Challenges of Intuitive Eating for Neurodivergent (ND) Individuals
Intuitive Eating (IE), created by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch in 1995, offers a weight-neutral, self-care approach to eating, focusing on building a healthy relationship with food, mind, and body. While backed by a significant amount of research showing its benefits, IE often fails to account for the unique needs of ND individuals, whose sensory, cognitive, and emotional experiences with food can make adhering to IE principles difficult.
Why IE Can Be a Struggle for ND Folks
IE assumes a level of interoceptive awareness - the ability to sense internal body signals like hunger and fullness - that is not always accessible to ND individuals. Differences in how ND brains receive and interpret sensory information can create significant barriers. Here are some common challenges:
1. Honouring Hunger: When Signals Don’t Show Up
IE emphasises recognising hunger cues (see all the IE principles here). Many ND individuals struggle to notice hunger, particularly when it comes to recognising the more direct signals coming from the stomach like emptiness or rumbling. Hunger may instead show up more indirectly as tiredness, mood swings or brain fog, making it more difficult to identify.
Waiting for hunger to "show up" can lead to delayed eating which further reduce energy. This in itself can worsen anxiety (low energy can be a powerful stress response) and increase executive function* challenges. There is a potential to spiral here as the need to eat increases but the ability to do so is reduced. This can result in cycles of erratic eating, guilt, and shame, often mistaken as a personal failing.
*executive function refers to the cognitive processes that affect a person's ability to plan and prioritise tasks, organise thoughts, make decisions, remember, manage time and complete tasks.
2. Feeling Fullness: When "Enough" Feels Elusive
Fullness cues like increased pressure in the stomach, reduced food interest, or a sense of calm may not be discernible or might feel like something entirely different.
Without clear signals, ND individuals may overeat to discomfort or feel unsure if they’ve eaten enough, especially when managing food selectivity or fear of weight gain.
Heightened sensitivity in some ND individuals, including hypersensitivity to pain or discomfort (more on this here), can make even slight fullness feel overwhelming, further straining the relationship with food.
3. The Challenge of Neurotypical Expectations
IE’s push for food neutrality (Make Peace with Food) assumes the privilege of being able to approach food without anxiety or restriction. For ND folks, preferences shaped by sensory sensitivities or routines are often dismissed as “fussiness.”
Concepts like variety and moderation (encouraged in Gentle Nutrition) are inaccessible to those with limited safe foods or executive function barriers, creating further frustration and self-blame.
Mockery or judgment for accommodations - like needing foods to not touch, needing distractions (mindful eating is integrated into IE) - can erode confidence, making principles like “Challenging the Food Police” particularly difficult.
4. Emotional Eating: A Lifeline, Not a Failing
ND individuals often experience intense emotions, sometimes paired with alexithymia - difficulties identifying, understanding, and articulating emotions - can make regulating feelings challenging. Emotional eating becomes a crucial coping tool but is unfairly pathologised in many IE discussions.
Encouraging “better” coping mechanisms without acknowledging the value of emotional eating risks perpetuating ableism and misunderstanding (see my free guide: 2 BIG Reasons Why Emotional Eating is Necessary here).
5. Movement Barriers
The IE principle to "Move, Feel the Difference" promotes freedom from exercise tied to punishment or aesthetics, but it still implies movement is essential. For ND individuals, sensory processing differences, low muscle tone, or coordination issues can make movement uncomfortable or overwhelming.
Executive function challenges and energy fluctuations can hinder forming long-term habits, feeding into feelings of inadequacy. Instead of joy, movement can feel like another demand to navigate.
Adapting IE for Neurodivergent Needs
While IE in its traditional form may not work for everyone, it can be adapted to support ND individuals more inclusively. Here are some strategies:
1. Create Structure Around Eating
Regular eating is vital for ND individuals who may not recognise hunger cues. Alarms, visual reminders, or keeping snacks in visible, accessible locations can help support more consistent nourishment.
Recognise indirect hunger cues like fatigue, irritability, forgetfulness or brain fog as valid signals to eat.
2. Simplify Food Choices
Decision-making can feel overwhelming, especially without appetite cues. Use the “3 T’s” framework - Temperature, Texture, Taste - to narrow options. Choice boards and Apps like Tiny Decisions can also help.
3. Redefine Mindfulness
Traditional mindful eating may not work for ND brains. Instead, embrace eating while engaged in regulating activities like watching TV, listening to music, or using stim toys. Distracted eating can make eating less stressful, easier and enjoyable.
4. Accept Hyperfixations
Eating the same foods repeatedly is valid and often comforting for ND individuals. Avoid pressuring yourself to add variety if it creates stress or discomfort.
5. Adapt Movement Expectations
Movement is optional, not obligatory. Find activities that suit your sensory needs, ability and energy levels. And give yourself permission to rest without guilt.
Here’s a Neurodivergent-Friendly Take on IE Principles
Reject the ableist diet mentality.
Honour that your hunger may look and feel different.
Make peace with your food preferences.
Challenge the neurotypical food police - if you have capacity.
Respect that comfortable fullness isn’t always clear or easy to attain.
Seek satisfaction in ways that work for you, using accomodations as needed.
Cope with unruly emotions with kindness, and acknowledge emotional eating is valid.
Honour your health using approaches that respect your capacity and neurotype.
Redefine movement as optional, based on accessibility and personal comfort.
Conclusion
Intuitive Eating can be a helpful framework but needs significant adaptation to serve ND individuals. By acknowledging interoception differences, sensory sensitivities, and emotional realities, IE can become more inclusive and supportive. Tailoring these principles isn’t failure, it’s empowerment.
Do you have any questions about eating accomodations / adaptations, or need support to create and implement strategies to make eating easier? Book a call with me, today.