Don't make these 'gentle nutrition' meal planning mistakes as an intuitive eater

This post is part of my 2022 Non-Diet Resolution Challenge. If you’re reading this at any time in January, click this link to sign up and join us! It’s never too late and I’m always happy to have you. You can also listen to the bonus podcast episode here.

What is ‘gentle nutrition’?

Gentle nutrition is the 10th principle of intuitive eating, and it’s best described as practicing nutrition from a place of self-care, not self-control. I often say that nutrition matters, just not in the way we’ve been led to believe by diet and wellness culture. It doesn’t have to be perfect, nothing needs to be tracked or counted. And it should always be about what we can ADD to your diet, not take away from it.

Gentle nutrition is what all intuitive eaters want to learn as quickly as possible, but also what they often struggle to implement. Because for most people, intuitive eating comes after a long (often very long) history of dieting and following food rules. This means that many don’t know how to start thinking about gentle nutrition until they’ve gone through the steps of un-dieting their beliefs about food and health. Consider these questions…

Do you like salad with grilled chicken because of how it tastes and makes your body feel, OR because it’s gluten-free and low-carb?
Do you actually like black coffee, OR have you "learned to live with it”?
Do you give yourself the flexibility to have a second helping of dinner if you’re still hungry, OR do you only allow yourself to eat according to your plan?
Do you decide what to eat based mostly on what you “should” have OR do you allow your hunger and taste buds to guide you?

In order to apply gentle nutrition, you need to trust your body to know when it’s hungry and full , what it needs to feel satisfied, and believe that you have unconditional permission to eat. Only then can you think about eating intuitively with intention.

But, regardless of where you are in your intuitive eating journey, I’m here to encourage you to “try on” gentle nutrition this month (or any month) as part of this non-diet resolution challenge.

Gentle Nutrition is About More Than Eating Healthy Food

As you’ll find in the workbook (check your email if you’ve signed up!), many of the suggestions on the gentle nutrition bingo card aren’t about food at all! Because gentle nutrition is about more than what you eat, it’s also about how you eat. And meal planning definitely falls under the umbrella of gentle nutrition if it’s coming from a place of self-care, not self-control.

But, don’t make these common meal planning mistakes:

Don’t make your meal plan about cutting things out - keep the “add-in” mindset top of mind.
Don’t try to meal plan every single meal. Start with the busiest, or main meal of the day.
Don’t plan every day of the week. Leave a “flex day”! This is often what we call “leftover day” in our house. Or, sometimes it’s just a day that everything goes sideways!
Think of your meal plan as a roadmap, not a scorecard. Don’t give up and start over if a day doesn’t go as planned!
Don’t set your meal plan to auto-repeat every week. Make a point to check in and adjust as needed!

How do you meal plan? I’d love to know what works for you!

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