The *BEST* Intuitive Eating & Body Love Resources

Reading. Podcasts. Learning. Growing.  These are a few of my favorite things!

 Today I am doing a resource post and rounding up all of my favorite intuitive eating, body love and eating disorder recovery resources.

Why are these resources so helpful?

Well, the biggest reason ditching the diet mentality so difficult is because culture continues in its FATPHOBIC MINDSET and the false pretense that going on a diet is going to cure everything else in your life.

As women, we are steeped in this belief that OUR BODIES DEFINE OUR WORTH. 

We are objectified and internalize from a very young age that if you are not thin you need to be working towards this ultimately as your goal in life.

This might seem extreme, but go through and think about all the diet attempts you have made and at what age you began to feel you just weren't good enough. Diets are powerful lies, but knowledge is MORE POWERFUL!

Here's a whole bunch of different types of resources to combat diet culture and cultivate self-compassion, intuitive eating and body acceptance.

Books:

 If you are new to this whole intuitive eating, anti-dieting and body acceptance train start with these:

• Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program that Works 3rd Edition by Evelyn Tribole & Elyse Resch

• Intuitive Eating Workbook: 10 Principles for Nourishing a Healthy Relationship with Food by Evelyn Tribole & Elyse Resch

• Intuitive Eating Workbook for Teens by Elyse Resch

• Health At Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight by Linda Bacon

• Body Kindness: Transform Your Health From the Inside Out and Never Say Diet Again by Rebecca Scritchfield

• Diet Survivors Handbook: 60 Lessons in Eating, Acceptance and Self Care by Judith Matz and Ellen Frankel

 

If you want inspiration on your journey, read one of these amazing memoirs:

• Landwhale: On Turning Insults Into Nicknames, Why Body Image is Hard and How Diets Can Kick My Ass by Jes Baker (This is my current read and I am loving it!)

• Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls: A Handbook for Unapologetic Living by Jes Baker

• You Have the Right to Remain Fat by Virgie Tovar

• The Not So Subtle Art of Being A Fat Girl by Tess Holliday

• Big Girl: How I Gave Up Dieting and Got a Life by Kelsey Miller (The memoir I read and learned all about intuitive eating!)

• Shrill by Lindy West

• Embrace: My Story from Body Loather to Body Lover by Taryan Brumfit

• Hunger: A Memoir of My Body by Roxanne Gay

If you want to work on Self Love & Self Acceptance check these books out:

• Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself by Dr. Kristin Neff

• Everybody Yoga: Let Go of Fear, Get on the Mat and Love Your Body by Jessmyn Standly

• Eating in the Light of the Moon by Anita Johnson

• The Gifts Of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to be and Embrace Who You Are by Brené Brown

• Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown

• The Body is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self Love by Sonya Renee Taylor

• Celebrate Your Body (and its Changes, Too!) The Ultimate Puberty Book for Girls 8+ by Sonya Renee Taylor

If you are wanting some research-based books check these out: 

• Body Respect: What Conventional Health Books Get Wrong, Leave Out, and Just Plain Fail to Understand about Weight by Linda Bacon

• Mothers, Daughters and Body Image by Hillary McBride

• The Beaty Myth: How Images of Beauty are Used Against Women by Naomi Wolf

• The Obesity Paradox: When Thinner Means Sicker and Heavier Means Healthier by Carl Lavie, MD

• Secrets From the Eating Lab: The Science of Weightloss, the Myth of Willpower and Why You Should Never Diet Again by Traci Mann

• Why Diets Make Us Fat: The Unintended Consequences of Our Obsession With Weight Loss by Sandra Aamodt

If you are looking for books to help with an Eating Disorders check these out:

• 8 Keys to Recovering from an Eating Disorder by Carolyn Costin & Gwen Schubert Grabb

• 8 Keys to Recovering from an Eating Disorder Workbook by Carolyn Costin & Gwen Schubert Grabb

• Life without ED by Jenni Schaefer

• Goodbye ED Hello Me by Jenni Schaefer

• Brain Over Binge by Katherine Hansen

 Podcasts & Blogs:

I love listening to podcasts!  They provide so much amazing free information and can be truly inspirational. I primarily listen to podcasts in my car while I am driving.  I linked to the podcast pages of these particular ones, but all of these folks also have amazing blogs.  Check it out and let me know what your favorite is or if you have any other recommendations.

• Food Psych Podcast with Christy Harrison

• Body Kindness with Rebecca Scritchfield

• Love Food with Julie Duffy Dillon

• The Body Love Project with Jessi Haggerty

• It's Not About the Food with Dr. Stephani Reinhold

• How to Love Your Body Podcast from The Body Love Society

• The Embodied and Well Mom Show with Lindsay Stenovec

• Balance 365 Life Radio

• Don't Salt My Game with Laura Thomas

• Dietitians Unplugged

• Fearless Rebelle Radio with Summer Innanen

• The F It Diet Radio with Caroline Donner

• Nutrition Matters Podcast with Paige Smathers, RDN

• Therapy Thoughts with Tiffany Roe

• Eat with Confidence

Documentaries:

• Embrace (on Netflix)

I want to encourage you to begin reading one of these books and listening to a podcast or two.

The journey of self-acceptance is a difficult one but will provide years of freedom from food stress and body dissatisfaction.

If you are a parent you have this amazing opportunity to model intuitive eating and self-acceptance to your children.  This is so powerful!

Did I miss any of your favorites?  I would love to hear what ones are your favorite!

In Body Love,

Chelsea

Encounter Counseling offers in-person counseling in Grand Junction and online counseling state-wide in Colorado including Denver, Boulder, Ft. Collins and Colorado Springs.