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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Mizzou chapter.

Dieting can be scary. There are many different types of diets and programs, and the majority of them are very restrictive and label foods as “good or bad.” From my experience, when I restrict foods and label them as bad I just want them more. If you don’t allow yourself to enjoy the food, then you may find yourself binging on it later and feeling super guilty. 

I have tried multiple different diets, including intermittent fasting and restricting certain foods. I also tried to put myself in a calorie deficiency and work off more calories than I ate every day, but none of these diets worked as well for me nor gave me the happiness with my diet that intuitive eating has. 

Intuitive eating is not restricting yourself from any foods, but rather listening to what your body wants. It can seem scary and you would think you might just pig out on your favorite foods all the time, but I have found I don’t. I am happier and more at peace with my diet using intuitive eating. Sometimes my body even craves healthy food like carrots, broccoli, green beans and even brussel sprouts. 

With intuitive eating, I am not labeling my food as good or bad, and that takes away some of the incentive to eat. For example, ice cream isn’t a special treat or something that I can only eat on certain occasions, it is just food that I can eat if I want. As a result, I have not wanted as much ice cream. When I was restricting my diet I would crave ice cream or a milkshake almost every night, but now that I let myself eat it whenever I want, I barely want sweets. 

One big lesson I had to learn with intuitive eating was just because it’s on my plate doesn’t mean I have to eat it. I know growing up many parents encouraged their kids to eat all the food on their plate, but that’s not healthy. If you are no longer hungry then don’t keep eating. If you are concerned about food waste, start with smaller servings and get more if you are still hungry, or save it as leftovers and eat it later. This will save you from overeating and not feeling good. 

Overall, everyone has a certain diet that works for them. Some might work for others but not everybody.  Personally, beginning intuitive eating was a big jump for me, and it has had some positive benefits and I encourage you to try it too. 

(she/her) Madison Thompson is a junior at The University of Missouri- Columbia and has direct admission into the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism School. She is an older sister and loves to read and write. In addition to Journalism, Madison loves creative writing. Madison has a self-published poetry book titled "The Journey". Her Poem Supermarket was a finalist in the 2019 KET writing contest.
Full-time student at the University of Missouri-Columbia (Mizzou), working two jobs, running organizations, and striving to be the best woman possible.