Establishing a positive connection with food involves multiple attempts and adjustments, which can sometimes seem repetitive, mainly due to the influence of diet culture perpetuated by the media. However, a concept known as “intuitive eating” has recently gained considerable attention. In this episode, Dr. Gia Marson shares insights on how familiarizing yourself with this approach can help foster a healthier relationship with food.
Dr. Gia Marson is a psychologist, author, and integrative medicine health coach passionate about helping others achieve emotional well-being and freedom with food. With over two decades of experience in the field, she has dedicated her career to supporting adolescents and adults in developing insight and practical coping skills to pursue healthy, happy lives.
Throughout her career, Dr. Gia has held various impactful roles, including serving as the founding director of the UCLA Counseling and Psychological Services Eating Disorders Program and as a psychologist in the UCLA Department of Athletics. At UCLA, she provided Clinical services, Taught an intuitive eating and body image class, and Co-authored the program’s first collaborative treatment manual.
In addition, she is dedicated to integrative medicine and holistic approaches to health. She has received training as an integrative medicine health coach at Duke Integrative Medicine and launched the Nourish for Life outpatient program at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine.
She has also co-authored “The Binge Eating Prevention Workbook” with Danielle Keenan-Miller, Ph.D, significantly contributing to the eating disorder treatment and prevention field.
Many struggle to find the right balance in nutrition. They might feel bombarded with diets and rules, which often leave them confused and disconnected from their bodies. Dr. Gia understands this struggle and offers a solution: intuitive eating.
Dr. Gia sees the problem in disconnecting from your body’s natural cues. You’ve been conditioned to follow external rules about what and when to eat rather than listen to your body’s needs. This leads to feelings of guilt and shame around food, making it challenging to maintain a healthy relationship with eating.
Intuitive eating, however, offers a solution. It’s about tuning back into your body and learning to trust your hunger and fullness cues again. Instead of focusing on restrictive diets, intuitive eating encourages you to honor your body’s signals and enjoy a variety of foods without judgment.
The key to this approach is simple principles: honoring hunger and fullness, staying active, and recognizing how emotions affect your eating habits. By embracing these principles, you can break free from the dieting cycle and find peace with food.
But intuitive eating can be challenging. You’re bombarded with messages from diet culture telling you what you should and shouldn’t eat. This can make it difficult to trust your instincts. That’s why Dr. Gia emphasizes the importance of gentle structure. It’s not about rigid rules but finding a balance that works for you.
To help you on this journey, Dr. Gia offers practical tips. She suggests checking in with your body before meals to ensure you eat for the right reasons. She also recommends incorporating mindfulness practices to deepen your connection with food.
In her own life, Dr. Gia practices what she preaches. She seeks inspiration from different sources to keep her meals diverse and enjoyable. While she acknowledges the challenges of maintaining this approach in a busy world, she believes it’s worth it for her health and well-being.
Intuitive eating offers a refreshing alternative to traditional dieting approaches. By listening to your body and embracing a more mindful approach to eating, you can find peace with food and nourish yourself in a truly satisfying way. In this episode, discover how to integrate intuitive eating into your life with Dr. Gia!
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