Recommended Books on Intuitive and Mindful Eating to Transform Your Relationship with Food

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Are you worn out from restrictive diets and the never-ending cycle of guilt surrounding food? Intuitive and mindful eating methods provide a refreshing, evidence-based way to nourish your body without feeling deprived. Suppose you’ve lost the pleasure of eating because of excessive food rules, ongoing restrictions, or a good-versus-bad food mindset. In that case, the first step involves shifting your mindset—transitioning from guilt to self-trust, nourishment, and satisfaction. These books will assist you in breaking away from diet culture, reconnecting with your body's natural hunger and fullness signals, and cultivating a healthier, more fulfilling relationship with food. Whether you seek practical strategies, daily motivation, or a deeper insight into food freedom, this curated list of top intuitive and mindful eating books will assist you on your journey to eating with confidence, joy, and self-trust.

Both intuitive eating and mindful eating encourage a healthier, non-diet approach to food, but they have distinct philosophies:

• Intuitive Eating is a self-care framework developed by dietitians Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. It helps individuals reconnect with their body's natural hunger and fullness cues while rejecting external diet rules. It is based on 10 principles that guide individuals toward food freedom, body trust, and a peaceful relationship with eating.

• Mindful Eating is rooted in mindfulness practices, focusing on bringing full awareness to the eating experience. It encourages slowing down, savoring food, and being fully present while eating—without judgment or distraction. Mindful eating can be part of intuitive eating but does not necessarily reject dieting or external food rules.

Now, here are some of the best books available on both topics:

Mindful Eating Books

• Mindful Eating: A Guide to Rediscovering a Healthy and Joyful Relationship with Food – Jan Chozen Bays, MD

• A foundational book on mindful eating, written by a physician and Zen teacher, offering practical exercises and meditative approaches to food.

• The Mindful Eating Workbook: Simple Practices for Nurturing a Healthy Relationship with Food – Lynn Rossy, PhD

• A hands-on guide with exercises to develop mindfulness and self-compassion around eating.

• Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life – Thich Nhat Hanh & Lilian Cheung, RD

• It is a powerful book blending Buddhist wisdom and nutrition science to cultivate mindfulness in eating and life.

• Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat: A Mindful Eating Program to Break Your Eat-Repent-Repeat Cycle – Michelle May, MD

• A guide to breaking free from restrictive dieting and enjoying food with awareness and balance.

• The Joy of Half a Cookie: Using Mindfulness to Lose Weight and End the Struggle with Food – Jean Kristeller, PhD

• A practical approach to eating mindfully while still enjoying indulgences in moderation.

Intuitive Eating Books & Resources

• Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Anti-Diet Approach – Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD & Elyse Resch, MS, RD

• The original book that launched the intuitive eating movement is now in its 4th edition, offering a step-by-step framework to break free from diet culture.

• The Intuitive Eating Workbook: Ten Principles for Nourishing a Healthy Relationship with Food – Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD & Elyse Resch, MS, RD

• A companion workbook with exercises and journal prompts to help implement intuitive eating principles.

• The Intuitive Eating Journal: Your Guided Journey for Nourishing a Healthy Relationship with Food – Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD & Elyse Resch, MS, RD

• A guided journal designed to deepen the intuitive eating experience, offering reflective prompts and exercises.

• The Intuitive Eating Card Deck: 50 Bite-Sized Ways to Transform Your Relationship with Food – Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD & Elyse Resch, MS, RD

• A deck of 50 cards providing quick, actionable insights and reminders to support the practice of intuitive eating.

• Intuitive Eating for Every Day: 365 Daily Practices & Inspirations to Rediscover the Pleasures of Eating – Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD

  • A daily guide with short, actionable practices and inspiration to reinforce intuitive eating principles in everyday life.

• Unapologetic Eating: Make Peace with Food and Transform Your Life – Alissa Rumsey, MS, RD

  • It focuses on dismantling diet culture and reclaiming autonomy over eating habits.

• Intuitive Eating for Life: How Mindfulness Can Deepen and Sustain Your Intuitive Eating Practice – Jenna Hollenstein, MS, RDN

  • Explores how mindfulness strengthens intuitive eating, offering practical strategies to sustain an intuitive approach to food for the long term.

• Anti-Diet: Reclaim Your Time, Money, Well-Being, and Happiness Through Intuitive Eating – Christy Harrison, MPH, RD

  • A research-backed critique of diet culture explains how intuitive eating can help people break free from the toxic cycle of dieting and reclaim their well-being.

If you're ready to break free from diet culture, reconnect with your body's natural cues, and build a healthier relationship with food, intuitive eating, and mindful eating offer powerful, evidence-based approaches to help you do just that. Whether you're looking to deepen your awareness around eating with mindful eating techniques or fully embrace intuitive eating’s anti-diet framework, the books in this list provide the guidance and tools you need. 

Take the first step toward food freedom and self-trust—grab a book, start exploring, and begin your journey toward a more nourishing and fulfilling way of eating today! 

Need help getting started? Read more about becoming a conscious and mindful eater in midlife, and check out our upcoming mindful eating classes!