Intuitive eating is only suitable for healthy individuals—those who have a balanced relationship with their body. Those whose hormones work in harmony, who do not struggle with excess or insufficient weight, and who, in general, know how to listen to and understand their body’s signals.

If you do not have this kind of relationship with your body, it means that at some point, you have repeatedly ignored its signals, making intuitive eating impossible for you right now. However, it is possible to restore your connection with your body, and once that happens, you can transition to intuitive eating. But first, I want to explain why it is not possible right away.

Here’s an example: A small child comes to their parent and asks to be hugged. The parent doesn’t have time at that moment, so to compensate for the lack of attention, they give the child a cookie.

An hour later, the child returns, asking once again for affection. To buy some more time, the parent now gives them a phone to play with. A little while later, the child again seeks the parent’s attention, but this time, the parent asks them not to disturb them.

This kind of behavior leaves a mark on the relationship between the parent and the child. Instead of seeking the parent’s attention, the child starts asking for substitutes (cookies, entertainment, etc.). The relationship between the parent and child becomes unhealthy, and they no longer understand each other.

To restore their bond and reconnect, changes in behavior, care, and time are needed.

The same thing happens with our body. Once, it sent us clear signals about when to eat and when to stop. But if we fail to pay attention at the right moments and ignore these signals hundreds or thousands of times, the body starts seeking substitutes—sweets, pastries, and similar foods.

This is how our relationship with the body breaks down. And in order to restore this relationship, we first need to give it time, care, and change our eating patterns.

The path to intuitive eating looks like this:

1️⃣ First, we restore our body, giving it care and time while adjusting our eating habits.

2️⃣ Only then do we transition to intuitive eating, learning to notice and listen to our body’s signals.

Intuitive eating is the result, not the starting point. Before reaching it, you must first build a strong connection with your body.