A Day In The Life: Intuitive Eating

“I ate a wafer cookie, and it was delicious, and I didn’t die,” I wrote to my dietitian.

She responded, “Best email ever to start my week, thank you for your bravery! Any future plans for wafer cookies?” I didn’t answer her question, because I don’t know. We’re working on addressing fear foods, disassociating the words “good” and “bad” from any specific food, and embracing a complete attitude of neutrality in/around/about everything concerning food. Easier said than done.

My dietitian teaches Intuitive Eating, which mostly means that I’m learning to listen to my body’s hunger cues and give my body the nourishment it needs. What my body wants/needs is constantly changing because my activity levels, cravings, hormones, and life is constantly changing. Intuitive eating is a sharp left turn from my disordered eating days when I fed my body the same, calorie-restricted foods in an effort to control my weight/body/life.

I get a lot of questions about what I eat, because vegans and runners seem very interested in food. I also receive many questions about Intuitive Eating, but I’m no expert. I recommend reading the original Intuitive Eating book: Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program That Works by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. Tribole and Resch were the originators of the term “Intuitive Eating,” though the concept can be traced back to Susie Orbach, who published “Fat is a Feminist Issue” in 1978, and Geneen Roth, who has written about emotional eating since 1982. Who better to learn from than the…