When Your Body Knows: The Weird Shit About Intuitive Eating
Today was one of those unexpected workdays.
Normally, Sundays are my day off. But when you’re self-employed and you miss a full week of work because you’re sick, you do what you have to do to make it up. So today I worked 10–5. And honestly? It turned out to be a beautiful day at the spa.
But in between clients, my brain started doing its thing—those little hamster-wheel thoughts that usually end up becoming one of my "Weird Shit" blog posts.
Today’s topic: Food cravings.
For years, I’ve heard people talk about diets, rules, restrictions, "good" foods, and "bad" foods. We’ve been conditioned to think of our hunger as a personal failing and our cravings as a lack of discipline.
But lately? I’ve started looking at food differently. Not as a reward, not as a punishment, and definitely not as something to be controlled by a spreadsheet.
I look at it as data.
Lately, I’ve noticed something interesting. I crave butter chicken a lot—the spicy, "I can feel the fire in my soul" kind—with garlic naan and basmati rice. And when I eat it, something weird happens.
I sleep like a rock.
Not just "I closed my eyes and woke up" sleep. I’m talking about a full, factory-reset nervous system reboot. The kind where you wake up the next morning and your body actually feels like it recovered from the apocalypse that was the previous week.
And the even weirder part? The second day, I usually crave it again, but without the naan. My body is basically saying, "Hey, thanks for the repair materials, but keep the bread, we’re good."
So instead of ignoring the craving, I listened. Because somewhere along the way, I learned the truth: The gut is the brain’s best friend.
When your gut is inflamed, your brain is a foggy, reactive mess. When your gut is supported, your mood stabilizes, your nervous system sighs in relief, and suddenly, you don't feel like crying over a dropped spoon.
Butter chicken has protein, fats, and anti-inflammatory spices like turmeric and ginger. It’s basically a medicinal hug in a bowl.
Now, does that mean I only eat "perfect" food? Absolutely not.
Sometimes I crave pizza. Sometimes I need a Mountain Dew. Sometimes I want the chocolate peanut butter candy that tastes like childhood.
And instead of pretending those cravings don’t exist—or acting like I’m above them—I listen. I follow the 80/20 rule. Most of the time, I eat to nourish the body. Sometimes, I eat to nourish the soul. And turns out, those cravings usually pop up right when I’m healing from being run down.
Maybe my body isn’t broken. Maybe it’s just a really chatty roommate.
For years, I was surrounded by people who made me question my instincts, my body, and my choices. I spent so much time "fixing" things that weren't actually wrong. But the more I listen to myself, the more I realize something pretty damn freeing:
I actually know what I need. And honestly? That’s freaking bomb.
Working in healing—whether it’s skincare, nervous system work, or energy work—you see the same pattern over and over. People don't need to be "fixed." They need to stop yelling at their body long enough to hear what it’s actually trying to say.
So, listen to the craving. Trust the weirdness. Your body is way smarter than you were ever told.
