Are We Intuitive Enough for Intuitive Eating?
What is Intuitive Eating?
Intuitive eating was developed by dietitians Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch. It is an awareness-based approach to eating, in which you learn to tune-in to your own body’s sensations, needs and wants, such as your hunger and fullness cues. Long-term dieting, as well as some other factors can have the effect of “dulling” our innate ability to sense these cues, and Intuitive Eating practices help many people tap back into those senses and re-learn how to trust in our body and ourselves (likely after many years of being socialized in a culture that praises thinness over health).
This modality is not a diet. It is rooted in the belief that the idea of weight loss needs to be set aside so that you can truly tap into the benefits of trusting your body. In this sense, Intuitive Eating is known as a “weight-neutral” practice. This means that your focus becomes centered on your health—how you feel physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Any focus on weight-loss tends to cut us off from our ability to stay in touch with our senses and needs.
Some of the things we can gain from intuitive eating:
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Improved relationship with food and eating. Less external rules and focus on societal expectations, more of being in-tune with yourself and learning to trust your mind and body.
Body acceptance and self LOVE. Learning to approach food and eating in this way can encourage you to appreciate and honor all that your body does for you every minute of every day.
Improved emotional wellbeing. As you learn to appreciate your body more and focus less on trying to change the size and shape of it, you may feel overall better about your internal world, and feel less of the guilt and shame that accompanies diet and diet culture.
Freedom from dieting. Not having to stick to rules is freeing and much more sustainable than dieting. This approach is much more flexible and compassionate.
Some of the reasons intuitive eating might not be right for you:
Difficulty. Beginners who are used to following diet rules and restricting themselves can find it quite a challenge to start out. People who like/need structure (such as some neurodivergent people) in their day-to-day, may struggle without having a sense of order.
Weight Concerns. As people begin the transition from restriction to listening to their body’s internal cues, there may be some initial weight gain as our bodies find their “set point,” or the weight it “likes” to be at. This can balance out over time as our bodies find homeostasis.
External influences. Societal expectations are placed on us all no matter what culture(s) we come from and spend time in. In western societies, thinness is practically deified, and people in bigger bodies are exposed to discrimination and unfair judgment. Until there is a societal shift in our core values and beliefs (which seems unlikely but I’m a cynic), celebrity worship, advertising and the $72.6 billion diet industry will continue on relentlessly, pressuring us to look and act a certain way.
Luka Tessitore, a neurodivergent Nutritionist in Portland, OR, does not usually recommend Intuitive eating for:
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Auto-immune disorders. People with auto-immune disorders such as diabetes, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), or Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) require a certain amount of restriction or dietary pattern, and IE could potentially exacerbate their conditions.
People with Eating Disorders (EDs), especially Binge Eating Disorder (BED). Intuitive Eating could potentially trigger disordered eating patterns if for example there is some weight gain, or in general someone with BED could actually experience a worsening of their condition.
Neurodivergent people, particularly those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and/or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). People with these neurotypes may struggle to implement intuitive eating into their lives due to:
Sensory sensitivities such as aversions to certain textures or tastes can affect neurodivergent people’s food choices and dietary patterns. For example, many people with ASD will have safe foods, which are foods that provide comfort, that they will return to again and again throughout life. People with ADHD may hyperfixate on certain meals or foods and eat them on repeat for days, weeks or months at a time.
Interoception difficulties: Interoception is our body’s ability to sense internal signals like hunger, fullness, thirst, pain, stress or emotions. People with interoception difficulties may struggle to sense, express and/or take appropriate action on these signals. They may be under-responsive, over-responsive, or have difficulty discerning between signals (“am I hungry or anxious?”). All of these signal challenges can make practicing IE quite difficult.
Executive function challenges. Executive function challenge examples include difficulty with task initiation, difficulty changing from one task to another, following through on projects, planning or organizing adequately, impulse control and keeping track of time. These challenges are a real doozy, as they affect how a person functions on a day-to-day basis, including how/if they do their food shopping, meal preparation, remembering to eat and even making impulsive eating choices that are not based on internal hunger or fullness cues.
Inflexible thinking, aka cognitive inflexibility. Autistic people can struggle to quickly adapt their perceptions and ways of doing things, and tend to do well with regular routines. IE encourages flexibility and spontaneity, which for these individuals can cause distress or anxiety.
Emotional regulation challenges. People with emotional regulation challenges may find it hard to manage how they perceive their emotions, and how they respond to them. This can be correlated with disordered eating patterns
For those in which IE does not suit, should look for nutrition therapy that is more tailored to their lifestyle, conditions and needs. This might mean working one-on-one with a nutrition therapist who is specialized to their condition(s).
Written by Luka Tessitore, MScN, CN, CHW
IG: @neuroqueerdos