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New - Intuitive Eating, 4th Edition
Brand New Deliver In 6-18 Working Days
400 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2020
137 people are currently reading
273 people want to read
About the author
Evelyn Tribole
32 books162 followersEvelyn Tribole, MS, RD is an award-winning registered dietitian, with a nutrition counseling practice in Newport Beach, California. She has written seven books including the bestsellers Healthy Homestyle Cooking and Intuitive Eating(co-author). Her newest book is the Ultimate Omega-3 Diet.
Evelyn was the nutrition expert for Good Morning America, appearing from 1994-’95 and was a national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association for 6 years. She was contributing editor for Shape magazine where her monthly column, Recipe Makeovers, appeared for 11 years.
She is often sought by the media for her nutritional expertise and has appeared on hundreds of interviews, including: CNN, Today Show, MSNBC, Fox News, USA Today, Wall St. Journal and People magazine.
As a speaker, Evelyn is passionate and has been called, "Wonderfully wise and funny", whether providing a keynote or full-day workshop.
Achievements and honors include, receiving the American Dietetic Association’s Award for Excellence in Private Practice. Many national magazines have rated Evelyn as one of the best nutritionists in the country including: Self, Harper’s Bazaar, and Redbook magazine.
Professional memberships include: the Am. Dietetic Assoc., International Society for Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids, the Celiac Disease Foundation, and the Academy for Eating Disorders.
Evelyn qualified for the Olympic Trials in the first ever women’s marathon in 1984. Although she no longer competes, Evelyn runs for fun and is an avid skier and hiker. She also enjoys surfing, kayaking and white water rafting. Evelyn’s favorite food is chocolate, when it can be savored slowly.
Evelyn was the nutrition expert for Good Morning America, appearing from 1994-’95 and was a national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association for 6 years. She was contributing editor for Shape magazine where her monthly column, Recipe Makeovers, appeared for 11 years.
She is often sought by the media for her nutritional expertise and has appeared on hundreds of interviews, including: CNN, Today Show, MSNBC, Fox News, USA Today, Wall St. Journal and People magazine.
As a speaker, Evelyn is passionate and has been called, "Wonderfully wise and funny", whether providing a keynote or full-day workshop.
Achievements and honors include, receiving the American Dietetic Association’s Award for Excellence in Private Practice. Many national magazines have rated Evelyn as one of the best nutritionists in the country including: Self, Harper’s Bazaar, and Redbook magazine.
Professional memberships include: the Am. Dietetic Assoc., International Society for Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids, the Celiac Disease Foundation, and the Academy for Eating Disorders.
Evelyn qualified for the Olympic Trials in the first ever women’s marathon in 1984. Although she no longer competes, Evelyn runs for fun and is an avid skier and hiker. She also enjoys surfing, kayaking and white water rafting. Evelyn’s favorite food is chocolate, when it can be savored slowly.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
July 13, 2024
this book saved my life. it's not just an anti dieting book, it's a cure for disordered eating.
August 14, 2024
A much more in depth book that spoke a lot of more science than my previous venture into nutrition self help. There were definitely somethings that almost turned me off such as when they vowed in this edition, they would swear off numbers of any kind, but especially weight. I like numbers and quantifying things. Part of me will always say "it can be one of the surest ways to define success." However, by the end I stopped noticing. The book contains so much information across so many sub topics and ways to work on trying to be in touch with being able to sense and honor natural hunger queues. The authors are very anti-diet. To the point they made quiet a compelling argument that diets sound evil and like the worst idea of all time. Sometimes it's a struggle when the the aspects of the book are to extreme to really relate. Some of negatives of dieting describing the yo-yoing or the extent of the eating disorders just don't really reply. I watch that movie in health class (and even had to show it to a class when I was subbing) where the pink power ranger played a gymnast who was first anorexic then bulimic. I think most people don't ever get to that extreme. However, the some of the underlining reasoning and the early symptom and tendencies are certainly prevalent. If we can consider them as something to be aware of the feelings and not the D.A.R.E. "just say no"/gateway approach then the material, I think it can be relevant to many people.
Digressions aside, ultimately this book contained lots of good info and if nothing else it really spoke about all the damages a diet mindset can cause. What certain levels of denial can do and what kind of hidden thoughts and drives get created. The section on trying to raise children as intuitive eaters was interesting as well as a nature vs nurture thought for me. Obviously, you'd like children to make good choices but would not like to ruin the natural intuitive state.
I wish I had a paper copy to steal the appendix at the end as a reference. If you can get a hold of that first, read that and then see what sub topics are the most interesting to you.
Digressions aside, ultimately this book contained lots of good info and if nothing else it really spoke about all the damages a diet mindset can cause. What certain levels of denial can do and what kind of hidden thoughts and drives get created. The section on trying to raise children as intuitive eaters was interesting as well as a nature vs nurture thought for me. Obviously, you'd like children to make good choices but would not like to ruin the natural intuitive state.
I wish I had a paper copy to steal the appendix at the end as a reference. If you can get a hold of that first, read that and then see what sub topics are the most interesting to you.
June 6, 2024
This book makes so much sense! Such a great read!
July 6, 2024
I skimmed it. Good pointers to help you overcome diet mentality. But I don't agree with some points.
June 1, 2025
Too preachy. Has some good material but not until 55% through. My first book at 3x speed.
October 19, 2025
Great read to anyone who has struggled with always having to go on diets and being on a constant see-saw of weight-loss and weight gain.
very relatable and hits all the spots.
very relatable and hits all the spots.
October 15, 2024
Overall, the foundation created in this book is a good starting point for anyone needing to heal their relationship with food. The principles are good and applicable.
The term “dieting” is discussed as essentially bad because it’s being restrictive. I don’t like that dieting is used in the same context as a diet. The way you would refer to animals and what they eat as their diet is the same thing as humans and what their typical diet is. They’re two different meanings and it feels that’s getting confused in the book.
They have some gender spectrum discussion which seemed irrelevant and pushing of ideology. But it isn’t touched on a whole lot.
The term “dieting” is discussed as essentially bad because it’s being restrictive. I don’t like that dieting is used in the same context as a diet. The way you would refer to animals and what they eat as their diet is the same thing as humans and what their typical diet is. They’re two different meanings and it feels that’s getting confused in the book.
They have some gender spectrum discussion which seemed irrelevant and pushing of ideology. But it isn’t touched on a whole lot.
September 6, 2025
I enjoyed this book and learned a lot, but I have several criticisms. This book proves that dieting doesn't work and backs it up with scientific evidence. But in an effort to prove that intuitive eating works, their evidence and scientific data is clearly cherry picked. The authors were also very cautious when making health claims and everything that supports intuitive eating is carefully worded.
To sum it up this is the how the info is presented:
1. Dieting doesn't work and here's the evidence.
2. People who are healthy have higher intuitive eating scores and here's the evidence.
Notice how 2. isn't stated as: "intuitive eating leads to better health outcomes". This was done on purpose because there is no evidence to support that. The data they do present is that healthy people are naturally better at intuitively eating. This is where my biggest criticism stems from. One could reasonably jump to the conclusion that "if I start eating intuitively, I will become healthier and have better health outcomes". This is a wild leap.
I do still think there is good with this book. I think the true lesson is to stop giving in to dieting culture and getting caught in the dieting trap. This is absolutely a great read for those with patterns of disordered eating. I myself have a poor relationship with food (I think many of us do to a degree) and some of the principles and ideas within the book have helped reshape how I look at food.
That said, another point of criticism I have is the idea that we stop looking at food as good vs bad. Yes, calling food bad comes with unnecessary guilt, which isn't helpful. But the book claims that it's better to label food as less nutritious or more nutritious because it's more objective. But this is like saying 1/4 isnt the same as 25/100. They even get creative here calling foods "play" foods or "nutritionally dense" foods. But our brains will always break it down to it's simplest form. Play means bad and nutritionally dense means good. Unfortunately there really isn't a good way around this, unless we have major major majors culture shifts.
Finally, when it comes to actual nutrition and exercise, this book aims to coddle. And I get it. Some people need the gentle nature when it comes to those topics. But I think this plays too much into an individual's comfort, in turn leading to a lack of motivation for any type of change. I think we can still be gentle while motivating people to get a little bit out of their comfort zone to make improvements in their health.
This book is foundationally set on the idea that if we listen to our bodies intuitively we will be healthy overall. Eat when you're hungry, don't eat emotionally. All great messages the book presents. But there is an underlying promise that if you do this you will become the healthiest version of yourself. For some sure. But the reality is the body makes adaptations. The book goes through this in depth, and even talks about the idea that these adaptations stick long term, backed by data. Then the book completely forgets this point and continues to hammer the point that all you need to do is become an intuitive eater. But take a person who has a high body fat percentage (trying to stay objective here). The body has learned to make adaptations to maintain this. It's a survival mechanism. So if you eat based on your body's signals alone, there is a good chance your health won't improve because your body will send you signals to maintain your current baseline. There is evidence to back this up. While I don't think the solution is as simple as calories in calories out, I also don't think intuitive eating is the solution either.
At the end of the day, I think intuitive eating is good to help you reshape your thinking and improve your relationship with food. But it probably won't improve your health. In fact, I can see many people taking this as "I can eat whatever I want anytime I want." Going further, I think Intuitive Eating takes the idea of mindful eating (which is more focused on practical eating habits) and overcomplicates it.
TLDR:
-Intuitive Eating has good ideas that can help you reshape your relationship with food. Great for those with disordered eating patterns
-Evidence overwhelmingly shows that dieting doesn't work.
-However, the data that supports IE for better health outcomes is clearly cherry picked. May not be the ultimate solution the book presents.
-Labeling food as good & bad versus using objective phrasing like "less nutritious" and "more nutritious" is essentially the same thing. 1/4 = 25/100
-Intuitive eating overcomplicates mindful eating, which (imo) is much more practical.
Overall worth the read.
To sum it up this is the how the info is presented:
1. Dieting doesn't work and here's the evidence.
2. People who are healthy have higher intuitive eating scores and here's the evidence.
Notice how 2. isn't stated as: "intuitive eating leads to better health outcomes". This was done on purpose because there is no evidence to support that. The data they do present is that healthy people are naturally better at intuitively eating. This is where my biggest criticism stems from. One could reasonably jump to the conclusion that "if I start eating intuitively, I will become healthier and have better health outcomes". This is a wild leap.
I do still think there is good with this book. I think the true lesson is to stop giving in to dieting culture and getting caught in the dieting trap. This is absolutely a great read for those with patterns of disordered eating. I myself have a poor relationship with food (I think many of us do to a degree) and some of the principles and ideas within the book have helped reshape how I look at food.
That said, another point of criticism I have is the idea that we stop looking at food as good vs bad. Yes, calling food bad comes with unnecessary guilt, which isn't helpful. But the book claims that it's better to label food as less nutritious or more nutritious because it's more objective. But this is like saying 1/4 isnt the same as 25/100. They even get creative here calling foods "play" foods or "nutritionally dense" foods. But our brains will always break it down to it's simplest form. Play means bad and nutritionally dense means good. Unfortunately there really isn't a good way around this, unless we have major major majors culture shifts.
Finally, when it comes to actual nutrition and exercise, this book aims to coddle. And I get it. Some people need the gentle nature when it comes to those topics. But I think this plays too much into an individual's comfort, in turn leading to a lack of motivation for any type of change. I think we can still be gentle while motivating people to get a little bit out of their comfort zone to make improvements in their health.
This book is foundationally set on the idea that if we listen to our bodies intuitively we will be healthy overall. Eat when you're hungry, don't eat emotionally. All great messages the book presents. But there is an underlying promise that if you do this you will become the healthiest version of yourself. For some sure. But the reality is the body makes adaptations. The book goes through this in depth, and even talks about the idea that these adaptations stick long term, backed by data. Then the book completely forgets this point and continues to hammer the point that all you need to do is become an intuitive eater. But take a person who has a high body fat percentage (trying to stay objective here). The body has learned to make adaptations to maintain this. It's a survival mechanism. So if you eat based on your body's signals alone, there is a good chance your health won't improve because your body will send you signals to maintain your current baseline. There is evidence to back this up. While I don't think the solution is as simple as calories in calories out, I also don't think intuitive eating is the solution either.
At the end of the day, I think intuitive eating is good to help you reshape your thinking and improve your relationship with food. But it probably won't improve your health. In fact, I can see many people taking this as "I can eat whatever I want anytime I want." Going further, I think Intuitive Eating takes the idea of mindful eating (which is more focused on practical eating habits) and overcomplicates it.
TLDR:
-Intuitive Eating has good ideas that can help you reshape your relationship with food. Great for those with disordered eating patterns
-Evidence overwhelmingly shows that dieting doesn't work.
-However, the data that supports IE for better health outcomes is clearly cherry picked. May not be the ultimate solution the book presents.
-Labeling food as good & bad versus using objective phrasing like "less nutritious" and "more nutritious" is essentially the same thing. 1/4 = 25/100
-Intuitive eating overcomplicates mindful eating, which (imo) is much more practical.
Overall worth the read.
July 28, 2025
It's disheartening that in an age where understanding proper nutrition is crucial for our well-being, a book aiming to teach us "how to eat" utterly misses the mark. Rather than offering genuine guidance, this book feels primarily like a promotional piece for the author's business.
The text is riddled with anecdotal evidence, often presenting oversimplified success stories like, "We had a patient X who suffered from an eating disorder and magically became an intuitive eater, solving all their problems."
Furthermore, the initial chapters attempt to bolster their claims by referencing research papers, but these efforts feel strained and ultimately superficial. The references seem to be included more to lend an air of academic credibility than to provide any real substance or deep insight.
My recommendation for potential readers is to simply glance at the table of contents and skim through the book. It truly doesn't warrant a deep or thorough read.
The text is riddled with anecdotal evidence, often presenting oversimplified success stories like, "We had a patient X who suffered from an eating disorder and magically became an intuitive eater, solving all their problems."
Furthermore, the initial chapters attempt to bolster their claims by referencing research papers, but these efforts feel strained and ultimately superficial. The references seem to be included more to lend an air of academic credibility than to provide any real substance or deep insight.
My recommendation for potential readers is to simply glance at the table of contents and skim through the book. It truly doesn't warrant a deep or thorough read.
June 20, 2025
Intuitive Eating (4th Edition) had been sitting on my shelf for over a year after my own therapist (yes, even therapists need therapists!) recommended it to help me navigate my complicated relationship with food. I even bought the workbook with the best of intentions—until life, as it often does, threw me a curveball that took priority.
That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the book once I finally dove in. The authors do a fantastic job of breaking down complex ideas into manageable, actionable steps, and the amount of research backing up their approach really helped build trust. While it didn’t completely transform my habits overnight, it laid a solid foundation and gave me a lot to reflect on.
That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the book once I finally dove in. The authors do a fantastic job of breaking down complex ideas into manageable, actionable steps, and the amount of research backing up their approach really helped build trust. While it didn’t completely transform my habits overnight, it laid a solid foundation and gave me a lot to reflect on.
May 28, 2025
a book that will positively touch my life every day and for all my days.
i wish i had read it sooner - Intuitive Eating is much different than my redditing and googling concluded. the book outlines the steps, logic, reasoning, studies, and examples that make it so clear and implementable. in tandem with the workbook, i feel empowered to be an Intuitive Eater.
one of those books i want to share with everyone i know, though i think this information has to find you when you’re ready to receieve; for me, it found me at the right time after years of turmoil. finally, the road ahead looks peaceful. thank you ET & ER 🫶🏻
i wish i had read it sooner - Intuitive Eating is much different than my redditing and googling concluded. the book outlines the steps, logic, reasoning, studies, and examples that make it so clear and implementable. in tandem with the workbook, i feel empowered to be an Intuitive Eater.
one of those books i want to share with everyone i know, though i think this information has to find you when you’re ready to receieve; for me, it found me at the right time after years of turmoil. finally, the road ahead looks peaceful. thank you ET & ER 🫶🏻
December 19, 2025
This was relatively pleasant, and describes a method of eating that should not be as hard as it seems to be (eat what you want when you feel hungry, stop when you aren't).
Points unfortuantely lost because of pandering to the politically-correct zeitgeist at the risk of undoing the whole application and history of nutrition science (and which had obviously been heavily edited since previous, no doubt more factually correct, editions, and accompanied by shrinking apologies). Statements were wide-ranging but of the kind: "there is zero evidence that being overweight is unhealthy for children."
Points unfortuantely lost because of pandering to the politically-correct zeitgeist at the risk of undoing the whole application and history of nutrition science (and which had obviously been heavily edited since previous, no doubt more factually correct, editions, and accompanied by shrinking apologies). Statements were wide-ranging but of the kind: "there is zero evidence that being overweight is unhealthy for children."
May 28, 2024
The ideas and the science presented in the book are 5-star worthy, but the writing is on the dry side and it was a bit of a slog at times to get through. I need to get better at skimming through these sorts of books! I definitely recommend it for skimming and diving in deeper where you're more intrigued.
December 23, 2024
3.5/3.75 stars
Really interesting with so many excellent concepts. The writing and scenarios felt a little oversimplified at times, but it did feel like this book was written to be accessible to as many people as possible. I can understand how this really helps people and will definitely try to incorporate some of these principles into my own life!
Really interesting with so many excellent concepts. The writing and scenarios felt a little oversimplified at times, but it did feel like this book was written to be accessible to as many people as possible. I can understand how this really helps people and will definitely try to incorporate some of these principles into my own life!
March 25, 2024
Evelyn and Elyse did an amazing job on acknowledging the cultural and systemic barriers related to eating disorders, fat phobia and food insecurity. I’m grateful for their decades long work/research and I’m hopeful intuitive eating will be part of my recovery. 💖
did-not-finish
April 26, 2024Terrible narrator. I might go back and finish it later, but I started The Fuck-It Diet midway through this one, and I decided it fit my needs better right now. I read the previous edition of this book years ago.
June 6, 2024
It was both comforting and scary how well parts of this book described some of my exact behaviors and struggles. Many of the real-life examples seemed fixed a tad neatly, but for the most part, the philosophy of Intuitive Eating rings true to me.
September 4, 2024
Full of references to research.
I was expecting something that felt a little more intuitive.
Not for me.
This book is mostly about criticizing different ways of eating.
I really didn’t find it helpful.
I was expecting something that felt a little more intuitive.
Not for me.
This book is mostly about criticizing different ways of eating.
I really didn’t find it helpful.
September 6, 2024
Five paws 🐾 for this helpful, mindful, and informative book ʕ´•ᴥ•`ʔ. This was the push I needed to really focus on my life-long journey for peace in mind, body, and in my relationship with food and movement.
"Progress, not perfection."
"Progress, not perfection."
December 23, 2024
It really surprised me when a friend of mine recommended that I read this book for years struggled with My size and did not expect to find out that I had an eating disorder. But this book also helped me work through where that came from and it was a lot of childhood trauma.
February 25, 2025
Rate: 4.5/5 stars. I definitely appreciate this book and will refer to it quite often in my journey improving my relationship with food. As a medical provider, I will definitely be recommending intuitive eating principles to my patients and families. It’s a good reminder for everyone.
November 6, 2025
I love this book! I wish I could make the whole world read it.
Learning to listen to my body has helped me in multiple areas. I'm more mindful in multiple aspects of my life. This book is life changing if you let it be.
Learning to listen to my body has helped me in multiple areas. I'm more mindful in multiple aspects of my life. This book is life changing if you let it be.
April 29, 2024
Audiobook, kind of researchy at the start but has soooo much good info
July 18, 2024
Life changing book if you want to heal your relationship with food! Highly recommend!
December 14, 2024
Well written, organized and researched. A new way of looking at how to take of yourself for increased satisfaction.
December 16, 2024
Impactful book that brings to light the impact of diet culture influences in America and research based principles on freedom of eating. Will be a book I keep for reference.
December 23, 2024
This is a wonderful book that helps to develop a healthy relationship with food. I highly recommend it for those who struggle with diets, lose weight, and are tired of the "trends".
January 5, 2025
This book changed by entire view on dieting, bodies, food. I think everyone should read it
April 7, 2025
Life changing! I can’t recommend it enough.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews