As parents, we want our children to grow up with a positive relationship with food, their bodies, and themselves. But in today’s world of diet culture, wellness trends, and endless “rules” about eating, this can feel complicated and confusing.

That’s why the concept of intuitive eating for kids has become so important. At its core, intuitive eating is about helping children stay connected to their natural hunger, fullness, and satisfaction cues while enjoying food in a flexible, stress-free way.

In this episode of The Nourished Child Podcast, I spoke with registered dietitian and author Sumner Brooks, co-author of How to Raise an Intuitive Eater. Together, we explored what intuitive eating really means, how parents can nurture it, and the challenges families face along the way.

What Is Intuitive Eating?

Intuitive eating is an evidence-based approach to food and eating developed by dietitians Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch in the 1990s. While many people think it’s simply “eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full,” it’s actually much more.

It includes 10 principles that focus on:

• Respecting hunger and fullness cues
• Rejecting diet culture and rigid food rules
• Allowing permission to enjoy all foods without guilt
• Responding to emotions with kindness
• Honoring health through gentle nutrition and joyful movement

When we talk about intuitive eating for kids, it’s not about perfection or eating a certain way — it’s about supporting children in having positive, nourishing, and flexible experiences with food.

Why Kids Lose Their Intuitive Eating Skills

All babies are born as intuitive eaters. If you’ve ever watched an infant nurse or bottle-feed, you know they stop when they’re done — no pressure, no guilt. But as kids grow, outside influences can interfere:

• Parental pressure (clean your plate, one more bite, food rewards)
• Food rules (good foods vs. bad foods, “no dessert until you eat your veggies”)
• Diet culture messages (fear of sugar, carbs, or “junk food”)
• Body image ideals (pressure to look a certain way)

These factors can shift a child’s focus away from their own body cues and toward external rules or appearance-based goals.

How Parents Can Support Intuitive Eating

Raising intuitive eaters doesn’t mean letting children eat anything, anytime. It means creating a supportive feeding environment where children can trust their bodies and enjoy food without fear.

Here are a few ways to start:

1. Ditch the food rules. Avoid labeling foods as “good” or “bad.” Instead, teach balance and variety.
2. Respect hunger and fullness. Trust your child to eat the amount they need.
3. Model a positive relationship with food. Kids learn by watching how we eat and talk about food.
4. Create structure without rigidity. Offer regular meals and snacks but allow flexibility and choice within them.
5. Address emotions with care. Help children understand that sometimes we eat for comfort, celebration, or connection — and that’s okay.

The Bigger Picture

When parents focus on intuitive eating for kids, the goal isn’t to make children eat more vegetables or stay within a certain weight range. The goal is to help them feel confident, capable, and at peace with food and their bodies.

That foundation not only supports healthy growth and development — it also protects against disordered eating and negative body image later in life.

As Sumner Brooks shared in our conversation, raising intuitive eaters is about seeing the whole child — their needs, temperament, and family environment — and guiding them toward food freedom, not food fear.

Listen to the full conversation with Sumner Brooks on The Nourished Child Podcast for practical strategies, insights, and encouragement on raising intuitive eaters.

---

Resources & Links

• Sumner Brooks: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Sumner-Brooks/author/B00QVBE05I?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true
• Instagram: @intuitiveeatingrd
• EDRD Pro: https://edrdpro.com/
• How to Raise an Intuitive Eater (the book): https://amzn.to/4m2Y5s9