The Psychology of Intuitive Eating

If you’ve heard of intuitive eating, you may know it’s a non-diet approach to eating, nutrition counseling, and health. But this approach expands beyond nutrition science, and into our human psyche. The psychology of intuitive eating is something Elyse Resch MS CEDRD-S focuses on in her work, as the co-author of Intuitive Eating, 4th Edition: A Revolutionary Anti-Diet Approach.

What does psychology have to do with eating?

I tried to put myself in Elyse Resch’s shoes, circa 1993, as she signed on to co-author a book about NOT dieting with her friend and colleague, Evelyn Tribole. 1993: In the US, we were at or near the height of dietary fat-phobia, smoking was still socially normal, Oprah had brought a wagon of “fat” on stage to visually demonstrate the significance of her body change. No one thought twice about this.

And here were two dietitians, Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch, about to write a book that would challenge these new health norms and the nutrition news whiplash that accompanied them.  

What Elyse and Evelyne knew then about the psychology of both dieting, and our innate ability to feed ourselves, would provide a foundation for changing our tune about nutrition, and health.

As Elyse shares in our conversation, for the first episode in the new RD Real Talk podcast Intuitive Eating series, the book, the principles, and the masterminds behind it (Elyse and Evelyn), have all evolved along the way.

“There’s such a misconception in the world that intuitive eating is only about instinct. It’s not, because we are not dinosaurs.”

Elyse Resch MS CEDRD-S, co-author of Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Anti-Diet Approach

In my conversation with Elyse for the RD Real Talk Intuitive Eating Series episode, she graciously and humbly takes us behind the scenes. She shares which theories of psychology helped inform this non-diet approach, what she has learned as a practitioner, and reminds us all to keep learning, keep growing, and keep being human. 

The Psychology of Intuitive Eating

When Elyse shares the theories of psychology that informed intuitive eating, and this non-diet approach to nutrition and health, it comes down to trust and autonomy. “Diets take away trust,” she says. The concept of a diet—in this context, meaning a set of rules that must be followed in order to be healthy, “manage” weight, and conform to weight-centric norms—convinces us, psychologically, that our intuition can’t be trusted.

When something as crucial to our survival as eating turns into something we try to control, there’s often a reason. “We are driven by unmet needs,” adds Elyse, noting that the decision to diet is often triggered by an unmet psychological or emotional need, on some level.

And, she says, “It’s human to want to grasp onto something that gives us a sense of control.” Sound familiar?

Learn more about the psychology of intuitive eating, and Elyse’s work (and humility), by listening to our conversation here: RD Real Talk podcast episode 146.

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