My beef with intuitive eating

I have written about intuitive eating before, but this week made me realize that I need to write about it again from a new angle. There is an elitism in intuitive eating that we need to talk about.

I have beef with intuitive eating (IE.) And not in a “these concepts are ridiculous” kind of way but more in a “these concepts are helpful but still rooted in elitism” kind of way. I identify as a non-diet dietitian, so I will always be happy that someone is trying to find a way to nourish themselves that isn’t rooted in a restrictive diet that isn’t sustainable and can end up harmful. However, I hesitate when someone asks me my thoughts on intuitive eating, especially with the co-opted posts that I see on it.

This is also when I’m going to give my usual spiel about how I am definitely not attacking the concepts or foundation of IE or even the people who use these concepts themselves. I recognize that what I am about to say does not apply to everyone, BUT, and this is a big and necessary BUT - there is an underlying problem with it as a whole. And that’s what I want to discuss here. You can’t tell someone to try to focus on having a healthier relationship with food and their bodies while simultaneously shit-talking certain foods in the name of “health.” It doesn’t work that way.

So UPFs are the burden that messes with intuitive eating? Interesting. You know what else messes with intuitive eating and your natural hunger cues? Stress from trauma regarding poverty, racism, unsafe housing, losing your home to a massive fire, not having access to clean water, not having access to food, including UPFs, chronic painful illnesses, overworking under the burden of capitalism, and dealing with daily microaggressions and racism. Is there a way to intuively eat out of these situations?

I’ve written about my experience before, and there is even a whole chapter dedicated to my thoughts on it in my book Live Nourished, but I will always remember the first time I heard about IE. I had just become a dietitian in 2018, having switched from a career in fashion. It was that same year when I attended my first professional nutrition conference, and one of the presentations was on IE. I have to be 100% honest that I had never even heard about IE before, but my two other dietitian friends who were with me were going to that presentation, and I sort of just followed them because, well, why not? I wish I had a better introduction story here, but I do not.

I remember the presentation room being huge and filled to capacity, so much so that my friends and I had to sit on the floor. So clearly, I was out of the loop. I have to say that I was indeed impressed with the information being given, and it sounded like a no-brainer. I was already slowly detaching from the restrictive dieting mindset of nutrition, and these concepts made sense. TLDR: We are all born with natural intuition on how to eat and hunger cues, but external factors mess it up. Makes total sense, right? Working with pre-school-aged children, I have seen how they tend to eat in a way where they are listening to their bodies. However, it sometimes is the adults who are saying, “No, eat more” or “Put that back,” and my personal favorite (sarcasm obviously) - “Finish everything on your plate.”

So, where did it all go wrong for me? I used to be one of IE’s biggest fans. I used to roll my eyes at the fitness bros who talked against it (I still do to some extent because their dislike of it is for misogynistic and other questionable reasons.) I even started to put in work in order to become a certified IE counselor (which costs some serious money.) I used to say that it was such a great way to combat diet culture, and I still believe it is… to some extent. I think it is a great stepping stone in some capacity, but I am no longer a champion of it. I ironically find that the anti-diet concepts of intuitive eating are in the same Venn diagram of the elitism in society that I find problematic. IE is still stemming from a privileged mindset that it cannot quite escape, no matter how much inclusivity it tries to sell.

Scrolling through Substack this week, I came across this gem:

I had multiple thoughts going through my head while reading this because this came from a self-proclaimed, inclusive body creator. I even enjoyed reading their posts and articles in the past on body diversity being needed in the fitness space. So, I was a bit taken aback by this post, to say the least. But also, this is my biggest gripe with intuitive eating and the community it represents.

IE always seems to be body-positive and inclusive… but not completely.