HAES-aligned, evidence-based model with a validated assessment scale with nearly 120 studies to date showing benefits.
The 10 IE Principles integrate instinct, emotion, & rational thought:
- Reject the Diet Mentality
- Honor Your Hunger
- Make Peace with Food
- Challenge the Food Police
- Respect Your Fullness
- Discover the Satisfaction Factor
- Honor Your Feelings
- Respect Your Body
- Movement—Feel the Difference
- Honor Your Health with Gentle Nutrition
The IE principles work in two key ways:
- Helps you cultivate attunement to physical sensations that arise from within your body (interoceptive awareness), in order to get both your biological & psychological needs met.
- Removes the obstacles & disruptors to attunement, which usually come from the mind in the form of rules, beliefs, & thoughts.
IE is a practice, which honors both physical & mental health. Ultimately, IE helps create a healthy relationship with food, mind, & body.
The pursuit of intentional weight loss interferes with becoming an Intuitive Eater. Additionally, dieting increases risk of eating disorders, binge eating, weight cycling, food preoccupation, body dissatisfaction, weight stigma, depression, & anxiety.
Want to dive deeper into the science?
#IntuitiveEatingOfficial #IntuitiveEatingVillage #HAES #antidiet
1. Tylka, T. 2006. Development and psychometric evaluation of a measure of intuitive eating. Journal of Counseling Psychology 53:226-240.
2. Tylka, T., and A. Kroon Van Diest. 2013. The Intuitive Eating Scale–2: Item Refinement and Psychometric Evaluation with College Women and Men. Journal of Counseling Psychology60(1):137-153.
