Use these intuitive food journal prompts to better understand your relationship with food and your body, your food history, and goals to guide your intuitive eating process.
Intuitive Eating is a diet-free, self-care approach to nutrition, health and wellness that helps you make decisions based on your body’s inner wisdom instead of external rules or restrictions.
When working to incorporate intuitive eating principles into your life, it’s important to understand where your thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors come from.
The following intuitive eating journal prompts will help you reflect on your experiences and put into practice what you learn about intuitive eating.
It prompts you to explore your history with food and your body
- What memories come to mind when you think of food and childhood? What was food like in your house growing up?
- Do happy memories come to mind when you hear the above question? What about any concerns or fears?
- Were there times when food was scarce when you were a child?
- Have you ever had food prepared and delivered by a loving caregiver? How did that caregiver use food to express love and comfort?
- Have you ever felt like you had to hide, steal or hide food? If so, write about that experience.
- Has food ever been used as a reward or perhaps even as a punishment?
- Write about a food or dining experience from your past that still holds emotional weight for you. What can you learn from this experience?
- How was food discussed by your family or carers?
- Has anyone in your family or caregivers restricted their own food choices? Did you understand why?
- Was your body size discussed in relation to food choices? What about other people’s body sizes?
- Growing up, what were you taught about how you’re “supposed” to act, dress, eat, or look?
- How do your food-related memories change as you get older? What about your body memories? How do things differ between childhood, adolescence, and then late teens and early 20s?
- What are your beliefs about weight and body size? Where did you learn these beliefs? How have they affected you?
It prompts an exploration of the impact of food culture
Consider the different forms diet culture and insidious diet culture can take, then answer the journal prompts below.
- Think back to the first time you dieted or tried to restrict your food intake. What was going on for you then? What may have played into your decision to diet and/or desire to lose weight?
- How has the diet affected you mentally, emotionally and/or physically?
- How has the diet affected your eating and eating behaviors?
- What have you given up or not done because of dieting or the way your body looks?
- How much time do you spend each day thinking about food and your body?
- For one day, pay attention to instances of both an external food culture and an internal food mindset. Make a list of all the different forms you notice throughout the day. Check your list. Are there any that surprise you?
- Consider the impact of outside influences on your eating habits and body image, such as social situations, media or cultural expectations. How do these factors shape your behaviors, thoughts, and/or beliefs?
It prompts you to explore your connection to your inner wisdom
- How do you feel hunger during the day? Where in your body do you feel the sensations of hunger?
- How does your body feel when you are really hungry? Are you able to notice any of the more subtle, early signs of hunger?
- Are there times when you feel hungry but haven’t eaten? Why;
- Are there times when you eat beyond the point of “comfortable fullness”? If so, what was happening that day, at that time, at that meal?
- Remember a time when you felt truly in tune with your body’s hunger and fullness cues. How was that experience?
- Make a list of all the words you use to describe or think about food. Which of these words have judgment attached? How do these terms affect your thoughts and/or behaviors?
- Do you eat differently when you are alone versus others? If so, please share more about why.
- What foods do you really like to eat? What aspects of these foods make them so enjoyable?
- What foods do you not like to eat? How come/what about these you don’t enjoy?
- Do you ever have (consciously or subconsciously) mentally or emotionally limiting thoughts that you have during the day? If so, how do these thoughts or beliefs affect your eating behavior? How might they be holding you back from connecting with your inner wisdom?
- Explore your emotions and how they relate to your eating habits. Are there certain emotions that trigger certain food choices or behaviors? Where might these coping tools have come from? How might they have been useful in the past? Are they still useful today?
- Explore the concept of self-care in relation to your eating habits. How can you prioritize nourishing your body and mind as a form of self-care without falling into the trap of strict dietary rules or restrictions?
Intuitive food journal prompts: Explore your goals
If you’re reading this article, I’m guessing there’s a part of you that’s tired of spending so much time worrying about food and your body. If this is true, connect with this part of yourself and answer these questions:
- Think about your relationship with food. How would you describe your current approach to food? Are there patterns or habits you notice?
- Why is it important to you to heal your relationship with food and your body? Write down all the things that come to your mind.
- What would it look like to have a healthier relationship with food? With your body? Be as specific as possible.
- What does dieting, food obsession, or exercise and/or body stress get in the way?
- How would you know if you had a more positive body image?
- How would your life be different? How would you treat your body differently if you had a positive body image?
Food can be a powerful entry point to explore more about yourself, your beliefs, your values and what you really want from life. Your relationship with food is the starting point, but the real work comes in removing all the things that have been imposed on you by society so that you can find yourself again.
More Intuitive Nutrition Support:
My team and I deliver virtually personal nutrition trainingsupporting people with intuitive eating, disordered eating and eating disorders and more.
I also recommend mine Unapologetic Eating 101: Foundations of Intuitive Eating Coursean online, self-paced intuitive eating and body image program to help you break free from dieting and make peace with food and your body.
Author biography
The post was written and reviewed by Alissa Rumsey, MS, RD, CDN, CSCS, registered dietitian and certified intuitive nutrition consultant. She specializes in inclusive weight care, intuitive eating, body image therapy, mindfulness, self-compassion, and healing from chronic dieting, disordered eating, and eating disorders. Alissa holds a BA in Nutrition and Exercise Science, and a MA in Health Communications, and is also an NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.
