Intuitive eating: a way to get rid of food restrictions or a myth?

22.02.2025

Intuitive Eating: A Way to Get Rid of Food Restrictions or a Myth?

In recent years, more and more people are moving away from strict diets and switching to intuitive eating. Advocates of this approach claim it helps to establish a healthy relationship with food and get rid of constant restrictions. But is it really so? How safe and effective is this method? In this article, we’ll figure out what intuitive eating is all about, why it’s gaining popularity, and how to start practicing it safely for your health.

What is Intuitive Eating?

Intuitive eating is a food philosophy based on a mindful attitude toward eating and your own body's signals. In other words, you learn to recognize true feelings of hunger and fullness, avoiding overly strict dietary boundaries and prohibitions.

Main idea:

• Don’t count calories or label foods as “good” or “bad.”
• Trust yourself in choosing foods, guided by your body’s sensations.
• Listen and respond to signals from your body: eat when you’re hungry, and stop when you’re full.

This approach is often viewed as the opposite of traditional diets with their long list of restrictions and strict control over the diet.

Main Principles of Intuitive Eating

1. Letting Go of Diet Mentality
   No strict rules and no calorie counting. The focus is more on the quality of food and your overall well-being rather than the numbers.

2. Respecting Hunger
   Hunger signals can be more than just a rumbling stomach—they can include loss of concentration and irritability. Proponents of intuitive eating believe it’s important to recognize these signals and respond appropriately—that is, eat on time.

3. Stopping at Fullness
   It’s important to recognize the moment when your body has received enough nutrients. To do this, it’s advised to eat slowly, savoring every bite, and paying attention to your body’s responses.

4. Accepting Emotions Without Turning to Food
   Stress, sadness, boredom, and other negative experiences often prompt us to “eat our feelings.” Intuitive eating teaches you to distinguish emotional hunger (wanting to snack out of boredom, the habit of “treating yourself” to sweets) from physical hunger.

5. Respecting Your Body
   The goal is not to meet modeling standards but to care for your health and well-being and to assess your physical state realistically.

Why Are More People Choosing This Approach?

1. Freedom from Chronic Restrictions
   Strict diets often lead to psychological breakdowns, the “yo-yo” effect where the weight comes back. Intuitive eating promises freedom from the constant stress of calorie counting and “forbidden” foods.

2. Better Self-Connection
   By practicing mindfulness, people begin to understand their bodies, emotional states, and food needs better. This often increases overall life satisfaction.

3. Stable Weight Without Extreme Fluctuations
   Although intuitive eating is not positioned as a weight loss method, many notice that by following its principles for the long-term, their weight stabilizes at a healthy level.

4. Support for Mental Health
   The absence of harsh prohibitions or thoughts like, “I can’t have this!” leads to less guilt around food and lowers anxiety about eating.

Myths and Reality: Can You Gain Weight?

Some believe that if you allow yourself to eat everything and rely only on hunger, you can overeat and gain extra weight. In the short term, this can indeed happen, especially if someone has been restricting themselves for a long time and “forbidding” favorite foods. But as the body adapts to the new lifestyle, it learns to regulate intake and signal fullness.

• At first, you may experience weight fluctuations as your body adjusts.
• In the long run, with mindful food choices and by listening to your body’s cues, weight usually balances out unless there are serious hormonal or metabolic issues.

How to Start Practicing Intuitive Eating Safely

1. Consult with Professionals

• If you have chronic illnesses, hormonal problems, or eating disorders (bulimia, anorexia, etc.), be sure to talk with a doctor or psychotherapist before making radical changes to your diet.
• A nutritionist can provide recommendations on how to properly combine intuitive eating principles with medical needs.

2. Start a Food Journal

• Record not just what you eat, but also why: is it emotional or physical hunger?
• Track your state before and after eating: stress levels, mood, sense of fullness. Analyzing this will help you understand which emotions drive your appetite and when you’re truly hungry.

3. Practice Mindfulness

• Slow down during meals: chew thoroughly, pay attention to the taste, aroma, and texture of your food.
• Try to avoid distractions such as TV or your phone; being fully present will help you notice signals of fullness.

4. Seek Balance in Your Diet

• While intuitive eating doesn’t require strict rules, this doesn’t mean you can eat only fast food. Your body needs a full range of nutrients.
• Notice how you feel after different foods: what gives you energy, and what causes discomfort or a feeling of heaviness.

5. Be Patient and Kind to Yourself

• Changing years of habits and stopping “automatic” diet patterns can be challenging.
• You might face setbacks, overeating, or returning to old habits along the way. This is part of the process: keep analyzing what’s happening and learn from it.

Who Might Intuitive Eating Not Suit?

Despite its many advantages, intuitive eating is not a one-size-fits-all solution. This approach can be difficult or unsafe if:

• You’ve been diagnosed with eating disorders. In these cases, you need to work under the guidance of a psychotherapist and/or medical nutritionist.
• There is a need for a medical diet (for diabetes, certain gastrointestinal diseases, etc.). You cannot ignore your doctor’s recommendations. Intuitive eating can be adapted, but it should be done wisely.
• You’re not ready to analyze your own emotions and behavior. Intuitive eating requires self-work, mindfulness, and acceptance of some uncomfortable feelings.

Conclusion

Intuitive eating can help people who are tired of constant dietary control and guilt over “forbidden” foods. It teaches a more mindful and gentle approach to yourself and your food, rids you of extremes, and can lead to stable weight and better well-being.

However, this approach requires patience and readiness for self-analysis. It’s important to consider your individual characteristics, health status, and consult an expert if necessary. Then intuitive eating will become not just another fashionable trend, but a reliable way to build harmonious relationships with food and your own body.