Differences Between Mindful Eating And Intuitive Eating

Mindful eating is a practice rooted in mindfulness philosophy that involves intentionally focusing on the present moment. It encourages using all senses to experience and appreciate food choices, leading to gratitude and improved eating experiences. Mindful eating helps make nourishing choices without judgment, leading to positive behaviour changes for oneself and the environment. Here, you will learn the difference between mindful and intuitive eating. You will also learn how mindful eating and intuitive eating can work together.

What is Mindful Eating?

Mindfulness, a practice rooted in Zen Buddhism, has gained widespread popularity as a means of calming oneself and altering eating habits. The way mindfulness has become a method of encouraging someone to take good care of him or her-self, likewise, mindful eating encourages us to gain awareness of our eating experiences.

Mindful eating (i.e., paying attention to our food, on purpose, moment by moment, without judgment) is an approach to food that focuses on individuals’ sensual awareness of the food and their experience of the food. It has little to do with calories, carbohydrates, fat, or protein. The goal of mindful eating is not to lose weight, but the intention is to help individuals savor the moment and the food and encourage their full presence for the eating experience. In addition it also helps you learn to distinguish between physical and emotional hunger.

Mindful eating involves:

• Eating slowly and without distraction

• Listening to physical hunger cues and eating only until you’re full

• Distinguishing between true hunger and non-hunger triggers for eating

• Engaging your senses by noticing colors, smells, sounds, textures, and flavors

• Learning to cope with guilt and anxiety about food

• Eating to maintain overall health and well-being

• Noticing the effects food has on your feelings and body

• Appreciating your food

What Is Intuitive Eating?

Intuitive eating is an eating style that promotes a healthy attitude toward food and body image. It is a simple concept that involves making peace with all types of food. Unlike traditional diets that restrict/ban certain foods, intuitive eating requires you to stop labelling food as "bad" or "good." Instead, you listen to your body and eat what feels right. However, this doesn't mean that you can eat whatever you want, whenever you want. Experts suggest that intuitive eating involves tapping into your body's natural ability to tell you that you're hungry or satisfied. When you eat intuitively, you also let go of the idea that you must lose or gain weight to achieve a certain look. The goal is to help you focus on foods that work best for your physical and mental health.

Principles of Intuitive Eating

They are as follows —

• Reject Diets

If you want to eat intuitively, it's essential to reject diets. Following strict rules around food may not help you lose weight over the long run. If the diet doesn’t work or you’re unable to keep up, you may look for a newer, better diet and start all over again. When you restrict foods, your body may not get the nutrients it needs to function at its best. Moreover, frequent dieting could lead to an eating disorder for some people.

• Trust Your Body

Instead of following a diet, eat when you're hungry. Trust your body and permit yourself to eat when it lets you know you're hungry. Eat various foods to ensure you get the nutrients you need. Don't ignore your hunger pangs until they start overwhelming you. If you choose foods that don't make you feel good, you're likely to eat whatever you can get and are more likely to overeat this way.

• Pause Frequently

It's also important to pay attention to fullness. Remember to pause frequently to check in with your body when you eat. Consider how the food tastes and assess your hunger levels to see if you need more. Take time to savour the experience of eating. You'll know you've had enough when you feel satisfied and happy.

• Eat Feel-Good Foods

Choose foods that make you feel good. Depriving yourself of certain foods can trigger serious cravings and even lead to bingeing. Eating intuitively entails choosing foods that satisfy your health needs and taste buds. Moderation is the key. One bite of chocolate won't make you gain weight overnight. But what and how you eat over time affects your health.

• Respect Yourself

Lastly, respect your emotions. Eating to satisfy emotions like anxiety, loneliness, anger, or boredom won’t fix the problem. If you do this often, talk to a therapist to sort out your feelings.

How They Can Work Together?

Mindful Eating and Intuitive Eating are not mutually exclusive. While several principles of intuitive Eating incorporate features of mindfulness, practising mindfulness does not necessarily mean you will automatically incorporate them. Both these philosophies look at the way our mental state can affect our dietary choices and encourage similar actions, such as tuning into feelings of satiety while eating and experiencing pleasure in partaking in meals and snacks. In different ways, both can help reduce feelings of stress about food.

Mindful Eating limits distractions during meals. On the other hand, Intuitive Eating incorporates mindfulness and other tools to reconnect with our body while uprooting deep-seated negative beliefs about the body and food. Deciding whether mindfulness or intuitive eating (or both) is right for you depends on your wellness goals. If you want to focus on your nutrition, for instance, you may prefer to use Mindful Eating to bring awareness to how you are fuelling your body. However, if your goal is to rectify an out-of-sorts relationship with food, Intuitive Eating might be a better choice.