I first encountered the phrase "intuitive eating" on Instagram, and my first assumption was that it was another list of dieting rules wrapped in a pretty package of empowerment and self-care. Then I noticed the bagels. And the cupcakes. And the glasses of wine.
Intuitive eating is a philosophy of eating that makes you the expert of your body and its hunger signals. Essentially, it's the opposite of a traditional diet. It doesn't impose guidelines about what to avoid and what or when to eat. Instead, it teaches that you are the best person - the only person - to make those choices.
Intuitive eating isn't a new thing. In 1995, dietitians Elyse Resch and Evelyn Tribole published a book on the topic, now in its third edition, presenting a nondiet approach to food that focuses on learning to give your body what it needs.
Intuitive eating sounds too good to be true. A diet that lets you eat what you want, when you want, with no strict limitations on how much? Count me in. But intuitive eating's a lot more nuanced than that.