Encyclopedia of Diets - A Guide to Health and Nutrition

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Monique Laberge, Ph.D.

Intuitive eating
Definition
The central premise of the intuitive eating pro-
gram is that people’s bodies possess innate biological
wisdom that already knows what foods and eating
habits are best for them, beyond all the different diet-
ary recommendations that flood the market and create
confusion among consumers. Intuitive eating steers
away from scientific explanations and rigid dietary
requirements and values the psychological component
of eating as an important factor in nutrition. The task
for practitioners of intuitive eating is to recover the
innate wisdom of the body, and the program offers
practices to facilitate this process.

Origins

Intuitive eating has been developed by two

California-based nutritionists, Evelyn Tribole and

Elyse Resch. Their book,Intuitive Dieting: A Revolu-

tionary Program That Works, was published in 1995

and updated and reprinted in 2003.

Description

The originators of the intuitive eating program

state that they developed it in response to indications

that conventional diet programs are not working, and

from the observations of so many failed dieting expe-

riences. For instance, even while Americans were diet-

ing more than ever in the 1990s, and new diet

programs and information were proliferating, Ameri-

cans were still witnessing increasing obesity rates. In

addition to this contradiction, the founders of intuitive

eating also take note of what they call the ‘‘diet back-

lash,’’ the observation that dieting can lead to eating

disorders and unhealthy behaviors such as compul-

sions, guilt, self-loathing, binging, and the consump-

tion of unhealthy foods. As evidence of these

phenomena surrounding dieting, the intuitive eating

program cites a 1991 study in theNew England Journal

of Medicineby Dr. Leann Birch that examined the

eating habits of children. The study concluded that

children are naturally able to regulate their eating

habits in a healthy manner. The study noted that

parental control over their eating habits was counter-

productive. Other studies have implied that children

may develop eating disorders, such as anorexia and

bulimia, as a result of parents putting pressure on

them about dietary behaviors or due to negative self-

images. Thus, children may have an innate dietary

wisdom that can be obscured by social pressure and

expectations. The originators of intuitive eating

believe that adults can recover this wisdom that first

gets lost in childhood.

The authors ofIntuitive Eatingnote that all diets,

no matter how well conceived and intentioned, are still

programs of short-term starvation. The intuitive eat-

ing program draws upon insights from the anti-diet

movement that shuns dieting and encourages people

to accept their bodies and improve their self-image

instead. The intuitive eating program also draws

upon the work of the health movement, that recog-

nizes that obesity and poor dietary habits lead to

increased risks of illness and disease. Integrating

both these schools, intuitive eating stresses the role

that psychological patterns play in eating habits,

while recognizing the need to encourage healthy eating

habits into people’s lifestyles.

Intuitive eating