All of our ancient ancestors ate intuitively with the seasons. Learn how to tap into these methods for greater health and well-being

Intuitive eating is a simple enough practice: It essentially means eating in accordance with the signals of the body. Eat what you crave when you are hungry, just to the point of fullness.

Because of the culture many of us live in, for some, this simple practice has become so challenging that they seek out dietitians who specialize in intuitive eating. This approach to eating would have been the way we consumed food before there were diets or ever-changing social media-fueled beauty standards; we would have eaten for pleasure and survival, and that’s about it.

Explore how what we eat and how we feel are connected, and discover new tips for supporting your relationship with food.

When we talk about self-care, we often think of activities like taking a hot bath or going to a yoga class. But self-care truly refers to the most basic aspects of tending to the animals that are our bodies, and one of those aspects is food. There is an intimate relationship between food and mood, and it’s one we often take for granted. The kind of food we eat, how much of it we eat, and when we eat it can greatly affect our resilience, ability to rest, hormonal rhythm, and more.

Hunger is a form of physical desire. It is something that we feel in our bodies and, when we’re healthy, it’s unambiguous. We can feel it right there in our stomachs. Fullness is a physically felt aversion, an internally felt “no” or “stop” signal. Feeling and following our hunger and fullness signals is a powerful way to practice consent within our own bodies, to teach our nervous systems that our desires and our limits matter.

Food and love are inextricably linked. The association is old: when we are babies, food almost always comes alongside touch, with the closeness of a caregiver. Most babies quickly learn that when they cry, they generally get milk. We learn early on that food soothes. When we get older, food can become a replacement for love.