Jewel Reeves

Intuitive eating means listening to the signals your body sends you. It's all a matter of self-love. The intuitive eating model was developed in 1995 by two California dietitians, Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch.

All of us, at birth, ate following our intuition. Small children are the perfect example: they eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full. The amount of food they ingest changes virtually every day. Once they eat two whole courses, other times they stop after just a few bites.

As we grow up, we use intuition less when it comes to food. In childhood we were told that if we wanted dessert we had to finish what we had on our plate first. We have learned that there are good and other bad foods. The result of these lessons? As adults, when we eat "good" foods, we feel good about ourselves. But if we eat "bad" foods, we end up feeling guilty. The purpose of intuitive eating is to fundamentally change the way we think about food, and this can only be done through a new learning process.

Intuitive eating is not a diet; indeed, it is the opposite. You don't have to count calories or macronutrients, and there's no plan for your meals. All foods are allowed. If you eat while listening to your body, you will learn to be more aware of the signals you are receiving. Eat when you are hungry, stop when you reach satiety. You will then understand what you need. It can be a salad, but also a slice of chocolate cake. And that's fine.

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