The nature of eating intuitively: An examination of direct and indirect associations between nature contact and intuitive eating.

Accumulating evidence suggests that nature contact may support healthier food choices and preferences, but associations with trait-based adaptive eating behaviour traits have not been previously investigated. To fill this gap in the literature, we examined possible direct and indirect relationships between nature contact and intuitive eating (i.e., eating based on attunement to internal hunger, satiety, and appetitive cues). A total of 500 individuals representing an online sample of citizens of the United Kingdom completed a survey assessing nature contact, intuitive eating, and three hypothesised trait mediators (body appreciation, self-compassion, connectedness to nature). Correlational analyses indicated positive, medium-sized relationships between all variables. Structural equation modelling showed that the direct relationship between nature contact and intuitive eating was not significant. Instead, the relationship was significantly mediated by body appreciation and self-compassion. Evidence of more complex serial pathways involving all three mediators was also present. These mediational pathways were robust to sensitivity checks (using alternative measures of nature contact, covarying sociodemographic and socioeconomic variables) and were invariant across binary gender identity. These findings provide the first evidence that nature contact may indirectly support more adaptive and healthy eating patterns, but replications in other national and cultural contexts are needed.