You’ve probably heard the term “intuitive eating” A LOT, and have likely come across many intuitive eating dietitians on social media.
I get it, intuitive eating is a super complicated process to understand and something you probably will never fully understand unless you completely commit to going through the process yourself.
And even then, you will have questions. Why? Because there are so many nuances to intuitive eating. Thankfully, you have come to the right place to get your more immediate questions answered. As an intuitive eating dietitian and certified intuitive eating counselor I’m here to break it down for you.
We can’t describe an intuitive eating dietitian without first talking about what intuitive eating even is, so here it goes…
What is Intuitive Eating?
Essentially, intuitive eating is a non-diet, weight-inclusive, evidenced based, health promoting approach to eating.
It involves stopping dieting, learning how to tune into our body cues (i.e. hunger, fullness), managing cravings and overeating, eliminating food rules and food guilt, gentle nutrition via nutrition science and so much more.
Honestly, sometimes I like to think of intuitive eating as intuitive living because it’s about so much more than just food. It impacts our whole lives, our relationships with food, exercise and our bodies. It’s quite powerful that way.
To an extent, we are born intuitive eaters but our innate abilities to eat intuitively are stripped away from us as we age in diet culture and as a result, it’s now something we need to re-learn as we unlearn diet culture ways.
Now, it would be quite the oversimplification if I left it as just that, given the complexities of it all which is why I created a blog post solely focusing on the 10 intuitive eating principles, which you can feel free to check out.
Otherwise, you can just take note of these 10 intuitive eating principles without getting into further detail at this time…
Reject the diet mentality
Make peace with food
Challenge the food police
Discover the satisfaction factor
Feel your fullness
Cope with your emotions with kindness
Respect your body
Anyways, without further ado, let's talk more about intuitive eating dietitians!
What is an intuitive eating dietitian?
An intuitive eating dietitian is a Registered Dietitian that specializes in intuitive eating that may or may not be a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor. A true intuitive eating dietitian will practice with an anti-diet, weight-inclusive lens while taking a health at every size approach.
Intuitive eating dietitians recognize the complexities and nuances of all of the different principles of intuitive eating and therefore are able to appropriately guide individuals through the process.
Beware of “intuitive eating coaches” that have no health background or appropriate education in nutrition and intuitive eating. If you’re going to do it, you should be confident in the strategies and guidance provided to you.
What does an intuitive eating dietitian do?
An intuitive eating dietitian incorporates the principles of intuitive eating into their practice. This may include unlearning diet culture beliefs and practices, reconnecting with one's body cues, eliminating food rules and incorporating nutrition science via gentle nutrition.
Ultimately, the goal is for individuals to heal their relationship, and find peace with, food and their bodies. This can be done together with other strategies intended to improve health. Intuitive eating dietitians also incorporate medical nutrition therapy as part of the process as needed for particular health circumstances.
In general, dietitians play many roles in health improvement, so whether you’re looking to improve your general health, a specific health condition or navigate an unfamiliar life stage via nutrition, a dietitian can help.
What’s it like to work with an intuitive eating dietitian?
As cheesy as it may sound, working with an intuitive eating dietitian is like a breath of fresh air. First of all, intuitive eating dietitians are probably the least judgemental people when it comes to your food choices, your body size and your overall health habits.
Yes, we want to help you improve in all of these areas, as that’s likely what you’re coming to us to get help with, but we want to do it in a way that feels best for you and your body. Because at the end of the day, it is YOUR body and YOUR choice.
Consider what every past attempt at health felt like for you. Many “health” attempts feel restrictive and unsustainable, often leaving you feeling guilty when you can’t stick with it, you may have short term wins, but in the long-term you’re left feeling like a failure over and over again.
Now consider the complete opposite, creating a sustainable lifestyle that you can stick to life long because it feels good, it’s not restrictive, you have short term wins, but we’re also creating positive outcomes that last a lifetime.
It’s not a rigid plan that’s difficult to stick to and that interferes with daily living, it’s a flexible lifestyle that increases daily and overall life satisfaction. It’s not hard, it's just different than what you’re used to, in the best way possible.
How long does it take to become an intuitive eater?
There really isn’t a set timeline, it will vary from person to person. Some things that may impact the rate at which you move forward include past dieting history, ability to let go of trying to control your size and find peace with your body, as well as your dedication to the process.
Regardless how long it takes, there are so many milestones to achieve throughout the process. You don’t work through it with only one end goal in mind. You can make progress each and every day. There are always small wins to celebrate.
What I can tell you for sure, is that the longer you wait to start, the longer it will take. If you want to achieve intuitive eating at the fastest rate possible, I highly recommend you go all in right from the beginning.
Though the book is amazing (and a great starting point) reading it and trying to incorporate a few principles yourself isn’t a strategy. It may actually result in you feeling confused and thinking that intuitive eating is just another diet that doesn’t work. Trust me it’s not.
There are a lot of nuances so it helps to have a professional at your side throughout the process to work through your unique issues, concerns and questions.
If you desire such assistance, check out my services, I’d be more than happy to help.
How can I find an intuitive eating dietitian near me?
Your best bet at finding an intuitive eating dietitian near you is to check out the certified intuitive eating counselor directory and enter your location. This way, you know they are legit and have the appropriate training.
There are also different dietitian directories online in which you have the capability to search through numerous dietitian profiles and see who may be the best fit for you. They will typically state if they are an intuitive eating dietitians in their bio.
Some directories you can check out are Dietitian Directory, Dietitians of Canada Directory and Health Profs.
You can also check out the different dietitian colleges or regulatory boards specific to your location. I live in Manitoba and therefore I am licensed with the College of Dietitians of Manitoba.
If you’re interested in working with me, a Registered Dietitian and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, head over to my services page, to learn more about me and the services I offer (note: I offer virtual nutrition services for adults across Manitoba and other select locations).
P.S. I love getting onto a free discovery call before moving forward with potential clients! It gives us both a chance to see if we’re a good fit to work together and allows for you to get all of your questions answered prior to moving forward.
If you’re interested in a free call with me, please go ahead and fill out an application to work together to start!
What are the benefits of working with an intuitive eating dietitian?
Intuitive eating dietitians recognize that traditional approaches to health typically aren’t lasting in life long changes and permanent results.
Intuitive eating isn’t something you do once before moving on to the next diet. It’s something you learn, and if applied correctly, will stick with you for a lifetime. It becomes second nature.
Here are some of the benefits of intuitive eating:
Improved self-esteem
Better overall quality of life and life satisfaction
Wider variety of nutrients and foods consumer
Increased pleasure with eating
Lowered blood lipid levels (i.e. cholesterol, triglycerides)
Decreased overeating episodes
Improved body image and body appreciation
Lower blood pressure
Less likely to eat emotionally
Fewer disordered eating tendencies and decreased risk of developing an eating disorder
Have you been thinking about working with an intuitive eating dietitian?
If you’ve been thinking about working with an intuitive eating dietitian, I would love to hear from you! Remember, the longer you wait to start, the longer it will take, so quit delaying your intuitive eating journey and start now!
Go ahead and review my services then fill out an application to work together if you’re interested, and I will be in touch shortly for next steps!
Note: you may have coverage for dietitian nutritionist services through your health insurance, so be sure to check yours out!
I hope this article was able to give you some clarity as to what an intuitive eating dietitian is and how they practice. If you still have more questions, feel free to leave a comment or contact me below!
More about my services: I'm a Registered Dietitian in Flin Flon, Mantioba. I provide dietitian nutritionist services in Flin Flon virtually. However, because I only do 1:1 nutrition coaching virtually, I can see clients across Manitoba and other select provinces.
So whether you live in Winnipeg, Brandon, Portage La Prairie, Dauphin, Swan River, Thompson, The Pas, Flin Flon or anywhere in between, we could work together!
Globally, I have other services options available, inquire to learn more!