A Qualitative Exploration of Sports Dietitians’ Incorporation of Intuitive Eating when Working with Athletes with and without Eating Disorders and Disordered Eating Habits

Purpose: Athletes have a higher prevalence of eating disorders (EDs) and disordered eating (DE) than the general population. Intuitive eating (IE) is a nutrition intervention that is negatively associated with DE, yet research is limited on how dietitians incorporate IE into recommendations for athletes. This study examined Sports Dietitians’ beliefs about incorporating IE into nutrition counselling. Results: Most participants incorporate IE into practice. They felt challenge the food police is the most effective principle of IE for athletes, along with reject the diet mentality and respect your body. Half of the dietitians identified honour your hunger as the most challenging principle of IE for athletes to adopt. Most dietitians who work with athletes with ED/DE use IE in practice. However, some indicated that athletes with a newly diagnosed ED need a more structured intervention before IE can be effective. Conclusion: Participants suggested that most principles of IE can be used when counselling athletes, although some barriers exist. Future research should explore athletes’ experience with integrating IE into nutrition care.