Intuitive Eating vs. Fertility Nutrition: Do You Have to Choose?

In today's episode we're going to talk about about a common concern I hear from women before they start focusing on eating for fertility: What if this morphs into unhealthy obsession/disordered eating?It's a great question and a fair concern. How do we balance the importance of striving for a consistently healthy diet while also maintaining a healthy relationship with food?In today's episode, we're talking all about intuitive eating, and how it can actually go hand-in-hand with eating for fertility.Here’s what I break down:Why so many women are afraid that having nutrition targets will automatically turn into food obsessionWhat Intuitive Eating actually is, including the 10-principle framework created by dietitians Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch for eating disorder recovery, and why it wasn’t specifically designed to regulate cycles, treat PCOS, or improve fertilityWhy intuitive eating and fertility nutrition are not opposites, but why nutrition education often needs to come firstHow our cravings, “healthy meal” ideas, and food rules are shaped by upbringing and diet cultureWhy many gut-health habits, like eating enough fiber or fermented foods, are not naturally intuitiveWhy extreme calorie restriction can slow your metabolism and negatively affect ovulationWhy ignoring hunger cues can damage trust with your bodyWhat “making peace with food” really means to me, including letting go of “good” and “bad” food languageHow I personally had to learn to honor fullnessWhy your hormones respond to consistent patterns over time, not one imperfect mealWhy women with PCOS are at higher risk for eating disorders, and the red flags I want you to watch for, like anxiety around social meals, skipping events, compensatory exercise, or obsessive trackingThe difference between intentional, flexible nourishment and punishing, rule-following eatingHow to adjust protein and blood sugar targets when life is hectic without falling into all-or-nothing thinkingAnd why your nutrition plan should calm your nervous system, not stress you out+so much moreConnect with Lauren:Get my FREE PCOS Guide hereJoin the Empowered Path to Pregnancy hereInstagramWork With MeThank you so much for listening to the About Health and Hormones Podcast! If you loved today’s episode, I would love to know! Please leave a rating and review so I can make this podcast even better for you all. I would love to connect with you.I’m so glad you were here today, and I wish you all health and happiness!This episode was edited and produced by Intent Media.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy