Please note that this is an Archived article and may contain content that is out of date. The use of she/her/hers pronouns in some articles is not intended to be exclusionary. Eating disorders can affect people of all genders, ages, races, religions, ethnicities, sexual orientations, body shapes, and weights.

Author:  Kim Passmore, RD, CD and Michael E. Berrett, PhD

Please note that this is an Archived article and may contain content that is out of date.

Since first teaching its concepts in 1999, Center for Change has been a pioneer in using the concept of “intuitive eating” (based off of Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD, and Elyse Resch, MS, RD, FADA) in the treatment of eating disorders. The intuitive eating philosophy is taught by registered dietitians in both inpatient and outpatient settings at Center for Change through individual nutrition counseling sessions and group nutrition classes. The program also provides clients with opportunities and experiences to practice and develop their intuitive eating skills while in a safe environment.

Intuitive eating not only helps individuals get back in touch with their body’s internal cues, it also helps them to stop their battle against food and learn how to “make peace” with it. These are two vital components to a full recovery from an eating disorder.

In the initial stages of treatment, patients need re-nourishment and a structured approach is used to assure they receive the nourishment needed to begin the healing process of body and mind.  While we teach patients the concepts of intuitive eating, the integration of that model into their recovery plan depends on illness severity and their ability to eat intuitively or not.  Our experience is that many patients can learn to eat intuitively and the prospect for that often increases motivation and hope for our patients.

Revised September 2014