Finding Food Freedom Through Intuitive Eating and Mindful Eating

Thrive • March 22, 2022

By Thrive’s National Director of Nutrition Services Kailey Cunningham, M.S., RDN, CD

WHAT IS INTUITIVE EATING?

Intuitive Eating is a non-diet approach to health developed in 1995 by two dietitians, Evelyn Tribole, MS, RDN, CEDRD-S, and Elyse Resch, MS, RDN, CEDRD-S, FADA, FAND. The holistic framework focuses on internal cues rather than external rules to help guide eating and movement choices. Intuitive Eating promotes eating in a way that works best for the body and brain while honoring both physical and mental health. The ultimate goal is to cultivate a more peaceful and healthy relationship with both food and the body.

IntuitiveEating.org describes Intuitive Eating as “a self-care eating framework, which integrates instinct, emotion, and rational thought…Intuitive Eating is a weight-inclusive, evidence-based model with a validated assessment scale and over 100 studies to date.” Intuitive Eating challenges the idea that there is a “right” way to eat. Instead, it asks individuals to use their experiences and sensations to guide their eating. In doing so, they can learn to trust their bodies and brains to communicate what they need.

The framework is sometimes oversimplified and misunderstood as eating whatever you want whenever you want. While it’s true that unconditional permission to eat is a key part of eating intuitively, the approach is more complicated than that.

The 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating can provide more insight into the nuances of the approach. They are as follows:

Reject the diet mentality.
Honor your hunger.
Make peace with food.
Challenge the food police.
Discover the satisfaction factor.
Feel your fullness.
Cope with your emotions with kindness.
Respect your body.
Movement-Feel the difference.
Honor your health with gentle nutrition.

Moving through the principles looks different for each individual based on their past experiences and current level of connection with their body’s cues. For most folks, dismantling diet culture-influenced thoughts takes time. As such, becoming an intuitive eater is a journey that requires patience, exploration, and experimentation.

The Benefits of Intuitive Eating

Ultimately, Intuitive Eating helps eliminate food rules and encourages individuals to trust their bodies to guide their eating choices. When a person implements Intuitive Eating, they no longer need someone else to tell them when, what, or how much to eat. Instead, they can listen to their internal cues in combination with observations from their past eating experiences. By connecting the mind, body, and spirit, Intuitive Eating allows individuals to eat in ways that feel good while empowering them with confidence and autonomy to make authentic eating and movement choices.

Intuitive Eating and Eating Disorders

When individuals with eating disorders move through the process of nutrition rehabilitation and begin implementing the principles of Intuitive Eating, many of the medical and mental health complications brought on by disordered eating begin to resolve. As individuals honor their body’s internal cues, physical symptoms associated with eating disorders, such as gastrointestinal upset, cold intolerance, sleep disturbances, and dizziness start to subside. Likewise, mental health symptoms, such as obsessive thoughts about food, anxiety, and depression also improve. For individuals with eating disorders, Intuitive Eating can be a vital step in learning to nourish their entire well-being.

WHAT IS MINDFUL EATING?

Mindful eating applies the principles of mindfulness to eating experiences. Mindfulness is a form of meditation that focuses on being present without judgment or interpretation. By practicing awareness and acceptance, mindfulness allows individuals to notice their thoughts, feelings, and sensations objectively without needing to take action.

Similarly, mindful eating asks individuals to focus on the experience of food without judgment or worrying about what’s in the food. When a person eats mindfully, their intention is to savor their eating experience by embracing the present moment. This involves using their senses to notice the food’s taste, texture, and temperature, in addition to being aware of how their other senses such as smell, sight, sound, and touch impact their experience.

You can embrace mindful eating by practicing the following:

Non-judgment: Build awareness of your experience while challenging any moral or other judgments about food. Do your best to avoid labeling foods as “good” or “bad.”
Acceptance: Be willing to notice what’s happening and accept it rather than trying to change it.
Letting go: Release past expectations and attachments to food.
Non-striving: Don’t attach an outcome to your experience. For example, don’t attach a weight goal to your eating experience.
Trust: Foster awareness of your experience to begin to trust yourself.
Patience: Know that staying present moment-to-moment is a practice and improvement takes time, so remain patient with yourself.
Gratitude: Recognize and appreciate that food is fuel that nourishes your body and mind.

You can also try The Three T’s exercise. During the first three bites of a meal or snack, notice the food’s taste, texture, and temperature — or “the three T’s”. In doing so, you’ll create more space for mindfulness throughout your eating experience as well as begin to form a mindfulness habit.

The Benefits of Mindful Eating

By allowing their experiences to guide eating choices, individuals can leave behind any unhelpful, unsustainable, and harmful rules about eating.

Additionally, mindful eating tends to foster more feelings of satisfaction from food. By noticing the flavors, textures, and other sensations involved, a person is more likely to feel satiated until their next eating experience.

Furthermore, mindful eating helps individuals discover their true food preferences. Instead of eating a food because they believe they “should” or eating a food with judgment because they believe they “shouldn’t,” a person can notice what they prefer and don’t prefer about certain foods. Mindful eating allows individuals to experiment with their food preferences as they gather information that will inform future eating experiences. In other words, focusing on the present while eating can help non-judgmentally shape the future.

Mindful Eating and Eating Disorders

During some phases or times of eating disorder recovery, practicing mindfulness can actually create a barrier to eating, due to the severity of thoughts and judgments stemming from the eating disorder. Avoiding mindfulness, however, can keep an individual who is struggling with an eating disorder from noticing any pleasant sensations or acknowledging their experiences while eating. If you’re currently experiencing an eating disorder, discussing the topic of mindful eating with your treatment team is necessary to determine what approach corresponds best to your phase of recovery.

MINDFUL EATING VS. INTUITIVE EATING

Image Source: The Wellful | 3 Ways to Improve Your Relationship with Food

Mindful eating is an element of Intuitive Eating, so there’s significant overlap between the two. In order to truly be in tune with the body, it’s necessary to be present and aware before, during, and after eating experiences.

Some differences between mindful eating and Intuitive Eating come to light, however, when we consider the logistics of eating. While practicing mindful eating can benefit individuals’ relationships with food as well as their overall mental and physical health, it’s not realistic to practice mindfulness during every meal and snack. For this reason, implementing mindfulness during each eating experience isn’t required by Intuitive Eating. Instead, Intuitive Eating uses other principles to help guide individuals when mindfulness isn’t accessible.

DIET CULTURE’S INFLUENCE ON MINDFUL EATING AND INTUITIVE EATING

The diet industry has created confusion around mindful eating, often suggesting mindfulness as a way to control eating habits rather than foster a healthy mind-body connection. The same argument falsely claims that eating mindfully promotes eating less and subsequent weight loss. While weight change may be a natural side effect that some people experience when they heal their relationships with food, twisting mindfulness into a weight-loss tactic is an example of the ways the diet industry causes harm. Similarly, the diet industry has muddled the concept of Intuitive Eating by promoting it as a weight-loss strategy as well. Any resource touting mindful or Intuitive Eating as a way to promote weight loss doesn’t apply the true principles of either practice and should be avoided.

LEARN MORE ABOUT INTUITIVE EATING AND MINDFUL EATING

To gain a fuller understanding of mindful eating and Intuitive Eating, exploring the 10 principles of Intuitive Eating more thoroughly and experimenting with the application of each principle can be an impactful way to begin your journey. Because mindfulness is a part of Intuitive Eating, you’ll also learn about mindful eating as you move through the principles. To dive even deeper into Intuitive Eating and mindful eating, consider reading Intuitive Eating, 4th Edition and The Intuitive Eating Workbook by Evelyn Tribole, MS, RDN and Elyse Resch, MS, RDN.

GUIDANCE FOR INTUITIVE EATING AND MINDFUL EATING AT THRIVE

Thrive implements both Intuitive Eating and mindful eating into our nutrition philosophy to help our clients heal their relationships with food and their bodies. To learn more about our therapeutic services , nutrition support, and eating disorder treatment programs , please reach out .

About the Author

Thrive Wellness’s National Director of Nutrition Services Kailey Cunningham, MS, RDN, CD

Kailey Cunningham, MS, RDN, CD, is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who obtained a Master’s of Dietetics degree from the University of Kentucky after completing both her undergraduate studies in dietetics and accredited dietetic internship at the same university.

She has been a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist since February of 2013 and has been working in the eating disorder field since 2015. Kailey has experience treating clients at many levels of care, from partial hospitalization programming to outpatient, with a variety of diagnoses including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, ARFID and OSFED.

She began working at The Emily Program in Washington for three years where she acted as the full-time programming dietitian. While in this position, she worked directly with a lead therapist to develop an adolescent treatment track implementing elements of Family-Based Treatment and gaining invaluable experience working with adolescents and their parents. She then worked at Center for Discovery while building her nutrition counseling private practice. She began her successful practice in April of 2018 and moved it with her from Olympia, Washington to Rocklin, California in October 2020. Kailey is excited to now be a part of the Thrive Wellness team.

Kailey’s primary motivator and true passion is supporting others on their journey to a more peaceful and balanced relationship with food and their bodies. Through individualized nutrition counseling and education, she helps those struggling with eating disorder behaviors, body image issues, food aversion and health anxieties find what is right for them while leaving diet culture behind.

The post Finding Food Freedom Through Intuitive Eating and Mindful Eating first appeared on Thrive Wellness.

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What to Do if You Think Your Teen Has an Eating Disorder

By Brianna Villalpando, LMSW, LCSW • March 19, 2025

Teen eating disorders are serious. As a parent or caregiver, one of the most difficult situations you can face is noticing that your teen may be struggling with a basic human need like eating. Adolescence is already a rough period for many teens filled with fluctuating emotions, changing bodies, and social pressures. However, sometimes coping with these challenges can manifest in unhealthy ways, like developing complicated relationships with food, body image, control, or exercise. Many teens face body image issues as their bodies mature, excessive pressure to meet unrealistic expectations fueled by social media and peers, and emotional instability and anxiety during their adolescent years, all of which can combine to create the perfect storm for an eating disorder. These challenges can often make your teen more vulnerable to unhealthy coping mechanisms , such as restricting food intake, excessive exercise, or engaging in disordered eating behaviors . If you’ve started noticing signs that something may not be right, it’s essential to take action to help your teen get the support they need. Recognizing the Signs of an Eating Disorder Eating disorders can vary in appearance, but there are some common signs and symptoms to watch for. If you notice any of the following behaviors or changes in your teen, it may indicate a problem that requires further attention: Preoccupation with body image : Teens with eating disorders often show increased focus on their weight or appearance, frequently expressing dissatisfaction with their body. Excessive discussions about dieting : If your teen frequently talks about dieting, food restriction, “getting skinny,” or often makes weight-related comments, this could be a red flag. Obsession with calorie counts : Teens who are obsessed with tracking every calorie, comparing the caloric content of foods, or controlling their calorie-intake may be struggling with an eating disorder. Skipping meals : Frequently skipping meals or not eating regularly is a common sign that something is wrong. Eating in isolation : Eating alone or avoiding family meals may signal discomfort with eating or shame around food. Excessive exercising : Over-exercising or using exercise as a way to purge calories can also point to an eating disorder. Spending long amounts of time in the bathroom : This could be a sign of emerging or purging behaviors, such as vomiting after meals. Hoarding foods : Hiding food or being secretive about eating may indicate issues with food control and secrecy around eating habits. Irregular periods or thinning hair : In females, a disruption in menstrual cycles or thinning hair can be physical signs of the effects of an eating disorder on the body. How Can I Talk to My Teen About Eating Disorders in a Supportive Way? Approaching a conversation about eating disorders with your child requires sensitivity and care. It's important to emphasize empathy and understanding, conveying that your primary concern is your teen's health and well-being. Initiating this conversation compassionately can create an environment of trust and openness to explore the problem. Selecting a calm, comfortable, and private setting is vital so your teen feels safe discussing a sensitive topic that may cause them to feel anxiety or shame. Effective communication hinges on using open-ended questions and active listening. Encourage your teen to share their thoughts and feelings without fear of judgment. By actively listening, you validate their experience, making them feel heard and understood. Before diving into the conversation, educating yourself about eating disorders can provide a solid foundation for discussing the issue knowledgeably. Some quick preparation with research allows you to dispel myths and provide accurate information when you talk to your teen. Why It's Crucial to Seek Medical Help When you notice warning signs, it’s important not to wait to get help. Eating disorders can be life-threatening, both physically and emotionally. They take a serious toll on a teen’s health, affecting their metabolism, hormonal function, and overall well-being. Beyond the physical impact, eating disorders can often involve deeply ingrained psychological and emotional challenges, such as low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and trauma. After an initial conversation, the first step is to schedule an appointment with a medical provider. Your teen’s primary care doctor or a pediatrician can help evaluate their physical health and provide guidance for next steps. Be prepared to discuss the specific behaviors or signs you’ve observed, as this will help your provider better understand the situation. The doctor may conduct a physical examination, lab tests, and discuss your teen's emotional and psychological state. Building a Support Team Once you’ve taken the first step to ensure your teen’s immediate medical needs are addressed, it’s time to build a multidisciplinary treatment team . This may include: Therapists : A licensed, specially trained therapist who specializes in eating disorders or adolescent mental health can help your teen address the emotional and psychological root causes of their disorder. Medical doctors : Your teen’s doctor can monitor their physical health during the recovery process, ensuring they are safe while navigating the challenges of nourishing their body. Nutritionists or dietitians : A professional who specializes in eating disorders can create a nutrition plan tailored to your teen’s specific needs and help them rebuild a healthy relationship with food. Psychiatrists : In some cases, medication may be prescribed to address underlying mental health issues contributing to their behavior. Act Quickly and Seek Professional Guidance It’s crucial to act as soon as you recognize signs of an eating disorder in your teen. The longer eating disorders go untreated, the harder they can be to overcome. Recovery from an eating disorder is a complex journey, involving both physical and mental obstacles to tackle. It can be incredibly difficult for both the teen and the family to manage this process at home without professional support. A well coordinated team of medical providers, therapists, and eating disorder specialists is essential in guiding your teen through their recovery. This team can help monitor your teen’s progress, provide emotional support, and ensure that your teen is getting the care they need for both short and long-term recovery. Supporting Your Teen on Their Recovery Journey Eating disorders are serious, but with the right care and support, recovery is possible. If you suspect that your teen may have an eating disorder, don’t hesitate to reach out for help. Seek medical advice first, and build a support team of professionals who can work together to provide comprehensive care. Eating disorders are complex, and it’s not something you or your teen should have to face alone. Taking swift action and offering compassionate support will help your teen regain control of their health and their life so that they can thrive through their adolescence and beyond. At Thrive, we offer specialized treatment for anorexia, bulimia, binge-eating disorder, and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). Our adolescent intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization programs have not only changed lives, but saved them. If you believe your teen is struggling, don't hesitate to reach out for help, we are ready to conduct a complimentary intake assessment today. To learn more about eating disorders, download our free guide "Recovery is Real" filled with practical insights and strategies to help a loved one navigate the journey toward recovery.

Signs It’s Time to See a Therapist: How to Know When You Need Support

By Brianna Villalpando • March 12, 2025

It can be difficult to know when it's time to reach out for help. We often try to manage stress, anxiety, sadness, or relationship issues on our own, thinking it’s just a phase or something we can work through to “get over.” But sometimes, these feelings or behaviors persist and can start affecting our overall mental and emotional well-being. The truth is, seeking therapy shouldn't be a last resort. Therapy is a valuable tool for anyone looking to better understand themselves, improve their emotional health, and work through life’s challenges. If you’ve been wondering whether it’s time to seek therapy, there are a few key factors to consider when performing a self-evaluation. Here are five signs that it might be time to reach out for additional support: 1. Is My Mood Affecting My Life or Relationships? One of the most telling signs that you may need support is noticing that your mood is negatively impacting your daily life or interpersonal relationships. Have you noticed an increase in conflict with friends, family, or colleagues? Are you feeling stuck in patterns of negativity that seem hard to shake? If your mood is affecting how you function at work, school, or in your personal life, it may be time to talk to a therapist. Pay attention to your behaviors; are you withdrawing from activities you usually enjoy? Are you reacting more intensely to situations than usual? If your emotional state is beginning to impact your relationships, interactions, or your ability to move through everyday life, a therapist can help you explore underlying causes and develop tools to improve your social wellness. 2. Am I Isolating Myself to Avoid Conflict? There’s a big difference between being introverted and isolating yourself as a way to avoid conflict. If you find yourself consistently pulling away from social situations, not because you need time to recharge, but because you’re avoiding uncomfortable conversations or emotional confrontations, this could be a sign of a deeper issue. It’s natural to want to avoid tension or discomfort, but consistent isolation can worsen feelings of loneliness and make it even harder to work through conflicts. Therapy can help you learn healthy coping mechanisms, problem-solving and communication skills, so you can feel more comfortable facing conflict in a productive way rather than shutting down or avoiding it at the cost of self-isolation. 3. Are My Emotions Out of Control? Do you ever feel like your emotions are so overwhelming that you can't regain control? If you're finding it difficult to calm yourself down, quiet your thoughts, or manage your feelings, this might be a sign that therapy could be helpful. Emotions like anger, disgust, fear, anxiety, or sadness are natural, but if they start taking over your thoughts and actions, it can be exhausting and difficult to complete daily tasks. A therapist can help you understand why your emotions are so intense and teach you strategies to regulate them and regain a sense of balance. 4. Have I Experienced Trauma That’s Affecting My Daily Life? Trauma comes in many forms, it could be from a single incident or from ongoing experiences that have affected your sense of safety, connection, or well-being. Sometimes, trauma is tied to experiences in childhood, but it can also be linked to recent events, like accidents, loss, or abuse. If you've experienced trauma and are struggling to perform basic daily tasks or meet your needs, therapy can be incredibly beneficial. Unresolved trauma can lead to feelings of anxiety, depression, or being stuck in past experiences. A trauma-informed therapist can help you process these experiences, understand their impact on your life, and work toward healing and recovery. 5. Am I Hurting Myself or Others? If your mood or behaviors are causing you to hurt yourself or others, it’s crucial to seek help immediately. Whether it’s through emotional or physical self-harm , or unintentionally inflicting harm on the people around you, this is a serious sign to find support from mental health professionals. A therapist can provide a safe, nonjudgmental space to talk about what you’re going through and help you work toward healthier ways of coping. If you’re in immediate danger or experiencing thoughts of self harm, it’s essential to reach out for help as soon as possible. There’s no shame in seeking support when you're struggling with harmful thoughts or actions. Why is Professional Mental Health Support Necessary? Although there may be barriers to seeking therapy, reaching out for professional mental health support is worth it to address the emotional and psychological issues that you shouldn’t have to deal with alone. Therapists have the knowledge and tools needed to guide you through your struggles, offering insights and solutions that aren’t available outside of the therapeutic setting. Their expertise promises not only a deeper understanding of your challenges, but the application of practical methods and skills to resolve them in your everyday life. Additionally, trained mental health professionals offer personalized strategies and coping mechanisms tailored to your unique situation and needs. These strategies are informed by evidence-based practices and a therapist’s experience working with and healing emotional and mental struggles. Personalized therapy helps clients receive the most relevant and effective guidance for their personal challenges. Embracing the Journey Toward Mental Wellness Recognizing that you might need support is the first step toward feeling better and getting the most out of life. Therapy isn’t just for when things are at their worst; it’s a proactive way to improve your emotional health, work through challenges, and build skills for resilience. If you relate to any of these situations, it might be time to reach out and explore therapy as an option. It’s okay to need help, and you don’t have to navigate this journey alone. If you’re unsure whether therapy is right for you, consider talking to a mental health professional to discuss your concerns and explore specialized support options available to you. You deserve to feel your best, and therapy can be a stepping stone to help you reach your goals. Are you in need of support? At Thrive Wellness, we offer personalized therapy and treatment to support you in whatever you're going through, don't be afraid to reach out for help . We also offer a FREE comprehensive guide to wellness in our “How to Thrive” guide . This guide offers practical, easy-to-follow habits that promote physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Start your journey towards a balanced and fulfilling life today with these simple yet transformative steps.

Breaking Down Barriers: Debunking the Most Common Eating Disorder Myths

By Sage Tippie • February 14, 2025

This Eating Disorders Awareness Month, we’re focusing on fighting the misinformation and stereotypes surrounding eating disorders that so often create barriers to diagnosis and treatment. Myths about eating disorders can perpetuate harmful stereotypes and keep people from receiving effective and timely treatment when they need it. It’s no secret that the field of eating disorders is riddled with misinformation, leading to confusion, stigma, and shame for those struggling. In this blog post, we'll explore the common myths about eating disorders and fight them with concrete facts in the hopes of building a more informed and educated community when it comes to these serious mental health conditions. Eating Disorder Myths Versus Facts Myth: Only those who are medically underweight have an eating disorder. Fact: Someone can have an eating disorder at any weight. In fact, less than 6% of those diagnosed with an eating disorder are medically underweight. There is even a specific diagnosis for those who are not underweight showing the symptoms of anorexia called atypical anorexia. People of all sizes are at risk for serious complications from an eating disorder, not just those that are underweight. Myth: Only women have eating disorders Fact: Although often associated with teen girls, eating disorders can affect those of any gender and age. While stereotypes and stigma surrounding eating disorders may tell us that men are not commonly affected by them, research has found that nearly 25% of those who present for eating disorder treatment are male. Keeping an open mind around who can be affected by eating disorders allows for more accurate and timely diagnosis and treatment for those who need it. Myth: Eating disorders are just about food. Facts: While eating disorders always involve an unhealthy relationship with food or body image, they also are rooted in biological, psychological and sociocultural aspects. Eating disorders cannot be treated just by changing eating behaviors, but by addressing the mental aspect of the illness as well. This is why integrated treatment involving a team of social workers, primary care specialists, therapists, and in some cases occupational therapists or psychiatrists is so crucial: a holistic approach is needed to treat all aspects of an eating disorder. Myth: Eating disorders aren’t that serious. Fact: Eating disorders are extremely serious and life-threatening mental disorders that require dedicated treatment. In fact, anorexia nervosa has the second highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder. By taking eating disorders and their diagnosis and treatment seriously, we can save lives. Myth: Eating disorders are a choice. Fact: Just like any other illness, eating disorders are not a choice or a phase, nor is recovery from an eating disorder just a simple decision to start eating more or less. Recovery is not dependent on willpower, but on ongoing professional treatment and long-term support. The recovery process can be lengthy and challenging, requiring patience and a supportive environment and team on your side. It is a gradual, step-by-step journey, rather than an instantaneous decision made on one person’s part. Myth: Eating disorders always involve negative body image. Fact: Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) does not have to do with body image. Those with ARFID may avoid many foods because of texture, taste, color, or smell, or feared outcomes of eating like choking or vomiting. Like any other eating disorder, ARFID is serious and requires specialized treatment like exposure-response prevention therapy. Myth: Eating disorders only affect White people. Fact: Although Black, Latina/o/x/e, Indigenous/Native, and Asian people are historically underrepresented in studies of eating disorders, large-scale studies have found that rates of eating disorders are the same or higher in all racial and ethnic groups as compared to white individuals (NEDA). Removing racial stereotypes around eating disorders can help to remove barriers that BIPOC individuals commonly face when seeking treatment. Dispelling the Myths: A Path Towards Understanding By addressing and dispelling these myths, we can create a safe space that promotes understanding and empathy. Eating disorders are not choices or phases, but debilitating mental health issues that can affect anyone. Recognizing the seriousness of these disorders is so important in reducing stigma and ensuring that those who are struggling receive the care and support they require. This month and every month, we encourage you to fight misinformation and stick up for those experiencing eating disorders, because knowledge and education can be one of the greatest assets to recovery for those who need it. If you or someone you know is in need of eating disorder support, don’t be afraid to reach out , our team of healthcare professionals are here for you. To learn more about eating disorders and the journey to recovery, download our free eating disorders guide .