Raise your hand if you’re exhausted by all of the food rules and diet advice that restricts your instincts when it comes to eating. Some of us never eat a meal without a sense of guilt or shame or bargaining with ourselves about our urge to eat something “bad.” And while there’s no doubt that eating in a healthy, nutrient-rich way is critical for aging well, it can make you miserable if you’re always unhappy with what’s on your plate.

Enter “intuitive eating,” a strategy and philosophy developed a few decades ago by nutritionists Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch, who realized their diet prescriptions for their clients were contributing to unhealthy relationships with food. With a website and best-selling book, these two women spearheaded the movement toward “intuitive eating,” an eating strategy that has ten guiding principles, including making peace with food and respecting your feelings of hunger and fullness when you eat. The bottom line of this philosophy is that there are no off-limit foods and you shouldn’t obsessively focus on your weight. Instead, you need to develop a healthy relationship with food in order to lead you to choices that make your body feel better (and, hopefully, healthier as well).  While it’s not for everyone, it might be right for you. So set the table, enjoy your next meal and read more here. And there is even new research reporting that if you select your decadent dessert before you start your main meal, you may end up eating less and making healthier choices. Sound too good to be true? Pick up that brownie and click here.

And if you just can’t put aside the need to monitor and track your food intake, at least do it wisely- Click here to read a review of the latest and most useful food tracker apps.