Intuitive Eating and Nutrition Monitoring Tools Can Dine at the Same Table

If you’re trying to make nutrition changes, you might often feel like there’s a line in the sand: either eat intuitively with no rules or restrictions, or follow restrictive diet culture using structured tools like macro counting or continuous glucose monitors (CGMs). The truth is, however, that these approaches are not mutually exclusive.

In fact, intuitive eating and nutrition tracking tools can complement each other beautifully when used in the spirit of mindfulness and curiosity. 

Taking the time to learn how to use them together can provide you with more information about your body and strategies to reach your unique health goals.

Let’s explore how intuitive eating can blend with two common tracking tools: Macro counting and Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM).  Most importantly, let’s discuss how you can use these resources in a mindful, self-compassionate way.

Intuitive Eating: What it is and what it isn’t

Intuitive eating is a framework developed by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch, that encourages you to reconnect with your body’s natural hunger, fullness, and satisfaction cues.  By tuning out external diet rules, intuitive eating is all about listening to what your body needs and wants in the moment, giving yourself unconditional permission to eat, and respecting your body’s signals.  It’s not about deprivation or strict rules; instead, it focuses on building a peaceful, trusting relationship with food that aligns with your unique health and lifestyle needs.

While intuitive eating emphasizes flexibility and honoring your body’s cravings, it doesn’t mean ignoring nutrition. In fact, intuitive eating encourages you to honor your health through gentle nutrition principles, and tools like macro tracking and continuous glucose monitors can be useful here.  They can help you make personal choices regardless of what societal diet trends dictate. 

Myth Busted: Intuitive Eating and Nutrition Tracking Aren’t Opposites

A common myth is that intuitive eating cannot coexist with tools like macro counting and CGM. Many people assume that if they’re tracking their food intake or blood sugar response, they must be working against the principles of intuitive eating. But that’s not necessarily true!

For many people, these strategies and tools support intuitive eating principles by increasing awareness of their nutrition and how different foods impact them.

Mindful Macro Counting Can Support Your Intuitive Eating Journey

Macro counting doesn’t have to mean restriction or rigidity. For many, it can provide insight into whether they’re getting enough of the nutrients they need to feel their best. I won’t deny that often people are counting macros for weight loss. But if you take a step back from that goal, counting macros provides an opportunity to understand how different amounts of protein, fat, and complex carbs impact your body.  You may find you have better energy and fewer cravings when you increase complex carbs to the right amount for you.  Or you might realize that eating more protein helps you feel more focused and steady throughout the day.  By tracking macros, you may learn that you’re unintentionally missing out on certain nutrients.

Being mindful and curious about macro tracking can help you ensure you’re eating what your body needs and understand how that makes you feel. It doesn’t mean you’re signing up for endless days of chicken and broccoli with no carbs. Instead, it can be a tool to help you reach your goals, balance your meals, and learn what foods fuel you best. Used in this mindful, non-restrictive way, macro tracking can align perfectly with intuitive eating principles.

Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs) as a Self-Care Tool

Continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) have become more accessible, allowing people to track their blood sugar levels throughout the day. For some, especially those with blood sugar issues, CGMs can offer valuable insights into how different foods and lifestyle factors affect their glucose levels. However, they’re not only for people with diabetes or blood sugar conditions—many people use CGMs out of curiosity and as a way to explore how different foods impact their energy levels and overall well-being.

While I don’t always recommend a CGM for everyone, using the data that it provides can actually be a mindful practice.   The information you gather from this device can help you understand which foods work best for your body.  This can help you make informed choices about foods, but doesn’t mean you have to be restrictive.  For example, you might notice that a certain meal creates a gentle, rolling hill as your blood sugar slowly rises and slowly falls after a meal.  This generally correlates with more even energy between meals.  Another meal might cause a more rapid rise and fall in your blood sugar, which might lead to an energy crash between meals. This awareness allows you to experiment with that second meal by adding some extra protein or fiber to support your energy levels afterward.  Overall, the information provided by a CGM allows you to make choices that support your health and energy, based on your individual responses. Using this tool as a source of feedback allows you to move forward with curiosity rather than control.

Find What Works for You: A Balanced Approach

It’s important to remember that while macro tracking and CGMs can be incredibly helpful tools for some people, they’re not the right fit for everyone. Intuitive eating places emphasis on personal choice and self-awareness, and this should always be a guiding principle in your nutrition approach.

What works for someone else may not work for you, and that’s perfectly okay.

Some people may find that a more intuitive approach without these tools suits them best, while others enjoy the extra insights and balance that tracking provides. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer.

Ultimately, intuitive eating and tools like macro tracking and CGMs don’t have to be at odds. Intuitive eating is about tuning into your body’s signals, and these tools can offer insights that help deepen that connection. Combining intuitive eating with nutrition tracking has the potential to help you develop awareness of your internal cues, define your own values and health goals, and support a positive, sustainable relationship with food.

Work with Me to Find Your Own Balanced Approach

If you’re interested in exploring how intuitive eating and tools like macro tracking or CGMs can work together for you, I’m here to help! Let’s work together to develop a personalized approach that honors your goals and aligns with intuitive eating principles. Reach out today to get started on a path that brings you a deeper understanding of your body’s needs and empowers you to make choices that feel right for you.