Have you ever watched a toddler or young child eat? It’s fascinating! A baby will cry when they’re hungry and eat until they’re full. Toddlers eat all kinds of foods in different amounts throughout a day or week. They’re born as intuitive eaters, meaning they naturally trust their bodies and listen to their hunger and fullness cues. Some days, a toddler might eat only one thing on their plate, and the next day, ask for seconds. They adjust to their needs each day. But what changes? Diet culture and the parent’s own beliefs around food can influence and tarnish the natural abilities of their children around food.

Imagine you finally have time to yourself, alone. You can feel the urge to go to the kitchen to explore what snack options are available. You grab one of the snack bags out of the cabinet. As soon as you start eating, there is a peace and relief that is felt. Suddenly, you realize you ate more than expected, multiple bags are gone. You feel completely out of control and guilty for eating that amount of food.

Diets promote the idea that progress comes as long as you follow the rules. This promotes a perfectionist mindset and makes you feel that you need to follow all of the rules. If you mess up, your progress will go off track.

The mindset of approaching Intuitive Eating needs to be approached differently. There is a concept of the spiral of healing that at times, it will get more challenging before there is improvement. There is no failure but times of reflection and growth when challenges present.