FAQs

Intuitive Eating is a science-based mind-body approach to eating and exercise. It was developed by two registered dietitians, Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch and is based on 10 guiding principles. Although it is often reduced to “the hunger-fullness diet” – it’s not a diet at all! There is no calorie or macro counting and no food is off limits. You don’t have to follow a meal plan or measure out food portions. In other words, there are no rules and no restrictions. It’s very much a behaviour and reflection-oriented approach that helps you learn how best to eat for you – after all no one knows your body better than you! If you want to know more check out the Resources page and my Intuitive Eating Programs.

I call myself a ‘non-diet’ dietitian because many people assume that dietitians put you on a diet. It is in the name, after all. The label ‘non-diet’ dietitian helps clients and non-diet colleagues identify me as someone prepared to focus on helping my clients improve their overall physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing rather than making weight loss the primary outcome. A non-diet approach makes room for all bodies, without dictating that in order to improve their health, people must change the size of their bodies.

While intentional weight loss (through dieting) is possible in the short-term, the majority of people regain the weight they lose. Dieting results in a pre-occupation with food and body that may trigger disordered eating, binge eating and increased body dissatisfaction. Chronic dieting over many years often results in weight cycling (repeatedly losing and regaining weight over time) which in itself may have adverse health consequences. Also, a focus on weight upholds weight stigma that places a higher value on certain body types over others. As a non-diet dietitian, I support the use of sustainable approaches like Intuitive Eating that focus on improving physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing – and not weight loss.

Health At Every Size (often abbreviated as “HAES”) is the belief that all people, no matter their size or shape, deserve the same access and choice when it comes to health care. On a broader level, HAES is grounded in social justice, equality, and respect and can be used to inform decisions for both individuals as well as policy. You can find out more here: Health At Every Size ®. Intuitive Eating is an example of a weight-inclusive approach that is evidence-based and aligns with the principles of Health At Every Size ®.

Yes, Intuitive Eating is safe.

Intuitive Eating is not a diet but rather a flexible, mind-body approach to eating and exercise that helps you become the expert of your own body and rediscover the pleasure in eating – free from food deprivation, worry and rules. Unlike diets that tell you what, when and how much to eat, Intuitive Eating is about tuning in to your body’s natural hunger, fullness, and satisfaction cues, reconnecting with your body and learning how to eat best for you.

As of 2020, there are over 100 research studies on Intuitive Eating. These studies show that intuitive eating is associated with:

• Better body image, appreciation and satisfaction
• Higher self-esteem
• Improved awareness of internal cues like hunger and fullness
• Decreased rates of disordered and emotional eating
• Lower stress levels
• Increased satisfaction with life
• Improved physiological markers of health including cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure levels
• Increased dietary variety
• Reduced binge/restrict cycle
• Exercising for enjoyment

Intuitive Eating might be the right approach for you if you:

• Have dieted many times before, only to regain the weight, time after time.
• Are confused about what, when, and how much to eat
• Often feel guilty when you eat certain foods
• Frequently deprive yourself of certain foods
• Think about food in terms of calories and how it will affect your weight
• Let your body shape/size define your worthiness
• Find yourself bingeing after restricting what you eat

The Intuitive Eating Programs Nourished and Nourished Plus help you:

• Understand what drives or influences you to eat
• Tune into your body’s natural hunger and fullness cues
• Trust your body to tell you when, what and how much to eat.
• Eat in a way that honours hunger and fullness
• Reject diet culture and ditch the good food vs. bad food mentality
• Give yourself unconditional permission to eat (in tune with your body’s natural hunger and fullness cues)
• Nourish your body and mind with foods you enjoy without food guilt and stress
• Rediscover satisfaction and pleasure from food
• Develop a more positive relationship with food, your body and your mind

There is no easy answer to this one, as the answer will vary from person to person. Intuitive Eating is not a quick fix like most diets. In fact, it is sometimes described as therapy – but for food. Consider how long you’ve spent dieting on and off. It could be a lifetime, which means it is going to take some time to learn to eat intuitively. This is one of the reasons why Intuitive Eating is only offered as a package.

Again, there is no easy answer to this question. Intuitive Eating isn’t a diet and does not focus on weight loss as an outcome. You may or may not lose weight. Intuitive Eating helps you improve your overall physical, mental and emotional health by learning to eat according to your body’s natural hunger and fullness cues while helping you move away from unhelpful rules and beliefs about food and your body and the restrict/binge cycle. As an intuitive eater, you’ll enjoy eating food once more and have more time for other things that are important to you!

No, because meal plans prepared by someone else are a short-term fix. However, I would be happy to help you learn to meal plan, because it is a great skill to have, especially if you’re busy, trying to minimize trips to the grocery store, or trying to minimize food waste.

Yes, Intuitive Eating is safe for the whole family. In fact, very small children eat intuitively – as their innate ability to eat intuitively has not yet been overridden by years of distracted eating, food rules, or dieting. You can raise your children as intuitive eaters even when you are working on your own relationship with food and your body.

Kids are born intuitive eaters. Babies know when they are hungry and communicate this by crying, fussing, sucking etc. They also know when they are satisfied and show this by unlatching, turning their head, stopping to suck etc. In fact, until about the age of four, kids eat according to their body’s natural hunger and fullness cues. Some days they may to eat a lot of food, and other days they may eat barely anything. But they (or rather their bodies) know exactly how to balance out their food intake from day to day. As they grow older, they start to pick up on messages about food, weight and body size and their ability to eat intuitively can be overridden by rules and restrictions set around food. Intuitive Eating provides a flexible framework for feeding children, helping them trust their bodies to tell them what, when and how much to eat. It also makes life easier for parents feeding them!

It’s important to help foster a healthy relationship with food in kids to prevent chronic dieting, disordered eating and unhealthy pre-occupations with food as they grow into adulthood. We need to teach kids to love a variety of foods and trust their bodies first and foremost to tell them what, when and how much to eat so that they can grow up healthy and happy.

Creating sustainable, lasting behaviour change involves building new habits and moving away from old ones that have been counterproductive. Developing a healthier relationship with food and your body takes time and commitment, coupled with support and guidance. That’s why I ask you to work with me for a minimum of three months. However, if you’ve already completed the Nourished program, we can certainly discuss the option of occasional check-in appointments.

Yes, you do have an option to pay monthly.

If you have purchased one of the Nourished programs and at any point decide that we’re not a good fit, you will receive a refund, minus the cost of each session you attended.

Yes! If you are interested in one of the Intuitive Eating packages, I offer a 15-minute complimentary call. The complimentary call allows us to get to know each other briefly. It’s also a chance for me to learn a little about you, your relationship to food and your body, your goals for nutrition coaching, and how I can help you with those goals. You’ll have a chance to ask questions about how the programs work and what to expect.

You can find out more about the Nourished program here.