Intuitive Eating for Diabetes

Dr Jedha, Host

Hello wonderful people and thanks for joining me for episode 71, which is all about intuitive eating. 

I wanted to include this topic now, as we’re currently running our 4 week weight loss kickstart program with a group of people and one of the components of the plan is not to count carbs and calories during the program, but to try eating intuitively. 

01:30

Now, I know the idea of not counting carbs, calories or macros may seem counterintuitive, after all, don’t we need to count something to know what we’re eating. The answer to that is no and in the long term, fixating and obsessing over counting things is not helpful, it’s a laborious process, and in many ways it can be detrimental for several reasons. 

We know that “dieting” has limited long term success, often leading to weight regain. We know that fixating on counting can increase food preoccupation, a mindset of deprivation and labelling foods as “forbidden” or “bad” foods. It can lead to a wide array of emotions—guilt being one common one, self-hatred and self-punishment. “Dieting” can also lead to a rollercoaster of eating patterns, to binge eating and weight cycling or yo-yo dieting, where there is a loss and a gain, a loss and a gain, a loss and a gain — not a place any person wants to find themselves, and yet, common for many people. 

While we may benefit from losing some weight. When we fixate only on weight instead of our overall health and wellbeing, it’s never going to be a satisfying road to travel down, often leading to frustration and disappointment. 

The same can be said when it comes to improving blood sugar, if you only fixate on blood sugar instead of on improving your overall health and wellbeing, it’s never going to be a satisfying road to travel down. Alternatively, taking a different perspective can make it an opportunity to improve your nutrition and make choices that look after your health the best you can. 

So, being we are at the beginning of our 4 week weight loss kickstart program, I wanted to discuss the topic of intuitive eating in detail so our members in the program can benefit, but also I think this is a highly relevant topic that is beneficial to everyone. 

03:50

Let’s start with the basics—what exactly is intuitive eating, and why does it matter for diabetes?

At its core, intuitive eating is a self-care framework that shifts the focus from strict food rules to tuning into your body’s natural signals—hunger, fullness, and satisfaction. Instead of micromanaging calories, carbs, or macros and fixating on the laborious and monotonous task of counting calories, carbs or macros, which can be exhausting, intuitive eating is about developing a more natural, balanced relationship with food.  

While intuitive eating might sound a bit woo woo, it’s a scientifically validated concept that was first introduced in the mid 90s and since then, it’s gained traction as an evidence-based approach with more than 100 studies that have proven its benefits for improving both physical and mental well-being. 

But let’s clear up a common misconception right away—intuitive eating isn’t about eating whatever you want, whenever you want. Of course, that wouldn’t be beneficial to any of us. It’s about learning to trust your body’s cues and making choices that feel good physically, mentally and emotionally, making choices that support your overall health and well-being. 

Intuitive eating is built upon the principles of: 

• honoring your hunger and fullness, 
• making peace with food, 
• reducing sensitivity to emotions and thoughts during food intake, 
• coping with your emotions in other ways than food, 
• respecting your body and valuing your overall health and well-being. 

When we really think about these things, we can tune into ourselves and our body and what we need, what our body needs, with compassion and understanding. Because the thing is, you don’t have to eat perfectly to be healthy. Yes, for all of us there are foods that are better for us, that support our health. Making the choice to focus on quality nutrition is about respecting our bodies and honoring our overall health and well-being. But again, it’s not about perfection. It’s all about consistency. It’s what you eat consistently over time that matters most. Consistently making progress forward. Consistency is more important than perfection. So we really need to shift our mindset and the way we approach things away from that dieting mentality and toward taking the best care of ourselves.

06:35

When it comes to the science behind intuitive eating, as mentioned, there have been over 100 studies, and while intuitive eating has been studied for various things and conditions, how does it actually impact blood sugar control and overall health for people with diabetes?

Let’s go over a few study findings, so you can see that research shows there are only positive outcomes to be experienced by you. 

One study in adults living with type 2 diabetes found that people with higher levels of intuitive eating had lower body mass index, smaller waist circumference, and healthier triglyceride levels compared to those with lower levels of intuitive eating.

This suggests that eating in response to internal cues—not external rules—may naturally lead to healthier body composition and metabolic markers.

Another study, a systematic review and meta-analysis, examined the effects of intuitive eating interventions. Participants reported better body image, improved relationship with food, and lower psychological distress around eating.

This tells us that not only does intuitive eating help physiologically, but it also helps people feel more in control of their eating patterns—something that can be incredibly valuable for long-term diabetes management.

Another study specifically looked at how intuitive eating affects glycemic control in type 2 diabetes. They found that intuitive eating had an 89% lower chance of having poor blood sugar and A1c levels. Or in other words, those who made food choices based on intuitive eating based on internal body cues rather than external rules had a significantly better chance of maintaining stable blood sugar and A1c levels.

This is a big deal because it suggests that intuitive eating isn’t just about weight—it may have a direct impact on how well your body regulates blood sugar.

There are lots of studies on intuitive eating and what we can take from this, is that:

1. Intuitive eating isn’t just a mindset shift—it has measurable effects on health.
2. It’s linked to better metabolic markers, improved triglycerides, and even better blood sugar control.
3. It’s a sustainable alternative to rigid dieting, allowing for long-term improvements in both physical, mental and emotional health and well-being.

10:08

By now, you might be thinking—this all sounds great, but does intuitive eating really work for everyone? What if I just end up eating whatever I want and my weight or my blood sugar goes haywire?

I get it. When you’ve been told for years to count every carb and follow strict food rules, the idea of listening to your body instead can feel risky. So let’s break down some of the biggest concerns and misconceptions about intuitive eating, especially when it comes to diabetes.

Concern #1: If I eat intuitively, won’t I just eat junk food?

This is one of the biggest fears people have. The assumption is that if we stop restricting certain foods, we’ll just binge on unhealthy choices. But research—and real-world experience—suggests otherwise.

Here’s why:

• When foods are labeled as “off-limits,” they often become more tempting. This is called the restriction-binge cycle—the more we restrict, the more we crave.
• Intuitive eating removes this restriction and, over time, helps you make food choices based on how foods actually make you feel—not based on guilt or impulse.
• Studies show that when people practice intuitive eating, they naturally gravitate toward more nutrient-dense foods, not just processed options.

It is important to emphaisize that intuitive eating isn’t about eating whatever you want, whenever you want. Certainly, having guidelines to follow that are focused on helping you improve your blood sugar and health is important, but the point is that when you shift from making yourself meet all these high expectations and applying all these strict external rules that have probably dominated your life for decades, to internal wisdom and mindfulness that you are actually making choices for yourself, that’s very empowering. You won’t want to binge on unhealthy choices, as you’ll want to respect and honor your body. You’re not going to just eat junk food because you have a choice

Concern #2: What if I can’t trust my hunger cues because of diabetes?

With T2diabetes and prediabetes, hunger cues can sometimes feel unreliable. Hunger in diabetes often stems from imbalanced blood sugar levels. And from that, a range of hormones can be out of balance, such as leptin, ghrelin, insulin, GLP-1, and cortisol, all of which play crucial roles in regulating hunger, appetite, and your feeling of fullness and satisfaction. But here’s the thing—hunger signals can be retrained and brought back into balance.

The key to this is understanding that certain foods can intensify cravings and disrupt hormone balance and making the choice to avoid or limit these foods to prevent the rollercoaster of hunger signals and support better control of your appetite. By making a choice to focus on nutrient-dense foods instead, you start to feel and experience that your hunger is kept at bay for longer periods, that you feel better, have more energy, your blood sugar is more stable, and you just feel better overall. 

Intuitive eating doesn’t mean ignoring your body—it means learning to listen to your body again. 

Concern #3: Does this mean I can just ignore carbs?

No it doesn’t! Intuitive eating doesn’t mean throwing nutrition out the window. Carbohydrates are an important nutrient for blood sugar control. This is about making carb choices that work for your body, to support optimal blood sugar control.

But intiutive eating takes the fixation away, simplifies things. Instead of counting every gram, use our food list and guidelines to understand which foods are high in carbs and which foods support optimal blood sugar control. Then most of the time, you choose the foods that support optimal blood sugar control. The reality is, counting the exact number of carbs you eat is often not necessary because you can learn to eat intuitively. 

You can also pay attention to factors such as energy levels, hunger, and blood sugar responses after different meals. If certain carbs or foods spike your blood sugar too much, you can adjust—not because a diet plan tells you to, but because your body gives you that feedback.

No doubt, many of us have spent years following strict diet rules, so shifting to intuitive eating can feel uncomfortable at first. And that’s okay. It’s a process. Just like achieving better health is a process. The important thing is to keep moving forward with positive steps each day. And if you are taking our 4 week weight loss kickstart program, use the members chat forum to check in with us every day for accountability, to share your progress and to get support when you need it.  

16:53

Now that we’ve covered some of the common concerns, you’ve probably picked up on numerous insights into intuitive eating but let’s get even more practical—how do you use this intuitive eating approach to manage blood sugar, support weight loss, and improve your overall health?

Well, as we’ve tried to emphasize throughout this episode, intuitive eating isn’t about eating whatever you want, whenever you want. And it’s not just about eating when you’re hungry and stopping when you’re full—it’s about developing a long-term, sustainable way of eating that supports your body’s needs. We actually talk about this a lot throughout various podcast episodes, and how focusing on nutrition, having understanding and knowledge about diabetes and about your body, and then choosing nutrient-dense foods to support your body to function at it’s best – these are all underlying principles of intuitive eating that we regularly discuss, just in a slightly different way and wording. Our guidelines help you, help our members develop a long-term, sustainable way of eating — that’s what this is all about. 

But to get our heads around this practically, first let’s turn our hunger and fullness. 

For many of us, years of dieting or eating on a schedule have disconnected us from true hunger and fullness cues and we eat mindlessly, on autopilot, without much thought to it. With intuitive eating, we begin to rebuild trust in our senses. It’s about using mindfulness to help us slow down, reconnect, and tune into what our body and mind truly need. Through simple daily practices, you can begin to observe your patterns without judgment. Instead of just being on autopilot, begin to notice things like:

• When and why you reach for snacks.
• How you feel before and after meals.
• Emotional triggers that drive certain choices.

Once we become aware of our habits and triggers, it’s easier to start making intentional choices that align with our goals. 

Let’s use an example with hunger. There are times in the day that many of us eat and we’re not really hungry, think mindless snacking, caving in to sweet cravings, or having sweets after dinner – these might be examples when we eat but we’re not really hungry. 

To bring mindfulness to these situations, pause for a moment and ask: 

• Is my stomach physically empty?
• Am I feeling low energy, irritable, or lightheaded?
• Am I craving food for emotional reasons rather than physical hunger?

It’s only through being mindful that we can start tuning into our bodies more and respecting our body’s enough to support them with what they need. When you eat according to real hunger and choose nutrient-rich foods that support your body, overeating tends to decrease naturally, and you develop a healthier relationship with food.

Let’s use another example where one might focus on counting macros, carbs or calories. For those currently in our 4 week weight loss kickstart program, you’ve got a food list and a nutrition plan and guidelines to follow, so instead of counting anything, all you have to do is apply and follow those guidelines as closely as you possibly can, building on it every day. If you ‘fall off the wagon’ or ‘slip toward a sweet snack’, start paying attention to how that makes you feel, not just emotionally, as you may feel guilt, but also how the foods make you feel – how are your post-meal energy levels, do you feel energetic or sluggish, does your choice of food spike your blood sugar, was it a satisfying meal that kept you fuller longer.

Back in episode 61 Lisa shared her journey to reversing prediabetes and many things she shared were a great example of this. Although she admitted she loved pizza, pasta and icecream, after committing to her new eating plan, she shared how she started noticing those foods she thought she loved didn’t make her feel good and she could tell that they affected her gut health. 

As you keep choosing nutrient-dense foods, your hunger will naturally regulate and by using intuitive eating, you become more aware and in tune with your bodies needs. 

Now, one thing I do want to add here is that when you first start a new eating plan, you might feel like you’re hungry all the time. That’s normal and it’s best to honor those feelings as your body adjusts and choose a snack or another meal within the guidelines. As time passes and your body adjusts to your new way of eating, everything balances out and so does your hunger. But during this transition phase you can use intuitive eating to help you navigate how you and your body are feeling. 

The thing is, for most of us, eating isn’t just about hunger—it’s often tied to stress, emotions, and habits. So we need to learn to tune into our emotional and habitual eating so that we can work on changing this for our own benefit. 

A few more tips to tune into this are to:

• Pause before reaching for food—if you’re craving something but aren’t physically hungry, ask yourself what you really need. A walk? A break? A deep breath?
• Start creating small new habits—if you always reach for food at certain times (like late at night), swap it with a different activity like herbal tea, journaling, or stretching.
• Importantly, don’t punish yourself for emotional eating or stress eating if it happens—just observe it, learn from it, and move forward, because here’s one of the most important things….

Consistency is more important than perfection! 

It’s time to ditch the all or nothing mentality. When we slip up, we feel like we’ve failed and that can make us go off track completely. Intuitive eating removes this pressure.

While there are foods that you can choose to optimize blood sugar levels and your health and promote weight loss, there are no “bad” foods—it’s about balance.

If you eat something higher in carbs or a piece of chocolate or have a piece of cake at a celebration, don’t feel guilty about it. Enjoy that moment, savor the chocolate or that cake or meal, and then go back to your healthy eating routine. 

One less-than-ideal meal or one less-than-ideal snack doesn’t derail your health journey—it’s the long-term eating patterns that matter. 

So again, ditch the all or nothing mentality. That often leads to failure. The fact of the matter is, you can eat whatever food you want, anytime you want, but you’re choosing not to because you’re choosing foods to optimize your blood sugar, weight and health. When you do choose to indulge, you enjoy it, then you go back to honoring your body by choosing your healthy eating routine. This mindset shift is powerful not just for blood sugar and weight loss, but also for reducing the pressure on yourself, and improving stress and mental and emotional health.

If you’re in our 4-Week Weight Loss Kickstart, I encourage you to apply these principles, reflect on how different foods make you feel, practice mindfulness, and use the members’ chat forum for support and accountability. And if you’re not in the program, you can still start practicing intuitive eating today by applying many of the strategies we’ve spoken about today.

Take care of yourself and keep making progress, one step at a time. 

Dr Jedha, over and out.