The Weird Link Between Intuitive Eating & Self -Respect

How Did I Come to Intuitive Eating?

It wasn’t a straight path. It was messy, frustrating, and honestly—sometimes discouraging.

I had been diagnosed with an autoimmune condition, and from my background in herbalism, I knew that food had to play a role. Food is foundational. But even though I tried different natural health approaches, nothing fully resolved the achy joints, constant fatigue, and the flu-like fog I lived in day after day.

Then I started noticing a pattern: certain foods made me feel worse. At first, I brushed it off—just a little bloating, some digestive upset. But when I ate bread or pasta several days in a row, the symptoms hit harder. The joint pain flared, my body felt puffy and inflamed, and some days I couldn’t even wear my rings.

That’s when I discovered gluten sensitivities and tried a gluten-free trial. Cutting out wheat wasn’t easy—I loved baking, creating decadent desserts, and honestly, I craved bread like comfort itself. But the difference in how I felt was undeniable. My energy lifted. The pain eased. My body felt calmer.

Still, it wasn’t a perfect fix. I wrestled with cravings, because food had always been more than fuel for me—it was comfort, reward, even a creative outlet. So I found myself going back and forth, gluten-free some days, then pulled back in by sweet treats or the aroma of fresh bread.

But here’s the truth I had to face:
If I knew a food made me feel bad, how often did I really want to feel that way?

That single realization shifted everything. It gave me a sense of empowerment. I wasn’t powerless. My body wasn’t against me. My body was giving me signals, asking for help in coping with stressors, and one of those stressors was the inflammation caused by certain foods.

Over time, I discovered it wasn’t just about gluten. My body felt its best when I consistently avoided wheat, dairy, and high-sugar foods. It took trial and error, creativity with substitutions (lettuce wraps became my sandwiches!), and learning to say no when cravings pulled me in. But as I stuck with it, something deeper happened.

Along the way, I learned to manage my cravings and the emotions that were driving them.

And finally I began to realize, it wasn’t just about food—it was about self-respect.

Every time I ignored my body’s signals, it felt like I was disrespecting myself. And every time I chose what truly nourished me, I was honoring myself.

That’s when intuitive eating clicked for me: it wasn’t about diets, rules, or restriction—it was about listening inward.

It was about paying attention to my body and its needs and bringing that self awareness and kindness to my meal times.

Food, Self-Respect, and Intuitive Eating

Intuitive eating begins with awareness—awareness of how food makes you feel physically, but also emotionally. Self-respect means listening to yourself, even when the world tells you to ignore your own signals.

We’ve been conditioned to take our cues from outside voices—doctors, diet rules, experts, even social media. But your body is the most accurate feedback system you’ll ever have. When you pause to listen—really listen—you start to notice what helps you feel better and what makes you feel worse.

And that’s where empowerment lives.

Whether it’s saying no to a food that causes inflammation, setting boundaries with people who drain you, or choosing kinder thoughts when negativity creeps in—self-respect is prioritizing what makes you feel good.

A phrase I love from my coaching training is:
“When you notice what works, you can focus on what works—and simply do more of it.”

That’s the heart of intuitive eating. That’s the heart of self-respect. And that’s how I finally found my way to peace with food and with my body.