Intuitive eating sounds easy, right? Listen to your body, eat foods that make you feel good, have no guilt over enjoying a donut. Just do that and everything will be hunk dory! However, after being immersed in diet culture for years on end, actually implementing intuitive eating can be TOUGH. So, in this post I am going to share with you the 5 intuitive eating books that were game changers for m when I was learning how to listen to my body and live without food rules.
One thing to note is that when I was on my "journey" to find food freedom this was way before the boom of intuitive eating that has happened over the past few years. So, this intuitive eating book list might look different than some of the others you see out there. I also come at this intuitive eating book list from multiple angles.
We will focus on the following areas:
- Breaking food rules and making peace with food
- Changing your mindset and getting some serious positive vibes going
- Improving body image
These are the 3 key factors that have allowed me to truly make peace with food. It's one thing to eat the foods you previously feared and wouldn't touch with a 10 foot pole, but it's an entirely other things to truly make PEACE with food, learn to listen to your body, and get rid of diet culture's message that our self-worth is tied to the way we look and the size of our body.
I talk about this approach and these intuitive eating books, too, more in depth on my YouTube channel. So be sure to head there for more no food rules goodness!
Not only has 3-pronged approach of breaking food rules, changing mindset and improving body image worked for me, it's worked for SO many other women that I now teach in the SociEATy.
Okay, let's do it!
The 5 Best Intuitive Eating Books
Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program That Works
This one should be a no-brainer and first on the list. If you feel you're ready to start with or have tried and are struggling with intuitive eating, step #1 is to read the O.G. Intuitive Eating book!
The Intuitive Eating Workbook
This goes along with the first one. The intuitive eating workbook will help you actually implement the things you learn in the intuitive eating book. It's pretty large, which is great, but can also be intimidating. I'd suggest just working through it at your own pace, no need to rush through and do it cover to cover. Feel free to skip around and work on the areas you feel you need most.
Body Kindness
I like to recommend this book because it's a little bit more of a modernized approach to intuitive eating. I feel like it's a little more relatable than the original Intuitive Eating book, which was first published in 1995. Plus, the author Rebecca's voice is SO easy to listen to on Audible, if you're into that!
Health At Every Size
This. Is. A. MUST. No matter what shape or size your are, this book is a must read. It truly talks about the facts and science (or lack thereof) of the weight-health connection. It's a little dense and not the easiest read if you're used to those beach reads (guilty!!!), but SO SO worth it! You'll gain a wealth of knowledge.
Beyond Beautiful
This one was a later add for me, as it's a newer book. If you struggle with loving and appreciating your body, this is the book for you. It has so many practical body image exercises and I love that it has quotes in it from real women that just makes you feel so NOT alone. Such a powerful book!
*BONUS* Intuitive Eating Book
Lucky Bitch
Okay, this book is NOT food related. It's all mindset related. It talks about the law of attraction and manifestation, which I truly do believe were KEY in allowing me to learn to live with no food rules. So often we hold ourselves back from achieving something because of our THOUGHTS. This book will change all of that for you! Plus, her accent is like listening to BUTTER if you get it on Audible!
I hope that these books are helpful to you and give your a good, solid foundation to start your food freedom journey. Leave a comment if you're going to add any of these to your reading list! And if you have another intuitive eating books to recommend, let me know in the comments, too! I'm all ears! (well.. eyes... I'll be reading your comment....)
XOXO
-Colleen
Amy
Hello Colleen, I am new to your site, new to this concept, and I am very intrigued with all the information you have. This is really hitting home. Question for you please.... Which book do you think would be best to read if you were to pick just one? The Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program That Works, the workbook that goes with it, or Body Kindness. I really appreciate any feedback. Thanks so much.
Colleen
Hi! Yes! I recommend first reading the IE book!
Amy
Thank you!!! Amy
Colleen
Always!
martica hernandez
I got the IE work book will pick up the regular book.
Colleen
So great!!!! Hope you love!
Cas
Yess...i've read intuitive eating but have not dont the workbook.. healthy at any size is my next read.
Colleen
I think you'll love it! So eye opening!
Cloudy
My first encounter with IE was "The No-Diet-Diet: Do something different" by Prof. Ben Fletcher and Karen Pine. The Book is not about food, but it challenges you on whole different level!
The psychologists' initial question was: What do slim people actually do to stay slim? The answer: eat what they want, stop when they are full. Quite simple. Why can overweight people not do that?
So Pine and Fletcher investigated this and found out that slim people often react more flexibly to certain situations. So the book is based on challenging you to do something different every day for six weeks.
I lost a few pounds, but that was actually not so important to me, because now I have recognized a completely new possibility to use other behaviors in certain situations that I have regulated and compensated for by eating. This newly gained freedom made me question my behavior in other ways and so I finally came across the principle of Intuitive Eating.
Colleen
Wow you have such a great story, thanks for sharing it here!
Jamie Smith
Hi Colleen! I just found you on YouTube yesterday and I'm so happy that I did. I have ordered the Intuitive Eating book and the Health at Every Size book from Amazon yesterday and they will be here in a few days. I did want to recommend the book Untamed by Glennon Doyle. It is not specifically related to eating but it is an amazing book about being yourself and living your life Untamed.
Colleen
You're the second person to recommend that book to me.. I think it's a sign! Must get it!
Jennifer
Hi Colleen, is there a method to reading the workbook vs the regular IE book? I have both but am not sure if I should do 1 before the other or in tandem.
Colleen
I'd recommend reading the book first!