Intuitive eating is a non-diet approach to health and wellness that helps you tune into your body signals, break the cycle of chronic dieting, and heal your relationship with food. Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch are the dietitians who created this definition in their book, Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Anti-Diet Approach.

In today’s culture, athletes are bombarded with conflicting messages about nutrition that make it a burden. How much protein do you really need? Are carbohydrates as “bad” as they say? Should you take creatine? It’s overwhelming to manage all these questions (among many more!), resulting in the fun being taken from participating in a sport you love. 

Athletes face a plethora of challenges with food. There are those who think certain foods are “good” or bad” when it comes to choices for their performance. Others who respond to stressful situations by controlling their food intake, such as restriction. And then there are folks who feel guilt or shame around their food, and will exercise to compensate for the food they ate. When athletes are worried about the food that they’re consuming, it moves away from the mental acuity needed to perform at their best. 

The 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating lay the foundation for creating a healthy relationship with food. Per Ricciardelli’s 2016 meta-analysis review of Intuitive Eating studies published between 2006 and 2015, they found that Intuitive Eating was associated with the following benefits: 

• Greater body appreciation and satisfaction
• Positive emotional functioning
• Greater life satisfaction
• Unconditional self-regard and optimism
• Psychological hardiness
• Greater motivation to exercise, when focus is on enjoyment rather than guilt or appearance 

Imagine how these benefits can translate to an athlete, professional or recreational. Learning about intuitive eating means to honor your hunger and respect your fullness, but that’s not the only thing about IE. It includes rejecting the diet mentality, making peace with food, coping with your emotions with kindness, and honoring your health with gentle nutrition. 

Here at Limitless Nutrition, we aim to make food and eating second nature, not something you count, record, and schedule. You’ll be amazed how shifting your focus around nutrition can enhance your performance.

This is why the Limitless Nutrition Guide to Intuitive Eating for Athletes was created, and you can download it here.