as a female founded business, we at gonanas are proud to stand for body positive practices such as intuitive eating and self-care. in this ever changing society, we are constantly teaching ourselves and trying to equip our tool box with ways to achieve a peaceful relationship with our bodies and minds. we have gathered a comprehensive list of the best books and resources for you to either begin your journey to heal your relationship with food or to expand your knowledge of anti-diet practices. learning to break free from diet culture and listen to our bodies is a liberating goal that we hope to help all women reach.
If you are someone who has little knowledge about intuitive eating and want to dip your feet in the water, this is the starting place for you. Written by the founders of intuitive eating, Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch, this book will outline how to follow the ten principles of IE and how to achieve a safe relationship with food.
2. Just Eat It
Laura Thomas PhD, is a registered nutritionist who has faced her own battles of a strained relationship with food. Thomas’s voice is accessible and relatable (which is sometimes hard to find in clinical professionals) through her use of personal anecdotes and witty insights. As stated in Glamour Magazine and Sunday Times Style, “Just Eat It is a rallying cry against diet culture and a real game-changer in helping people learn to love food-and themselves-again.”
Although it is known that our society is wired to launch young people towards a toxic relationship with food, people rarely discuss traumatic events that have led them towards this negative behavior. Whether it be the loss of a loved one, an unstable family relationship, or a mental health issue, traumatic life events play a large role in our relationships with our bodies and food. Virginia Sole-Smith visits kitchens around the country to understand the unique struggles that people of all turns of life face regarding food. These stories allow readers to feel less alone in their battles and ask the question, “why is it so hard to feel good about food?”
In these unprecedented times, it is harder than ever to have access to therapists/counselors, both physically and financially. Maybe you just don’t feel ready to talk to a therapist, and that’s okay! This workbook is filled with eating exercises and responses that allow you to explore the negative impacts of dieting while teaching you to listen to your body’s natural cues. These prompts and responses equip you with strategies and habits that can start to improve your relationship with food, without the price tag of a nutritionist or counselor.
If you are someone who has already started on your journey of intuitive eating, this book by Rebecca Scritchfield is a natural accompaniment to the work you have already done. Nourishing your body and being less rigid with it is only one aspect of self-care and Scritchfield outlines ways to take these practices into other aspects of your life.
If you are looking for a new approach to learning about a healthy relationship with food, check out this guided exercise filled book by Anita Johnston. As opposed to traditional writing, this book is packed with multicultural myths, ancient legends, and folktales regarding women’s struggles with food around the world. These stories and exercises show readers the deeper meanings behind the ways that they eat and the ways that they use food to camouflage other feelings.
Megan Jayne Crabbe (check out her instagram for some body positive love on your feed @bodyposipanda) is an eating disorder survivor and champion for “escaping the cult of thin.” Crabbe discusses her past relationships with food and argues for women taking their power back. She teaches readers how to stop believing the lies that society tells us about what it means to be beautiful and what we should look like.
