Whether you’re brand new to Intuitive Eating or not, you’re sure to find something among these 9 book suggestions to help you make peace with food. Intuitive Eating is a mind-body approach to nutrition, food and health. It was created by two dietitians Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch and has over 200 studies and counting.
There are 10 principles of Intuitive Eating such as “rejecting the diet mentality” and “feeling your fullness” that can help you make peace with food once and for all.
Intuitive Eating has been around since 1995 but in recent years has gained traction and popularity as more and more people seek a non-diet approach to food and nutrition.
Unfortunately big diet companies (like Noom for example) have caught on to this, and have started co-opting this approach for their own profit, further confusing people on exactly what it is.
The confusion created by these dieting companies makes it harder than ever to find reliable and credible resources on true Intuitive Eating.
As a Registered and Licensed Dietitian specializing in helping women make peace with food and respect their bodies, I’ve created a list of the 9 best Intuitive Eating books to help you make peace with food.
This comprehensive list will provide plenty of great book options to support you on your journey to making peace with food.
Let’s dive in!
The 9 Best Intuitive Eating Books to Help You Make Peace with Food
1. Intuitive Eating: a Revolutionary Anti-Diet Approach by Evelyn Tribole MS, RDN, CEDRD-S and Elyse Resch MS, RDN, CEDRD-S, FAND
This was the book that changed EVERYTHING for me. My journey to Intuitive Eating was not necessarily a quick and painless one. It involved a lot of learning and unlearning in order to find my own healthier relationship with food and then be able to help my clients do the same.
This book was written by the OG’s who created this approach, named Evelyn and Elyse. In this book, they dive into the 10 principles of Intuitive Eating and how to, “make peace with food, free yourself from chronic dieting forever [and] rediscover the pleasures of eating.”
If you’re just getting started with Intuitive Eating, this book is a great resource you can 110% trust to give you the most accurate 411 on what the heck Intuitive Eating is all about.
2. Intuitive Eating for Every Day by Evelyn Tribole MS, RDN, CEDRD-S
This little cutie includes “365 daily practices & Inspirations to Rediscover the Pleasures of Eating.” This book is super cool because it’s organized by each of the 10 principles.
For example, days 1-42 are daily affirmations and exercises specifically related to principle #1, reject the diet mentality and so on and so forth.
You could either read these through, one for every day throughout the year front to back OR focus on just the section you’re currently working on.
3. Intuitive Eating Workbook by Evelyn Tribole MS, RDN, CEDRD-S and Elyse Resch MS, RDN, CEDRD-S, FAND
This bad boy packs a huge punch and is great for anyone who likes writing prompts, journaling, and other exercises to help you make peace with food.
One section I use frequently with clients is the what I call the how do I feel, what do I need worksheet or “Deconstructing Eating Behaviors,” in the workbook.
It can help you identify those uncomfy feelings like loneliness, anger, sadness and practice new coping skills (vs. taking it out on food) to process them more effectively.
Check out this workbook if you want to take some actionable steps towards a healthier relationship with food.
4. Anti-diet by Christy Harrison, MPH, RD
Christy is the sh*t, honestly. She gives it to you 100% straight in this book. I mean the subtext is, “reclaim your time, money, well-being and happiness through Intuitive Eating.” Like hello, sign me up!
In her no holding back approach, Christy pokes at exactly why “obsessing over what you eat is bad for your health.”
In the first section she goes over how diet culture steals your time, money, well-being and happiness. After that, she gives you hope for life beyond diet culture including reclaiming your right to eat intuitively and how to stop labeling food as good or bad.
5. Body of Truth by Harriet Brown
My love for this book can be summarized by a Parade review on the back cover that reads, “Brown takes on fad diets, unattainable beauty ideals, and the misconceptions that shape how women view themselves.”
I mean… Bing, bang and BOOM baby! Let’s do this! Crack open this book ASAP if you want your mind to be seriously blown in a very down to earth manner re: how science, history, and culture drive our obsession with weight – and what we can do about it.
6. Body Respect by Lindo Bacon, PhD and Lucy Aphramor, PhD, RD
In other words, what conventional health books get wrong, leave out, and just plain fail to understand about weight. Bacon and Aphramor dive deep here to break the stigma and assumptions about weight equaling health.
They challenge long held beliefs that assume a larger body is inherently an unhealthier body, and how our relationships with food get messy when we pursue weight loss at all costs.
I bookmarked like, every single page in this book. 🙂
7. Body Kindness by Rebecca Scritchfield, RDN
This would probably be the best “intro” to Intutitive Eating book on this list at least, besides the actual Intuitive Eating book itself. I often recommend Body Kindness to anyone who is curious about Intuitive Eating but maybe not entirely ready to jump ship from a traditional diet approach.
One especially helpful thing I learned from Body Kindness that i’m always utilizing with clients is the idea of “spiraling up.” Scritchfield suggests considering the ONE thing you could do right now that would set you in a positive upward spiral of healthy behavior promoting another healthy behavior.
For example, signing up for an exercise class may lead you to drink more water or eat more veggies, etc.
8. Health at Every Size by Lindo Bacon, PhD
This one is ROBUST. If you’re looking for a book that will totally flip your view of wellness and weight upside down, this is it.
Health at Every Size details the surprising truth about your weight in a way that is so freakin thorough I can’t believe they were able to fit it into 374 pages.
You can definitely trust Dr. Bacon on this topic. Dr. Bacon is, “inspiring message takes us beyond size, to shaping a culture of empathy, equity and true belonging.”
9. Unapologetic Eating by Alissa Rumsey, MS, RD
Last but certainly not least is my dear friend and colleague Alissa Rumsey’s book. Alissa was one of the first people who opened my eyes to Intuitive Eating and a non-diet approach.
Her book is a well-rounded super helpful blend of solid info including:
- Your brain on diets
- Exploring your history with food and your body
- If not dieting, then what?
- Self-care
- Self-compassion
- Becoming embodied
Among a bunch more super meaty content that will definitely be instrumental in helping you make peace with food and transform your life.
Any of these books would be a great place to start or continue your own journey to making peace with food. You can purchase or rent them confidently knowing they’re all written by reputable, reliable sources on the topic including many dietitians who specialize in (or created!) Intuitive Eating.
If you enjoyed this post, grab my free Befriend your Body guide and hop onto my email list below. That’s where I share lots of great resources, tips, tricks, and treats to help you make peace with food, build respect with your body and live the life you desire and deserve!
0 Comments