This is the question most ask when starting any new eating plan or health protocol.
If you're wondering, it's like you're asking for the playbook so you can know the rules.
I get that. We all want to know how to be successful.Yet, intuitive eating is different.
The short answer is that with intuitive eating, no food is off limits.
Now, you may have heard that before on other diets.
Intuitive eating doesn’t have cheat days. The focus isn’t on trying to moderate yourself.
Intuitive eating is a non-diet approach where you change how you value certain foods.
With intuitive eating, all foods are considered neutral and emotionally equivalent.
Which means you enjoy foods without guilt or shame.
Intuitive eating isn't a “free for all”. Eating all forbidden foods can feel like a "free for all" when you're not dieting, but still trying to be good.
Discovering what to eat will be a journey...
from needing rules and a guidebook where someone tells you what to eat,
to being curious around what foods you enjoy and feels good in your body,
to knowing what foods you'd prefer to eat and make you feel satisfied because you're honoring the internal wisdom of your body.
Starting this journey may feel scary. You may be afraid of eating the wrong thing or eating way too much of it. Guidelines can make us feel safe!
Offer yourself some kindness. You’re taking a step away from rules and restrictions and stepping toward food freedom by creating your own internal guidelines. Ones that you can trust. Meanwhile, it takes time to unlearn diet rules and reconnect with your body’s wisdom.
One fun way to start is to ask yourself a new set of questions-
If all foods are neutral,
What would taste best right now?
What would feel nourishing?
What food would I enjoy eating?
Then, experiment and be curious. What do you notice?