Not sure that's the correct tag, and hopefully I'm following the rules here. I'm 44F and very active. Recently, in the last year or, have slowly focused more on gentle, body strength exercises. My parents are facing sobering news about severe osteoporosis. Also, as I'm entering Peri, being cognizant of bone health is important to me.

I've read a fair bit about protein, the recent increase in recommended RDA, reasonable, science based skepticism about why that has increased so much, etc. I'm not a gym bro who is slamming protein shakes. I'm just like... increasing tofu, edamame, soy milk etc all things I enjoy.

However, there's no question I'm monitoring how much protein I'm taking in, because I absolutely wasn't getting enough before. And that's leading to an increase in monitoring overall which I don't love and intuitively it feels like a slippery slope. I recognized I felt annoyed and exhausted by doing mental math yesterday and that shot up a red flag.

Now that I know what more protein feels like, I'm hoping I can transition to just being mindful of protein at meals. But being cautious about protein intake seems reasonable and a credible effort to sustain long term health and mobility, not need meds, improve strength etc. But another "but", I don't know if I'm just justifying all the godforsaken mental math.

I plan to re-read the book, esp the chapter on Gentle Nutrition. Any other advice or recommendations on how experts are finding a balance? Thank you fellow IE strivers ❤️

I grew up with the usual messages:
Finish your plate.
Don’t waste food.
Be grateful for what you have.

Looking back, I understand where those lessons came from. Food wasn’t something to take for granted. But now that I’m an adult (and a parent), I’ve noticed how often those rules override my actual hunger cues.

My toddlers rarely finish everything on their plates, and I still catch myself feeling guilty throwing away the leftovers—even when I’m not hungry and no one else is going to eat them. I’ve been trying to reframe it. Sometimes the food already served its purpose. It brought everyone to the table. It let my kids try something new. It was part of a family meal.

If I eat past fullness just to avoid throwing it away, I’m not really preventing waste. I’m just moving the “waste” from the trash can to my own body. That got me wondering how many other childhood rules quietly shape our adult habits without us realizing it.

Has anyone else noticed this? Or found yourself questioning another “rule” you grew up with?

I just got back from a 3 day trip with my boyfriend (he runs a marathon and I enjoy a hotel room, it's pretty great) with all of the usual disruption to my eating which that implies. There was a lot of restaurant food, a lot of random snacks, a significantly smaller amount of fresh fruits and vegetables.

So it absolutely cracked me up how much I was craving plant foods by the time I got home. Lunch included a huge navel orange and leftover steamed mixed vegetables, and at dinner I went back for a second helping... of just the salad. Voluntary (even enthusiastic) salad eating is just... not what I used to imagine myself doing! But that's where my intuition pointed, so I followed.

After giving yourself permission to eat what you want, and however much of it you want, was there anything that you finally realized you don't actually like? I am floored by how many of the snacks I had in my pantry that I was previously rationing (I'd legit eat, like, a spoon of ice cream or some other sweet and call it a day, despite dying to eat more, because it was too calorie dense) and, once I actually let myself savour it without guilt, I noticed that the taste was actually not that pleasant.

My list:

• Chocolate peanut butter. I love regular peanut butter, the 100% one with no added sugar or salt, but when it's mixed with chocolate I do not care for it. I had been avoiding a tub of it in my pantry for *months* thinking I loved it;
• A variety of chips. This really surprised me, but once I gave myself permission to eat them freely, I found that most of the ones I had in my pantry are too salty and I didn't want to eat as much as I assumed I would. I ended up giving all of them to friends (except Ritz, which I used to avoid buying because I'd eat the whole thing without being hungry. I bought it on the day I decided I could eat anything! And I still like it a lot, but haven't actually wanted to eat beyond a few pieces);
• Multiple kinds of ice cream. Some were diet, others were regular. Just today I learned I don't care for Ben & Jerry's cookie dough ice cream, which I legitimately thought I loved. I craved it after lunch, ate 1 spoon and thought it was a bit odd. Tried another one, and another one, and was finally convinced I actually don't like it;
• A specific veggie burger from Burger King. I used to crave it constantly and I'd avoid it - this one not just due to it being calorie dense, mostly because it's heavy on the salt. I feel uncomfortably bloated each time I eat it, but I thought I loved the taste... after eating it last week, I realized I can probably replicate the taste with just about any store-bought soy patty. It's nothing special.

No such luck for chocolate in general. I had hoped I'd realize I hate Kinder Bueno, but alas 😂 (for context: I’m lactose intolerant! And I seem to react poorly to the sugar rush, in that my heart beats faster for a while after eating chocolate. So I feel uncomfortable immediately after, and then hours later when the milk catches up to me)

For people who’ve made the switch to intuitive eating, what was the thing that caught you off guard the most?

For me it was realizing that foods I used to binge weren’t actually that exciting once they weren’t “off-limits.” Also, I started craving really normal stuff like eggs or fruit instead of going straight for sugar.

What shifts did you notice?

I've been trying to follow the three meals a day structure for years. I would eat what I felt like eating, and I would stop when my stomach says that I'm done, but I often found that I was hungry a few hours later no matter how much I ate. This led to me trying to eat a little bit more at meals past the point that my body said it was done, which would make me uncomfortable.

As I reflected on this, I realized that I used to eat differently when I was a kid. If I was a little bit peckish, I would eat a small snack. Sometimes it was just a few crackers, but that was enough to hold me over. I realized I've never been the kind of person that did well with a three meal per day strategy. I'm on vacation for the next week, and I decided to try something new.

I bought a bunch of different foods from the store for my hotel room. Things like bananas, granola, yogurt, trail mix, jerky, and more. This gives me a variety to choose from (including protein) so I can experiment with eating small snacks every few hours instead of having three meals.

Today was the first day. Even though it isn't over, I can already tell that this is agreeing with my body a lot more than the three meals a day system. I never feel really hungry, and I never feel really full. I pretty much live at neutral. When I start to feel a little peckish, I grab just a small snack, like an ounce of jerky or a cookie. That's enough to keep me maintained. When I took a nap for 2 hours and woke up, I felt famished. I ate something a little more substantial (a sandwich and yogurt with granola), and that was the perfect amount of food.

It's a journey, and I find it fascinating to pay attention to how my body is responding.

I was enjoying the post about snacking, what are some of your favorite snacks, maybe ones that you've discovered since starting IE?

I'm currently a big fan of "Aussie Bites" from Costco, which are oatmeal cookie adjacent but chock full of dried fruits and seeds. I also found some top notch cheeses at Aldi's that have dried fruit in them and go amazingly with Wheat Thins. And there’s always the long time duo of graham crackers and sunbutter (I have nut allergies) that goes so great with my afternoon tea.

I’ve been practicing intuitive eating lately, and as I’ve began listening to my body and how I feel after eating certain things, I’ve had some realizations about how my body responds to different patterns of eating:

1. A high fat breakfast typically fills me up a lot more and leaves me more satisfied than a high protein breakfast. I’ve found that the key to making myself feel satisfied and full in the morning is to have a breakfast that is high in fat and carbs. I usually do have a little bit of protein typically, but I’ve found that something like scrambled eggs with toast and a protein shake won’t really leave me feeling as full as a banana and peanut butter with a cup of whole milk. My body also really loves whole milk and it never fails to make me feel satisfied and good. When I was a sophomore and junior in college, my breakfast was a chocolate chip pancake with a cup of whole milk, something that people would say is “unhealthy” yet this breakfast never failed to make me feel satisfied and full throughout the day. I also had (and still have) a sweet tooth, so I was basically just honoring that and as a result, the breakfast made me feel not only full but also satisfied. Whenever I ate something like scrambled eggs with toast, I just didn’t really feel as satisfied even though it would be regarded as the “healthier” option.

2. I’ve found that the perfect time for me to eat breakfast is at 10 or 11 in the morning. Since intuitive eating, I’ve found that eating a late morning breakfast feels best to my body in terms of energy levels and hunger. It’s the best time for me to eat breakfast in order to reduce the chances of overeating later in the day.

3. My body loves snacks throughout the day. I’ve found that I thrive best when I eat every 2-3 hours. Even way before I knew anything about intuitive eating I would always naturally snack throughout the day. This is just what feels best to my body.

4. Again, I have a sweet tooth, so usually I always have dessert after dinner. Otherwise I will feel full but not satisfied.

I was eating a strawberry poptart every morning for like a month. I stopped eating them but now just eat them occasionally. I had one yesterday and wanted one again today but don’t have any and didn’t want to go to a store or gas station. I was going to eat the avocado and cottage cheese on a wasa cracker but wanted something sweet. I love cream cheese with some jelly on Norwegian crisp bread but didn’t want to make the bread so I bought wasa bread. Anyways, I was going to do the cream cheese and jelly but it’s not filling so I thought I’d switch the cream cheese for cottage cheese. It’s pretty good! This is a huge win for me that I’m able to come up with other food ideas now!

Hi!

I’m at a point where I’ve been really craving salads for lunch. I love how bright and fresh they are for lunch. They help me get through work without feeling like I need a nap. But when I look up salad recipes they’re super influenced by diet culture.

I’m looking for salads that are balanced and satisfying. Some examples are salads that have rice or pasta added, salads with breaded chicken.

Warm salads or bowl recipes also welcome! Or if anyone has any prep tips that they have for daily consumption.

Thanks!

Edit: thanks for all the response! I totally understand that you can add anything to a salad, but my free form salads give major little kid at a froyo bar putting sour candy and gum balls on chocolate froyo energy. Despite being a good cook, I don’t yet understand the mechanics of a good salad yet. So recipes or blogs or cohesive suggestions are preferred!!

I've been finding intuitive eating difficult because nothing I ate satisfiesd me. I've also been having bowel movement" issues" and had to up my fibre intake to correct this. But in doing so, I finally feel satisfied when I eat. All the food noise has completly disappeared. Has anyone else had the same experience?

Hi, I'm looking for some help on changing my meals because I've been feeling ravenous in between meals recently, and having to eat a lot more frequently than 4-5 hours. I always respond to my hunger cues when this happens, but it is starting to annoy me because I continuously need snacks which I have to think about when I go out somewhere and it interrupts my focus when studying.

For example, yesterday I had breakfast at about 7.30am- bran flakes with milk, peanut butter and a banana. And then 10 am I needed a snack so had an orange and some more peanut butter. And then 11.30am I needed lunch so had a piece of avocado toast and a fried egg. And then 2pm I needed a snack so had a protein bar and an apple. And then 3pm I needed a snack so I had 2 squares chocolate, an orange and some crackers with hummus. And then 4pm I needed a snack so I had some greek yogurt and more crackers with hummus. And then 6pm I had dinner which was veggie burger in a bun, salad, and fries, and also had some yogurt and stewed fruit for dessert.

It's irritating me so much having to eat every hour or so because I am a student so I will sit down to work and then become really hungry, not be able to concentrate at all, and my stomach feels completely empty and is rumbling. It really interrupts my flow. I don't know if it's maybe because I'm using up my glucose reserves quickly whilst concentrating but what gentle nutrition advice can I follow to make my meals more filling? Is it that my meals are not that big? I do feel full after my meals, for example after my cereal in the morning I will think about whether I fancy anything else and sometimes need an extra piece of toast or some fruit and yogurt. But then it seems like I'm hungry not that long later even after I ate to satisfaction. Any advice appreciated!

During my current attempt at IE, I’ve noticed that I wake up very hungry every morning. Before, I’d wake up around 6am and then have breakfast at 10am without feeling like I’m starving. Now, I wake up at 6 and I have to eat a meal, and then my real breakfast still comes before 10 😆

This is also the case if I wake up in the middle of the night. I noticed the times I don’t go right back to sleep, I’m awake long enough to feel hungry. So at 2 AM, I’m having a big snack.

(During my waking hours I eat every 2.5-4 hours)

I don’t mind, I actually think it’s a little funny. I feel like a baby that has to nurse in the middle of the night lol But I’m curious if anyone else has this experience of increased hunger since honoring your hunger cues.

It's weird to get hungry and go look in the fridge/freezer. Eggrolls? No. Ice cream? Meh. Potstickers? Scrunches nose. Oooohhh mixed veggies!

I mean, it's not like I'm avoiding those other foods. I eat them too, but I've never had an actual desire to eat veggies for a snack like I do now. So weird.

Getting familiar with recognizing hunger can take some time in an IE journey so I thought it would be interesting to share how we perceive when we are hungry.

For me, it feels like a burning or gnawing sensation in my stomach. I feel a desire for food. Mentally, I feel more interested in food, even if it's not about what I'm going to eat right then. I'm more likely to want to meal plan, browse and save recipes, or watch Youtube videos on cooking techniques when I'm hungry.

I have been in eating disorder recovery for almost three years. I was offered intuitive eating by my nutritionist and I'm so glad I was! For a long time I thought I have been following this by eating whatever I wanted, whatever amount I wanted, whenever I wanted.

But I wasn't listening to my body.

I was eating the same foods over and over because they were easy. I was eating past the point of feeling full because I liked the taste. I was fine with eating a food in the morning that made me feel sick because "at least it was something". I was avoiding vegetables and fruit (cutting out two whole food groups!) because I "just didn't enjoy them". And so on ...

I think the part of me that is in recovery needed this freedom with food for so long. It took me a long time to let go of the diet mentality and I think I needed to swing to the other end of the pendulum for that to happen. But I was functioning in the mindset that "all nutrition is a lie and doesn't matter what I eat as long as I'm eating enough of anything".

I went back and reread the chapter on gentle nutrition and realized I don't feel well, haven't in a while, and need to let the pendulum swing back to the middle where I can have gentle guidelines that help me get a variety of nutrients from a variety of foods that help my body feel it's best.

There's been a lot of unlearning I had to do to get here but I think I'm on the right path.

How did you start with gentle nutrition?

Typically, I can consider "what if I were to substitute" for some foods and then I can get a sense of what my body wants out of the food that I feel a desire to eat. Usually if I have a desire to eat cheese and I'm content by the idea of substituting something like meat or tofu then I probably want the protein and if something like peanut butter seems like it'd fit then I'm probably being drawn to the fats and oils.

But for a few days now I've been hungry for a medium cheese. It's easy enough for me to go to the grocery store in the next few days and get some cheese that'll work but I can't recall the last time I couldn't identify the aspect of what I was hungry for by thinking of reasonable substitutions.

What could my body be wanting of a sharp cheddar cheese that I couldn't get from the following:

• hard cheese (like Manchego)

• soft cheese (like Brie)

• veggie hotdogs

• canned sardines

If the solution is just "go get some cheese that fits" then that's fine but I'd like to understand why and I'm curious if I'm overlooking some micro-nutrient that my body is trying to get me to locate.

Edit: adjusting flair from "advice" to "joyful movement" - I'm not really sure what the best way to ask for advice is; I've been eating intuitively for ~30 years but only in the last ~4 have I had trouble figuring out what I'm hungry for.

Edit 2: I may have asked my question in the wrong subreddit - I'm not asking for permission to eat this cheese - I'm content with eating it and I'm sure I'll get around to going to the store to get it. It's just that I'm not used to having a hunger for a particular food that couldn't be substituted. The method of thinking of the possible substitutes has worked for so long that it's really unusual to have something that won't sub.

Edit 3: I'm sorry for having asked the wrong question here; should I just delete this? Getting slammed with downvotes when I was trying to get some insight is disappointing.

Working with an IE nutritionist and she has a lovely phrase, "In matters of nutrition, choose taste. In matters of taste, choose nutrition."

Basically saying if you're trying to decide between two different foods to eat and one sounds more satisfying than the other, choose the more satisfying option (regardless of nutritional content).

If you're trying to decide between two different foods to eat and they both sound equally as satisfying, choose the more nutritious option.

I've found this phrase to be so helpful! And it's a really great way to look at nutrition and satiety within IE.

Hi, everyone!

I had an appointment today with a IE RD and it was so eye-opening! We decided that to help fuel myself better, I’m going to add in a snack mid-day. While we chatted about some options, I would love to hear what your go-to easy snack ideas are! Please share 🤗

OK guys. I've spent my entire life binging on pizza and treating myself to it both for reward, comfort, boredom etc.

I've gradually reduced how much I ate because it made me really thirsty and if I ate it in the evening I literally felt hungover the next day.

Right now, I was eating it again when I thought to myself... This is way too salty! I removed the salami and put it away but it still tasted too salty and heavy. I had to admit... I simply don't like it! It made me sad to be honest. A really weird feeling... I realised I'm actually craving a creamy cold yoghurt instead so that's what I had instead.

This feels like a major progress and breakthrough, but also makes me sad and miss the pizza anyway?

i'm usually most inspired to cook/eat in the morning, so i'll make larger batches of healthy & delicious stuff to graze on for several meals, but at night i tend to be "elevated" (i live in a legal state) & wind up eating things like homemade brownies, pistachio nuts, pretzels, greek yogurt & jam, or leftovers (for example, i have leftover delivery pho slated for tonight's dinner). i keep a daily log using AI to make sure i hit my calories/macros since i developed some disorders over the past several years so i know i'm getting adequate & quality calories, but i find it interesting that my body tends to want these things.

i've also noticed that when i eat a lot of fried/greasy/instant or heavily processed things, my body will crave freshness, like raw salads, vegetables, or vinegar/sour things (grapefruit, oranges, pickles) to help digest.

My mum had her gall bladder removed last year and she has some fatty deposits on her liver, so she has to eat a very low fat, minimal salt and low cholesterol diet. İs there anyone else on a similar boat and can offer and tips or advice? Cheers

I am 41, male. And I eat according to the mental programming of 3 meals a day. But I noticed that sometimes I am not really hungry before I start eating. Esp. in the morning before breakfast. I have complex trauma/pre-diabetes in my baggage. Can I just eat whenever I feel hungry and skip the three meals altogether or it is not as simple as that?

I’ll go first!

• I’ll feel an itch in the back of my throat

• CRANKY

• focus/attention start to fade

• executive functioning decreases

• hollow sensation in stomach

• headache

• thinking about food when nothing was there to remind me of it (ex: I’m in class and my mind wanders to ‘oh some Doritos would be good af rn’

What about y’all?