Table Of ContentThe author and publisher have provided this e-book to you for your personal use
only. You may not make this e-book publicly available in any way. Copyright
infringement is against the law. If you believe the copy of this e-book you are
reading infringes on the author’s copyright, please notify the publisher at:
us.macmillanusa.com/piracy.
To all of our clients and patients, who have taught us so much
Acknowledgments
There are many people whom we would like to thank, without whose help, encouragement, and inspiration
this book would not have been possible.
David Hale Smith, Inkwell Management, LLC, our agent, who was instrumental in generating
overwhelming interest in this concept.
Jennifer Weis, our editor, for her enthusiasm and support of Intuitive Eating and for her practical vision and
input.
Mollie Traver, editorial assistant, for her clear and prompt communication, inspired ideas, and boundless
encouragement in bringing the third edition of Intuitive Eating to fruition; Robin Carter, assistant editor,
who good-naturedly helped expedite the publication of the second edition of Intuitive Eating; and Tina Lee,
editorial assistant, who cheerfully kept us on the straight and narrow with details in the first edition.
Desy Safan Gerard, Ph.D., for her psychological support.
Marc Weigensberg, M.D., who contributed spiritual guidance for the second and third editions.
Sue Luke, R.D.; Elaine Roberts; Diane Keddy, M.S., R.D.; and Kristin Loberg, B.A., member of the
Authors Guild, for their review and comments.
Arthur Resnikoff, Ph.D., for his feedback on the psychological principles used in this book.
Andrea Volz, secretarial assistant, for her endless hours in the library.
And lastly, our families and friends, whose unselfish understanding gave us the freedom to complete this
book.
Notice: This book is intended as a reference volume only, not as a medical manual. It is not a substitute for
any treatment that may have been prescribed by your doctor. If you suspect that you have a medical
problem, we urge you to seek competent help. Keep in mind that nutritional needs vary from person to
person, depending upon age, sex, health status, and total diet. The information discussed here is intended to
help you make informed decisions about your eating and health.
Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Notice
Foreword
Introduction
1. Hitting Diet Bottom
2. What Kind of Eater Are You?
3. Principles of Intuitive Eating: Overview
4. Awakening the Intuitive Eater: Stages
5. Principle 1: Reject the Diet Mentality
6. Principle 2: Honor Your Hunger
7. Principle 3: Make Peace with Food
8. Principle 4: Challenge the Food Police
9. Principle 5: Feel Your Fullness
10. Principle 6: Discover the Satisfaction Factor
11. Principle 7: Cope with Your Emotions without Using Food
12. Principle 8: Respect Your Body
13. Principle 9: Exercise—Feel the Difference
14. Principle 10: Honor Your Health with Gentle Nutrition
15. Raising an Intuitive Eater: What Works with Kids and Teens
16. The Ultimate Path Toward Healing from Eating Disorders
17. The Science Behind Intuitive Eating
Epilogue
Appendix A: Common Questions and Answers About Intuitive Eating
Appendix B: Step-by-Step Guidelines
References
Resources
Index
Also by Evelyn Tribole
About the Authors
Copyright
Foreword
This [the brain’s] integrative function illuminates how reasoning, once thought to be a
“purely logical” mode of thinking, is in fact, dependent on the nonrational processing of our
bodies.
—Daniel Siegel, M.D., Mindsight, 2010
Intuitive Eating was originally published in 1995. Over the years, thousands of
people have read this book. While reading it, they have had a sense, at a gut
level, of “getting it.” We’ve gotten many letters and e-mails saying, “you’re
writing about me,” or “how did you know I felt this way,” or “finally someone
gets it.” Just as so many have “gotten it”—there are others who have asked what
Intuitive Eating really means. Are we just driven by instinct? Do we just “know”
what and how much and when to eat? In introducing this third edition, we’d like
to take this opportunity to be as clear as we can in answering the question of
what Intuitive Eating really is.
Knowing a bit about the human brain can help to understand why we’re born
with all the wisdom we need to be Intuitive Eaters. It can also help us to see how
we’re able to live an Intuitive Eating life, even while being bombarded by the
unending choices of natural and refined foods available to us every day—and the
relentless diet messages that abound.
Humans are privileged to experience a dynamic interplay of instinct, emotion,
and thought, which work together to orchestrate life, and are mediated by the
brain. Psychiatrist and mindfulness expert, Daniel Siegel, M.D., calls this
process “Mindsight.” There are three regions of the brain responsible for this
powerful integration.
The first region is called the reptilian brain, because when the early reptiles
roamed the earth, they acted and responded exclusively by instinct. They didn’t
rationalize or feel—they simply just went for it. As life evolved, another level of
brain function developed, called the limbic brain, which mammals also possess.
Emotions and social behaviors originate here. In the limbic brain, feelings are
layered upon the instincts of the reptilian brain. The instincts originating from
the reptilian brain are sent to the limbic brain, which serve to expand the
awareness (Levine 1997). Eventually, the third key region of the brain evolved,
called the rational brain, or the neocortex. The rational brain integrates instincts
and feelings from the other two brain regions. The rational brain does not control
instincts—instead, it perceives the instinctual and feeling parts of our beings and
reflects upon them. The rational brain creates thoughts and language.
Intuitive Eating embraces all three parts of the human brain. In infancy and
toddlerhood, eating is mostly instinctual. As we grow older, thoughts and
feelings often play a part in our decisions about eating. As we often tell our
clients, our bodies are not just composed of the tongue and the stomach, but also
the mind. We have often heard someone say, “I thought that as an Intuitive
Eater, I could eat whatever I wanted. So, now I eat whatever I want and as much
as I want, whenever I feel like it!” This comment actually distorts the premise of
Intuitive Eating. Yes, make peace with food, and eat what pleases your palate.
Yes, give yourself the freedom to eat unconditionally, and eat as much as you
need to satisfy your body. But, eating whenever you feel like it, without regard
to hunger and fullness, might not be a very satisfying experience and might also
cause physical discomfort. Attunement with your body’s satiety cues is an
important part of this process.
As an Intuitive Eater, you will be honoring your brain, because it is part of
your body. As you go through the principles of Intuitive Eating, you will be
storing information in the memory “files” that you create and house in your
brain. When you feel hungry, you will need to pull up several of these files,
while deciding what to eat. You will evaluate how hungry you feel and then
think about what foods might satisfy your hunger and your taste buds. You
might even go through a series of sensual imaginings of the taste and texture and
temperature of different foods. You also may open the file to reflect on past
eating experiences. You might ask yourself whether your present eating choice
has worked out for you when you’ve eaten it in the past. Did it sustain you long
enough? Did it make your blood sugar crash? Did you end up with indigestion?
Or did you thoroughly enjoy the food and want to have it again? Your emotions
may also come into play when you have the desire to eat. Might you be upset
and are craving food to comfort and soothe yourself? Or are you bored and
thinking about eating as a distraction? Considering these possibilities might
inform your decision of what to eat, or even whether to eat at all.
In the beginning of your journey to reclaim your Intuitive Eater, you will
Description:First published in 1995, Intuitive Eating has become the go-to book on rebuilding a healthy body image and making peace with food. We've all been there--angry with ourselves for overeating, for our lack of willpower, for failing at yet another diet. But the problem is not us; it's that dieting, with
