Mindful & Intuitive Eating

The terms “mindful” and “intuitive” are used interchangeably when it comes to methods of eating that we are actively observant. These two interrelated concepts, often used interchangeably, stand together behind a concept of a more conscious and compassionate relationship with food. Mindful eating encourages us to savor each moment of our meals, fostering a deeper connection with the body’s hunger and satiety cues. On the other hand, intuitive eating takes mindful principles a step further, incorporating instincts, emotions, and rational thoughts about food to promote a harmonious and sustainable approach to nourishment.

To help better understand the concepts…

Mindful Eating

Mindful eating is a way of eating that is about being fully in the moment, slowing the reactiveness, and savoring. This can be included in any nutritional practice.

Principles of Mindful Eating:

1. Be present during meals and fully engage in the eating experience. Mindful eating centers on being fully present, aware during the eating experience, and focusing on the sensory aspects of eating, such as taste, texture, and aroma.
2. Eat slowly to savor and enjoy the flavors and textures of food. Mindful eating encourages slower eating to savor and fully appreciate the taste and textures of the food.
3. Tune into your body’s hunger and fullness signals to guide your eating. You work to tune into your body’s hunger and fullness cues to better understand your body’s needs.
4. Understand that food is neutral, devoid of judgments like “good” or “bad.” Encouraging a more conscious and appreciative relationship with food, recognizing that food is just food and not labeled as “good”/”bad”, “healthy”/”unhealthy” or “right”/”wrong”.
5. Set up a mindful food environment to influence your food choices positively. Our food environment and stimuli can dictate our choices sometimes. Setting it up mindfully for what we want to have and the experience that we choose to have with the food.
6. Acknowledgment of the Energy Equation: The body has specific needs for each and every individual and changes with the needs of nutritional, activity, and performance-related goals.
7. Self-Awareness: Mindful eating emphasizes self-awareness and being in the moment without judgment.

Intuitive Eating

Intuitive Eating is a comprehensive program developed by Evelyn Tribole, RD, and Elyse Resch, RD. This was introduced in 1995 in their book titled “Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program that Works.” This approach to eating is founded on the principle of returning to our innate wisdom about food and our bodies, fostering a healthy and balanced relationship with eating, and rejecting the harmful cycle of dieting and food rules.

Principles of Intuitive Eating:

1. Reject a Diet Mentality: Break free from the dieting mindset, letting go of strict rules and fad diets. Focus on nourishing your body based on internal cues and true needs for optimal health.
2. Honor Your Hunger: Recognize and respect your body’s natural hunger cues. Eat when genuinely hungry and avoid depriving yourself of food.
3. Make Peace with Food: Embrace a neutral and non-judgmental attitude toward food. Allow yourself to enjoy a variety of foods without labeling them as “good” or “bad.”
4. Challenge the Food Police: Confront the inner critic that passes judgment on food choices and eating behaviors. Cultivate self-compassion and free yourself from self-criticism.
5. Discover the Satisfaction Factor: Recognize that satisfaction is essential in eating. Find pleasure in your meals and choose foods you genuinely enjoy for a positive and fulfilling eating experience.
6. Feel Your Fullness: Learn to recognize when you are comfortably satisfied and stop eating at that point to prevent overeating and promote balance.
7. Cope with Your Emotions with Kindness: Address emotional eating by acknowledging the connection between emotions and food. Find alternative ways to cope with emotions kindly and compassionately, rather than using food as a coping mechanism.
8. Respect Your Body: Promote body respect and acceptance. Embrace your body for what it is and let go of the pursuit of an idealized body shape or size.
9. Movement: Acknowledge the importance of joyful movement and physical activity. Engage in exercises that genuinely bring you enjoyment, fostering a positive and sustainable approach to staying active.
10. Honor Your Health: Emphasize overall health and well-being. Prioritize gentle nutrition, making food choices that nourish and support your health without being overly restrictive or obsessive.

Mindful Eating and Intuitive Eating are both approaches to eating that emphasize a more conscious and mindful relationship with food and the body. While they share some similarities, they also have distinct differences in their principles and focus.

Similarities:

1. Present-Moment Awareness: Both advocate for being fully present during meals, paying attention to the sensory aspects of eating, and enjoying the food experience.
2. Slower Eating: Both approaches encourage slower eating to savor and appreciate the taste, texture, and flavors of food, promoting a more mindful and enjoyable eating experience.
3. Tuning into Body Cues: Both emphasize tuning into the body’s hunger and fullness signals to guide eating behaviors and develop a deeper understanding of your nutritional needs.
4. Neutral Attitude Towards Food: Both approaches promote a neutral and non-judgmental attitude toward food, recognizing that all foods can be enjoyed without being labeled as “good” or “bad.”

Differences:

1. Scope and Program Structure: Mindful Eating can be incorporated into any nutritional practice, whereas Intuitive Eating is a comprehensive program with specific principles and guidelines developed by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch.
2. Rejecting Diet Mentality: Intuitive Eating specifically addresses breaking free from the dieting mindset and quick fixes for weight loss.
3. Emotional Eating, Body Respect, and Acceptance: Intuitive Eating dedicates a principle to coping with emotions with kindness, acknowledging the connection between emotions and food. Intuitive Eating also includes a principle promoting body respect and acceptance, encouraging individuals to embrace their bodies for what they are. While Mindful Eating may touch on emotional awareness & personal acceptance through the practice of loving-kindness, it does not have a specific principle dedicated to emotional eating.
4. Gentle Nutrition: Intuitive Eating emphasizes gentle nutrition, making food choices based on nourishment and health without being overly restrictive. Mindful Eating focuses on nourishment with guidance from the energy equation, calories, and macronutrients.

Both Mindful Eating and Intuitive Eating advocate for a more mindful and conscious approach to eating, with a focus on being present, savoring food, and tuning into the body’s signals. However, Intuitive Eating is a comprehensive program with specific principles addressing the diet mentality, emotional eating, body acceptance, and gentle nutrition, while Mindful Eating is a broader approach that can be integrated into various practices without a full structured program.