Have you ever found yourself restricting foods you love because you felt you “shouldn’t” eat them? Or experienced guilt after eating something that felt off-limits? For many people, especially those recovering from dieting or disordered eating, these patterns can create a cycle of stress, cravings, and shame.
In intuitive eating, one of the most transformative principles is giving yourself unconditional permission to eat. This means letting go of food rules, honoring your cravings, and allowing yourself to eat without guilt or judgment.
Unconditional permission isn’t about overeating or losing control — it’s about trusting your body, listening to hunger cues, and building a healthier, more balanced relationship with food.
In this post, we’ll explore what unconditional permission to eat really means, why it’s essential for recovery, and practical strategies to bring it into your everyday life.
8 Ways to introduce unconditional permission to eat:
1) Allow yourself to have something sweet after lunch or dinner (or both!)
Instead of calling it dessert, call it a snack, as dessert can have a negative connotation. There is nothing wrong with having a sweet tooth. In fact, all that means is that your taste buds and the pleasure centers in your brain are working!
Maybe it’s a piece of chocolate, a baked good, or a tasty beverage (anyone else loving hot chocolate lately?!) - making this a routine will help to increase body trust and awareness.
2) Look for ways you can introduce a little more variety
Maybe you aren’t ready to tackle your “fear foods” just yet - that’s okay! Seeing where you can increase your repertoire of foods can help break you out of the cycle of eating those “safe” foods each day.
3) challenge your food rules
What food rules are you still holding onto? How much are those rules enabling you to have a healthy relationship with food? Is there any truth to those rules?
Maybe your food rule is that you don’t eat croutons. Get curious! Do you like croutons? How do you feel after having them? Do they make salads more enjoyable for you?
4) create new recipes
This is a fun one! Maybe setting a goal for 1 new recipe per week. Getting creative in the kitchen can help bring the fun and enjoyment back to food while also introducing some new, fun foods.
5) Remember: Food is just food
And all foods are neutral. Some are more “nutritious” than others (like an apple has more health-promoting nutrients than a brownie), but while an apple could fill us up physically, a brownie might be more emotionally satisfying. They’re just different! One food is not morally superior to another. Your body knows what to do with the food you provide it!
6) take it one snack, meal, and day at a time
Each eating opportunity is a chance to learn and build body trust. View this as an experiment! Be curious and practice trial and error.
7) hold compassion for yourself
You aren’t always going to get it right! Diet culture’s messages have a stronghold on our psyche. Give yourself the time and space you need. This is hard work. Remember: permission, practice, and patience are KEY.
8) wear comfy clothes
Who wants to practice unconditional permission when their jeans are tight and pinching their belly? No one! Find clothes that feel comfortable and not confining. When you are wearing clothes that help you feel confident and relaxed, your thoughts won’t be on your appearance as much. Thus, saving space for more positive and productive thoughts.
Undoing the damage of deprivation or labeling certain foods as “bad” as we are conditioned to do will take some time. In order to reach a point where food no longer takes up so much headspace, we need practice, patience, and lots of experimenting. We can then get to a place where we feel confident and competent in trusting our body’s signals. The only way to do that is to build up many positive experiences with foods. This way you can slowly chip away those psychological restrictions you might still be holding onto.
what's the next step?
Here at NourishRX, we understand that it can also feel like a daunting task to make sure you're getting accurate nutrition information amidst a sea of diet culture-infused nonsense. Working with a virtual nutritionist can help make this task a little easier. To help you feel supported and informed, virtual nutritionists can provide one-on-one guidance to ensure you reach your health goals.
If you're interested in working with us:
- Book an Appointment
- Learn More About Us
- Find the Right Resources for You!
A Registered Dietitian with over 15 years of experience in the treatment of eating disorders, Ryann Hilton is a passionate advocate for helping individuals heal their relationships with food. She holds a degree in Nutrition & Dietetics from Simmons University and is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist-Consultant (CEDS-C) through the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (IAEDP). She is deeply committed to using evidence-based approaches to offer practical support that reduces overwhelm and fosters long-term healing.
Comments Off on Unconditional Permission to Eat: 8 Ways to Help You Get Started