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.