"I have to listen to whichever part of the body makes sense”: A qualitative study of intuitive eating in autistic/AuDHD people

This publication is included in the Autistic Autism Scholarship Project. two authors of this publication are identified as autistic in the project.

About the autistic author marker

Longhurst, P., Burnette, C. B., Cascio, M. A., Maloney, E., & Tylka, T. L. (2026). "I have to listen to whichever part of the body makes sense”: A qualitative study of intuitive eating in autistic/AuDHD people. Body Image, 58, 102140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2026.102140

Publication date: 23 Jun 2026 Added to AutiHub: 26 Sep 2026 Type: Article Article language: English

This publication is integrated into AutiHub through:

Authors

Publication authors
5
Publication authors identified as autistic
2 / 5 (40.0%)

Abstract

Intuitive eating, an adaptive approach to eating that involves listening to and trusting the body's internal cues, has been identified as an effective strategy for fostering a positive body image and enhancing physical and mental well-being. While body image scholars have extensively explored intuitive eating among the general population, extant theory and practice have yet to consider the neurodivergent community, specifically autistic/AuDHD people (autistic and have ADHD). To address this, we explored how autistic/AuDHD people understand and experience intuitive eating, and their perceived barriers and facilitators to eating more intuitively. Using a lived-experience-led qualitative framework, we conducted one-to-one semi-structured interviews among 20 autistic/AuDHD adults (nine female-identifying, eight male-identifying, and three identifying as non-binary; aged 21-63 years) from the United Kingdom. Through reflexive thematic analysis, we identified three superordinate themes that reflect body- and eating-related experiences: (Re)defining intuitive eating, disruptions to intuitive eating, and reframing and supporting intuitive eating. Critically, we identified four sub-themes that reflect the core components of autistic/AuDHD people's intuitive eating: (1) unconditional permission to eat; (2) eating for physical, emotional, and sensory reasons; (3) relying on internal and external cues; and (4) autistic/AuDHD body-food choice congruence. While some aspects of intuitive eating are consistent with those found in the general population, there are crucial nuances in how autistic/AuDHD people experience and adopt strategies to eat intuitively. Further research is needed to enhance the applicability of intuitive eating for promoting a healthier body image and eating well-being in the wider autistic/AuDHD population.

Bibliography cited by this reference

Cited references are imported from external metadata sources when they are available. The list may be partial.

Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 2 Oct 2026 11:55.

Cited references
85
With a DOI
74
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
11
18 / 85 (21.2%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
1 / 85 (1.2%)
References with detected author names
84 / 85 (98.8%)
Without detected author names
1
Without a structured title
1
Without a stable identifier
11
References with raw author names still to review
1
References with external metadata lookup issues
1
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
299
From DOI or external metadata
299
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
1
137 / 299 (45.8%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 162 / 299 (54.2%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
36 / 299 (12.0%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 36 / 137 (26.3%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 23 / 239 (9.6%).
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