Intuitive eating is a key part of the work I do in eating disorder therapy in Salt Lake City, Utah (online), especially for women who are trying to heal their relationship with food, their bodies, and the diet mentality. This guide shares a registered dietitian’s perspective on what intuitive eating really means and how it supports recovery.

What is Intuitive Eating?

It is January, meaning New Year’s resolutions and the diet mentality is ever-present. In the United States, we spend $60 billion a year on diet and weight loss products. This is despite the fact that 95% of diets will fail within 3-5 years. This means that within 3-5 years of the diet you will gain the weight back (and sometimes more). The diet industry aside, most of us would not invest in ANY product or business scheme that had a 95% failure rate. Why is the diet industry so different? Many blame themselves when a diet fails—why not blame the diet? We keep trying to fight biology (hunger, fullness, weight set points, etc.) and it is just not working.

Two women eating at a picnic. This represents how at Maple Canyon Therapy, an eating disorder therapist in Utah provides eating disorder therapy, binge eating disorder treatment through online therapy in Utah.

I was introduced to Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch about 12 years ago when I was in school and have preached the principles of intuitive eating ever since. Intuitive eating rejects the diet mentality and the philosophies focus on making peace with food and getting back in touch with internal cues of hunger, fullness, pleasure, and satisfaction. Intuitive eating is about trusting our body that it knows what to do with the food we give it AND knows what it needs. Let’s take a look at the 10 principles of intuitive eating:

1. Reject the Diet Mentality

Many are fearful of letting go of the diet cycle. Common fears that I hear from clients are: “If I give up dieting, I won’t be able to stop eating,” “If I allow myself to eat ‘my bad foods’ that is all I will eat,” “I will be out of control,” “I won’t know what to eat,” etc. Dieting may have been a form of coping or has become part of your identity. That can be scary to give up. Many come to see me when they have hit rock bottom and determine that dieting is not serving them well. They are frustrated that they can’t lose weight like they used to OR that they have gained more weight. They are not getting pleasure out of food anymore or some have dwindled their food options down to 4-5 items and are fearful of eating anything else. How do you reject the diet mentality? Step one: recognize the damage that dieting has caused, Step two: beware of the diet mentality thoughts and behaviors, Step three: get rid of your dieting tools (i.e. cookbooks, scales, diet foods, etc.), and Step four: work on self-compassion.

A photo of food on a table. This represents how at Maple Canyon Therapy has an anxiety therapist providing anxiety therapy in Utah to treat symptoms of anxiety, social anxiety, and performance anxiety in Utah.

When you decide to stop the diet cycle, be watchful of “pseudo-dieting” (i.e. counting carbohydrates, eating safe foods only, cutting back on portions, becoming gluten-free/dairy free/vegetarian/etc. for the sole purpose of being “healthy” or “losing weight,” limiting your eating to certain times of the day, etc.

2. Honor Your Hunger

Dieting starves the body. Intuitive eating aims to keep the body fed. If we are not eating enough, we trigger our primal instincts to overeat. Work on identifying and honoring your biological hunger cues. Start eating before you are too hungry. Dieting may have caused your hunger/fullness cues to be inconsistent and unreliable. If this is the case, you may need to eat structured portions and at set times in the beginning. A registered dietitian who uses intuitive eating philosophies can help you with this process.

A woman holding a fork over a plate of food. This represents how Maple Canyon Therapy provides anxiety help, eating disorder treatment, and anxiety treatment in Utah.

3. Make Peace with Food

Work on giving yourself unconditional permission to eat. Take the labels of “good,” “bad,” “healthy,” “not healthy,” “dirty,” and “clean” off of food. Work on seeing all food as food. There is no moral attachment to food, i.e. I am not good because I ate a salad and I am not bad because I ate a piece of cake. When we take the labels off of food, we can eat without shame and judgment. Feeling shame about what we eat increases the likelihood of overeating and cravings. People tend to eat less when they give themselves unconditional permission to eat.

4. Challenge the Food Police

The food police is the diet mentality. Challenge the thinking errors that arise around food and body. The diet mentality is not very logical. Use a wise mind and logic to challenge the thoughts that come. Most importantly, remember that thoughts don’t need to be acted upon.

5. Feel Your Fullness

A woman doing a yoga pose on the beach. This represents how at Maple Canyon Therapy, provides treatment for binge eating disorder, postpartum anxiety and generalized anxiety disorder in Utah..

Listen to the body signals you are receiving as you are eating. Stop eating before you reach an over fullness—the goal is to feel satisfied and comfortably full after eating. Like I mentioned earlier, your cues may not be reliable in the beginning and you may need to eat portioned meals and snacks at specific times. During this beginning stage, you may be eating until you are uncomfortable because your body may not be used to “normal” fullness levels. Work with a registered dietitian to help you through this process.

6. Discover the Satisfaction Factor

The eating experience brings pleasure and satisfaction. This is often lost when dieting. Rediscover your food preferences and find joy in connecting with others over food. Work on making your eating environment positive.

7. Cope with Emotions without Using Food

Find ways to cope with emotions without using emotional eating or restriction. When you use food (or restricting) as a means of coping, you are not actually “dealing” with the underlying emotion or trigger—the problem will still be there when you are done. You may find it helpful to work with a registered dietitian to help you differentiate between biological and emotional hunger/fullness and a therapist to help you with coping and self-soothing skills.

8. Respect Your Body

Bodies come in all shapes and sizes. Bodies change throughout the different stages of life. Work on accepting your biological weight—the weight that your body likes to be at. Show your body respect by taking care of its needs, even if you don’t like it.

9. Exercise—Feel the Difference

Exercise is often abused in the diet industry. Instead of adopting a rigid exercise regimen, find activities you enjoy. Find the joy and satisfaction that comes from just feeling your body move. And remember that your body needs fuel no matter if you are moving OR not moving.

10. Honor Your Health with Gentle Nutrition

Give your body a variety of foods. You don’t need to micromanage your food intake to make sure your body is getting all of its nutrients. The body works on averages and will get what it needs if you are eating variety. If you have food allergies or health conditions that require changes in your food intake, honor that.

If you would like help with your intuitive eating journey, find a dietitian that utilizes intuitive eating principles. They can be a guide for your journey.

Ready to Start Eating Disorder Therapy in Salt Lake City, Utah?

If you’re struggling with dieting, food rules, or feeling disconnected from your body, you don’t have to do this alone. At Maple Canyon Therapy, I offer eating disorder therapy in Salt Lake City, Utah (online) to help women break out of the diet cycle and begin building trust with food and their bodies.

Online Therapy in Utah

I provide online eating disorder therapy for women in Salt Lake City, Utah, so you can access specialized support without needing to travel or find a local office. Unfortunately, there are many places in Utah that don’t have access to this specialized care. This is why I provide online therapy in Utah. Online counseling allows us to meet together over a video platform. It’s just as effective as an in-person therapy session.

Online therapy allows me to work with clients in Logan, Salt Lake City, Heber, St. George, Cedar City, and more.

Other mental health services offered at Maple Canyon Therapy

Eating disorder therapy isn’t the only service offered at Maple Canyon Therapy for women in Salt Lake City and across Utah. Other services include binge eating disorder treatment, body image therapy, anxiety therapy, trauma therapy (including birth trauma), and EMDR, all provided through secure online therapy.

A photo of Kelsey Rich RD. This represents how at Maple Canyon Therapy a Utah County Eating Disorder therapist helps women in eating disorder recovery by providing eating disorder treatment in Utah.

About the Contributing Author

Kelsey Rich, MS, RD, CEDRD, is a registered dietitian specializing in eating disorders and intuitive eating. This article is shared as an educational resource for women working toward eating disorder recovery and a healthier relationship with food. Her perspective reflects the principles of intuitive eating as developed by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch.

What Is Intuitive Eating? A Guide for Eating Disorder Recovery in Salt Lake City, Utah