Losing It: Gut Instinct

Food Police

The concept of challenging the "food police" is central to intuitive eating, as it encourages individuals to eliminate the moral judgments associated with food choices. Kristen Brown shares an exercise where a client was encouraged to eat grilled cheese every day for a week to break the stigma of "bad" foods 1. The result was a newfound neutrality towards food, where grilled cheese and salads were seen as equally valid choices. Sammy Prebitt, a dietitian and intuitive eating counselor, emphasizes the importance of rejecting diet culture and embracing food freedom 2.

Imagine a world in which grilled cheese isn't bad and a salad isn't good. They're just foods. They both fuel you, even if one of them is more nutritious.

--- Kristen Brown

This approach allows individuals to enjoy food without fear or guilt, fostering a healthier relationship with eating.

   

Food Habituation

The food habituation experience illustrates how allowing freedom with food choices can change one's relationship with eating. Sammy Prebitt explains that by giving oneself unconditional permission to eat, the novelty and allure of "forbidden" foods diminish over time 3. This process, known as food habituation, helps individuals stop fearing certain foods by making them a normal part of their diet. Kristen Brown4.

The big fear people hear when they're like, Sammy, you don't understand. If I have unconditional permission to eat, I'm just going to eat chocolate covered almonds, pizza, cake, cookie, ice cream, brownies, like all these foods for the rest of my life.

--- Sammy Prebitt

Ultimately, this approach encourages a balanced and guilt-free relationship with food.