A Holistic Guide to Intuitive Eating

Welcome to your Holistic Intuitive Eating Guide—a profound journey back to trusting your body’s voice, nourishing your soul, and embracing food with joy and freedom.

In this guide, we’ll explore what intuitive, mindful eating truly means, how it can heal your relationship with food and yourself, and why it’s a powerful path toward holistic health and genuine well-being.

And if you like, grab my free mindful eating workbook (includes intuitive eating worksheets, a mini-challenge and some useful tips) to use alongside this guide.

Contents

• 1. Introduction: What is Intuitive Eating Really About?
• 2. What is intuition?
• 3. Breaking Free from Diet Culture
• 4. The 10 Intuitive Eating Principles — With a Holistic Twist
• 5. Understanding Hunger, Fullness, and Satiety: Listening to Your Body’s Cues
• 6. Nourishing Choices: Eating with Joy and Intention
• 7. Moving Your Body the Intuitive Way
• 8. Mindful Eating in Everyday Life: Practices for the Present Moment
• 9. Health Benefits of Intuitive Eating
• 10. Final Thoughts: Your Journey Toward Food Freedom

1. Introduction: What is Intuitive Eating Really About?

If you’re sick and tired of being told what’s healthy and what’s not, or you feel utterly confused and overwhelmed, this guide is for you. It’ll shine a light on this matter and will lead you safely back to true health and radiance, on your terms.

With intuitive eating, there are no rules to obsess over, no strict diets, no calorie counting. It’s about honouring your body’s innate wisdom by tuning into what your body truly needs. Because it speaks, it guides, it knows.

Before I even knew about the term, I was already living it—intuitively! Unlike many approaches out there, my journey didn’t start with science or a medical background. I didn’t follow a set of rules, a plan, or a program. I followed my intuition and my body’s subtle messages.

💡 Here's the thing: while there are official principles of intuitive eating, I believe that real intuitive eating is deeply personal and may look different from person to person. It’s definitely not about strictly following external rules (that would defeat the whole purpose, don’t you think?).

It’s about reconnecting with yourself.

Reconnecting with your rhythms, your cravings, your health, your emotions. And in my humble opinion, it’s about incorporating holistic wellness into your daily life, from the way you move your body to the way you nurture your mind.

At its core, intuitive eating is about remembering what we have always known: Our body is our compass. It knows how to guide us toward nourishment, balance, and joy.

In this guide, I want to share the heart of intuitive eating with you—not as a rigid framework, but as a living, breathing practice. Take this as your inspiration to guide you on the path.

✨We’ll explore:

• What intuitive eating is (and isn’t)
• The key principles—without rigid rules
• How holistic health and mindfulness can deepen your journey
• Gentle ways to reconnect with your body's cues and inner rhythms
• Practical tips to build intuitive, sustainable habits that nourish your whole being

👉 If you're only starting out and prefer a more compact version of this post, check out my beginner-friendly Guide to Intuitive Eating.

Ready to listen to your body, to trust your intuition, and build a healthy relationship with food? Let’s begin—let’s come home to yourself 💚.

2. What is intuition?

If you’re like: Okay, sounds great so far, but what the hell is intuition? How do I know when my intuition is talking to me or when it’s my mind? Where do I even start? – then let me make this clearer for you!

💡 By definition, our intuition is “the ability to understand something instinctively, without the need for conscious reasoning.”

Every human being on this planet is intuitive. It’s our innate superpower that guides us through life. Some people refer to it as your inner voice, your gut feeling, or your subtle nudge towards certain things.

Everyone has it, everyone can use it!

When you ask yourself the questions that I’m going to give you throughout this guide, notice the first answer that comes to mind. This is typically the right one. It comes up so fast that your mind doesn’t even get the chance to analyse it first. This is the easiest trick in the world!

Another way to understand what your intuition is, or feels like, is to say, “My name is [your name].” Notice how that feels right for you, truthful. Now say, “My name is [random name].” A different sensation, right? This statement feels wrong, more like a lie.

The difference might be subtle at first, but with practice and over time, the feeling will get stronger. Your intuition is like a muscle that you need to train. Know that you can’t do anything wrong here! Trust the process.

If something gives you joy, makes you feel good, follow it! If something feels off or not like something you think is right for you—even if everyone has a different opinion about it!—drop it like a hot potato.

That’s how easy being intuitive is! There’s no big science behind it, no extraordinary talent needed. Intuition is yours. Always. With that in mind, let’s dive deeper into the principles of intuitive eating.

3. Breaking Free from Diet Culture

Social media, the beauty & health industry and other external influences have created today’s diet mentality. Nowadays, so it seems, everyone is on some kind of a diet or following some kind of food rules.

I think we’ve all fallen into the Diet Trap at some point in our lives. Ditch the fat, ditch the sugar, ditch the carbs. Go vegan, go raw, go keto, go gluten-free! Because we think: what works for them, will automatically work for me.

So, we jump on the diet train, and may see great results in the first few weeks, yay, until something shifts and we self-sabotage ourselves. We cheat, we tell ourselves: oh, just this one time (and we all know, it never stays at “the one time.”)

Next up is the guilt and shame for lacking the motivation, the stamina to continue. We feel like a failure, beat ourselves up and blame ourselves for making the wrong choices when in fact, we followed our gut, intuitively, without being aware of that.

The Fault in Diet Mentality

See, what we don’t understand is that we don’t stop a diet because we’re too lazy or not strong enough. We stop it because our body sends signals to our brain to stop the nonsense. So much so, we can’t ignore the messages any longer, and we go “weak.”

For example, I went vegan for a while because I convinced myself I should do it, for moral reasons, for health reasons. I wanted to be some kind of rebel, I suppose. However, my body is very strong and sent me signals in the form of cravings pretty much right away.

However, my mind is even stronger, so I ignored my body’s cues at first. Lucky for me, at the time, I was getting into yoga and holistic health and started to listen more to my body. I came to understand that my “going weak” was actually my “going strong.”

Reclaim Your Inner Wisdom.

When we start to tune in, to listen to our body, the magic happens. Intuitive eating is so much more than just adjusting your diet to your personal needs. It’s about improving your overall health and well-being.

🧠 Did you know that our digestive system is actually digesting more than just food? It also has to process our emotions, our life, and our thoughts. Everything is connected! We don’t call it the mind-body-soul connection without reason.

Your emotional state and mental health influence your ability to digest food properly. This is a crucial fact when it comes to understanding your health issues around digestion. Our body is such a complex system that only the smartest brain can fathom—and that brain is our body itself.

The good news? You don’t have to do much. You only have to listen to your intuition, be patient, and trust that you’re always guided towards radiance, joy and health.

4. The 10 Intuitive Eating Principles — With a Holistic Twist

The term “Intuitive Eating” was coined by the dietitians Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch in their 1995 book Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program That Works. They came up with the 10 intuitive eating principles, which are:

1. Reject the Diet Culture: Break free from food restrictions and lies.
2. Honour Your Hunger: Understand the physical signs of hunger.
3. Make Peace with Food: Give yourself unconditional permission to eat.
4. Discover the Satisfaction Factor: Find the pleasure in your eating experience.
5. Feel Your Fullness: Learn about your body’s fullness cues.
6. Challenge the Food Police: Get rid of the diet mentality.
7. Cope with Your Emotions with Kindness: Understand emotional eating and binge eating.
8. Respect Your Body: Accept who you are & reject the unrealistic body image.
9. Movement—Feel the Difference: Focus on the feelings while working out.
10. Honour Your Health—Gentle Nutrition: Make the right food choices.

These principles give us a great starting point for our intuitive eating journey, and I love how they offer a modern, sustainable approach to change your life without a strict set of rules. It’s all about YOU and YOUR feelings, body and choices.

For me, though, it’s always been a deeper, more embodied practice. One that’s rooted in listening not just to the body, but also to the heart, mind, and energy. That’s where the holistic approach begins, the mind-body-soul connection that goes beyond fullness and hunger cues.

👉 Sounds plausible, no? Nevertheless, there are quite a few myths about intuitive eating. In this blog post, I'm debunking the 5 common myths!

Beyond the Basics: A Soulful Approach to Intuitive Eating

I love tying the principles of different alternative medicine systems together, picking the knowledge and wisdom that feel right to me, and morphing them with my experiences into a new concept. Well, maybe not new new, more like an updated version that moves more cohesively with our modern life.

As a certified Ayurvedic Health Advisor, I came to understand the complexity of our health and the many layers we more often than not have to peel back before getting to the core of our ill-being.

Instead of focusing too much on diet mentality and external influences, I prefer to put my emphasis on the feel of things: simple, mindful eating habits, intuitive movement, and a curious desire to understand my own body.

Holistic Intuitive Eating

💆 It’s more than food. Intuitive eating to me is not only about what and when to eat (or to stop)—the how is just as important: our state of mind while eating, as well as cooking or preparing the food.

🌿 Ayurveda meets intuition. Ayurveda has many beautiful concepts such as seasonal eating, dosha awareness and daily rhythms (you’ll learn some of them in this post). However, where the Ayurvedic guidelines feel too rigid, trust your intuition. It’s okay to be a rule breaker!

🧘‍♀️ Movement as medicine. Exercise should never feel like a chore or a punishment; it’s a way to honour your energy. Rid yourself of outdated belief systems such as: only cardio or intense workouts burn calories. That’s not how it works (I lost weight doing restorative yoga only.)

💛 Emotions matter. Our emotions impact our digestion and other bodily functions. When suppressed or not properly expressed, they can become toxic and create disharmony in our system. Gentle movements such as Qigong or Tai Chi are excellent ways to bring the body back to balance.

🌸 Simplicity is sacred. You don’t need fancy meal plans or rigid structures. Just you, your body, and the permission to come home to yourself. Don’t overwhelm yourself—keep it simple, always! One step at a time.

5. Understanding Hunger, Fullness, and Satiety: Listening to Your Body’s Cues

From a scientific perspective, the hunger hormone ghrelin signals to the brain when it's time to eat, while leptin, the satiety hormone, signals fullness and tells the brain to stop eating. These hormones work together to regulate your appetite.

They are in constant conversation with your brain. Chronic stress, lack of sleep, and dieting can disrupt these signals. However, gentle lifestyle shifts and intuitive practices can restore the balance (which you’ll learn in just a bit).

From an Ayurvedic perspective, fullness and hunger cues are actually simply explained. To know when your body has had enough food, simply listen for your first burp. It’s your sign to stop eating or to slowly finish the last bites.

If the burp comes up some time halfway through the meal, it means your digestion is imbalanced (this often happens when we’re stressed, or rush through a meal). Take a few deep belly breaths and mindfully continue eating, continuously checking in with your feelings of fullness.

If you’re someone who tends to overeat, really take this to heart: you don’t have to finish what’s on your plate. When you’re full, you’re full. It’s okay to put even the smallest amounts of leftovers into a container for later (see chapter 6 for advice on serving size).

Physical hunger can look different from person to person.

It’s very important to understand what hunger feels like to you. It may be a growling stomach, irritation (think hangry), low energy levels, or a lack of focus.

If you are suffering (or have suffered) from an eating disorder and you forgot how to feel genuine hunger, don’t beat yourself up.

Focus on finding the pleasure in eating again, on learning how to enjoy food, and on bringing your body back to balance. Stressing about it will only do you more harm than good! Relax and be patient with yourself.

Body cues are your body’s natural communication tools

One of the most empowering parts of intuitive eating is learning to trust your body again—its hunger signals, its cravings, its energy cycles, its gentle nudges. This is where the real magic begins.

But let’s be honest: after years (or decades) of dieting, emotional eating, and tuning out our internal wisdom, it’s not always easy to recognise those signals right away. That’s okay. Reconnection is a practice, not a performance.

• Hunger cues (like a growling stomach, low energy, or a lack of focus)
• Satiety cues (that “just right” feeling after eating)
• Cravings (often pointing toward emotional needs or nutrient gaps)
• Energy rhythms (times of the day you feel naturally active or tired)
• Emotional states (your mood and stress levels, which influence food choices)

When we begin to listen to these signals, rather than override them with external rules or rigid meal plans, we create a much healthier and more sustainable relationship with food.

6. Nourishing Choices: Eating with Joy and Intention

Food should be enjoyed, not judged or analysed. Once you begin to reconnect with your body’s needs, the next step is to honour them with food choices that truly nourish you—physically, emotionally, and energetically.

Explore healthy foods that offer a variety of nutrients without sticking to strict food rules. Keep in mind, though, it’s not about labelling foods as “good” or “bad.” It’s about shifting the focus from control to connection. From guilt to pleasure. From fear to joy.

Choosing what to eat becomes less about perfection and more about presence. What feels good right now? What will energise me, satisfy me, and support my well-being today, at this present moment? These are the kinds of gentle questions that guide intuitive, joyful eating.

Understand Your Food Cravings & Emotional Eating

Food cravings are often misinterpreted as something bad, as something we need to fear or fight—but what if we looked at them with curiosity instead of judgement?

Cravings aren’t the enemy—they are actually messages from our body and mind, trying to communicate with you in the only language they know. Sometimes they signal a physical need (like a magnesium deficiency), and other times they point to our emotions—comfort, nostalgia, or a desire for grounding.

Instead of judging yourself for craving chocolate, pasta, or chips, pause and gently ask: What am I really needing right now? Maybe it’s rest. Maybe it’s sweetness in your day. Maybe it’s connection.

💙 Food is emotional. It’s tied to memories, celebrations, comfort, and even safety. Emotional eating gets a bad reputation, but it’s not inherently wrong. It’s a coping mechanism.

The problem isn’t that we sometimes eat emotionally. The problem is when it’s our only tool to deal with what we’re feeling. Instead of blaming yourself for eating when you’re stressed or sad, try to trace the feeling back to its root. What triggered the emotion? Can you respond with kindness instead of judgement?

How Much to Eat: The Right Portion Size

Finding the right serving size for you may take a little bit of trial and error. And the only way to find out is to observe, and perhaps to journal (check out my free Mindful Eating Workbook that includes mindful eating worksheets with journal prompts).

Take note of how much food you eat per day—not for tracking calories or anything, but rather to gauge. Take it as a starting point.

For example, I weigh my pasta before cooking it because then I know I’ve got the right amount, and it’s not just guessing it. At first, I allowed myself 40 g of pasta (general serving size: 100 g) because I didn’t want to go big on carbs (yes, I fell for that.) Now, I have somewhere between 70-90g, so twice as much, and it feels just right for me!

Again, there are no rules here. After all, the portion size will depend on how many meals you eat per day! You can ask yourself, do I feel better having only 3 big meals per day and plenty of time between each, or does my body work better with having 4-5 small meals?

And yes, that number can change from day to day, too. But after a while, you’ll get the hang of it. You’ll know how much is enough, and you can intuitively guess how much you need for each meal.

7. Moving Your Body the Intuitive Way

We have to move our bodies every single day to release stagnant energy, to encourage proper digestion, to move lymph, and to have our system running smoothly. It’s a known fact that today’s sedentary lifestyle is the root cause of most of our health problems.

However, the physical activity I’m going to be talking about doesn’t mean exercise. It also doesn’t target weight loss or any alterations to your body weight (though, obviously, it may have that effect for you).

With intuitive exercise, we address our energy levels and emotional state. How do I feel like moving today? What does my body need today—do I have energy to burn or do I need to replenish?

Intuitive Movements

The type of movement you choose should always energise or restore, and not deplete you. Intuitive movement can be a gentle walk in nature, a restorative yin yoga class or a full-on HIIT workout. It’s about what you feel like doing. If you wanna be lazy, be lazy—but move! Walk around the house!

Regular exercise, on a daily basis, has an amazing impact on our mental as well as physical health—and, no, you don’t have to break a sweat or strain your body for it.

As I mentioned earlier, I lost weight while doing mainly yin yoga (if you’re not familiar with this type, it’s basically stretching only.) How so? Because I was calming my nervous system, hence lowering my stress levels, so my body could finally self-regulate and get rid of the excess body weight.

Just as with food, there are no right or wrong types of movement. Keep balance in mind, though. Don’t overexert yourself. This can weaken the adrenals and put stress on the body, which in turn can have detrimental effects on your overall health and well-being.

8. Mindful Eating in Everyday Life: Practices for the Present Moment

Our daily lives are usually dictated by appointments and stress. There’s no room for pause, no break, only rush, rush, rush. And the more we’re stressed, the more we stress about being stressed. It’s a vicious cycle!

Mindfulness exercises are designed to bring you back to the present moment. To give you those breaks that you not only deserve, but truly need. Especially when it comes to eating, we have to slow down and focus on our meals!

🧠 Did you know that when you’re standing while eating, your body doesn’t even register that you are eating? And now look at how we mostly consume food today: That coffee on the go on your way to work, the rushed sandwich in between meetings, the bag of chips on the train.

Mindless eating disconnects you from food, from the experience. Just ask yourself this: Do I remember what I had for breakfast this morning? For lunch? Most often, we at least have to think about it for a couple of seconds when, actually, we should be able to recall it immediately.

9. Health Benefits of Intuitive Eating

Intuitive eating is a sustainable approach to holistic health, for emotional, physical and mental well-being. To quickly recap: Mindful eating isn’t just about how you eat—it’s a powerful way to reconnect with your body, your intuition, and the joy of nourishing yourself.

When you slow down and tune in, you naturally support better digestion, regulate your appetite, and make more aligned food choices.

It also helps reduce emotional eating, calms the nervous system, and creates a healthy relationship with food that’s rooted in trust, not guilt.

With more presence at mealtimes, you’ll likely feel more energised, more satisfied, and more connected—to your meals and to yourself.

The Benefits of Mindful Eating

• Improves digestion by slowing down the eating process and promoting proper chewing
• Regulates appetite by helping you recognise true hunger and satiety cues
• Reduces emotional eating through greater awareness of emotional triggers and patterns
• Promotes a healthy relationship with food—less guilt, more joy
• Supports mental clarity and calm by reducing stress around eating
• Helps break free from diet culture and food rules, encouraging body trust
• Stabilises energy levels and mood throughout the day
• Enhances enjoyment and gratitude for meals through sensory awareness
• May improve sleep and reduce late-night snacking by aligning eating with natural rhythms
• Can support gentle weight regulation (without the stress of restriction or counting)
• Encourages better food choices by tuning into what your body genuinely needs
• Creates space for intuition and joy in daily life—not just meals

10. Final Thoughts: Your Journey Toward Food Freedom

Wherever you are on your intuitive eating journey—just beginning, finding your rhythm, or coming home to yourself again—know this: there’s no “perfect” way to eat intuitively. There’s just YOUR way.

This isn’t about getting it right every time. Making mistakes is part of the journey! Some days will feel easy. Others might feel messy, and maybe you doubt yourself and the choices you make. And that’s okay. Because this path is super personal and ever-evolving. Trust the process!

You already have the wisdom within you. Your body knows. Your intuition speaks to you. And with each mindful bite, with every conscious decision, you deepen the relationship between the two.

If this guide spoke to you, don’t forget to download my free Mindful Eating Workbook to help you tune into your body’s cues.

Your journey toward food freedom is uniquely yours—and I’m so honoured to walk alongside you. Let’s keep coming home to ourselves, one bite at a time.

From my Heart to Yours. So much love ❤️,
Julia | Donut Follow the Crowd