The Difference Between Intuitive Eating and Mindful Eating
Are you confused about the difference between Intuitive Eating and Mindful Eating? If so, you are in the right place.
This article will run through exactly what these two concepts are. It will also detail their key differences and crossovers.
Let’s start by defining Mindful Eating Vs Intuitive Eating…
What is Mindful Eating?
“Mindfulness is the capacity to bring full attention and awareness to one’s experience, in the moment, without judgment. Mindful Eating brings mindfulness to food choice and the experience of eating. Mindful eating helps us become aware of our thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations related to eating, reconnecting us with our innate inner wisdom about hunger and satiety.”The Centre for Mindful Eating
So mindful eating is paying attention to sensations, thoughts and emotions that arise during eating.
A lot of us have idea’s about how we should feel about eating a particular meal or snack. For example, some may feel guilty for enjoying a “naughty” food or proud for sticking to a diet rule. With mindful eating, you remain curious and non-judgmental. This enhances your ability to truly connect with your body. Mindful Eating is a tool discover the way of eating that feels best for you, as an individual.
What is Intuitive Eating?
Intuitive eating is a framework, of which mindful eating is a key component.
There are 10 Principles of Intuitive Eating. They can be boiled down to these three core characteristics:
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Eat for Physical Rather than Emotional Reasons
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Rely on Internal Hunger and Satiety Cues
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Unconditional Permission to Eat
Intuitive Eating incorporates your instinct, emotion and rational thoughts about food. This helps you to move past fear and judgement and find true satisfaction and peace when eating. It is an evidence-based, mind-body approach to break free from the diet mentality.
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Improved self-esteem & body image
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Increased body appreciation
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Decreased emotional eating
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Decreased disordered eating
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Improved emotional coping skills
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Higher HDL (good) cholesterol and lower triglyceride levels
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Increased satisfaction in life
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And more!
If you would like to read more about the framework of Intuitive Eating, we have written a detailed introduction to it here.
As a Registered Dietitian and Intuitive Eating Coach, I often guide my clients through mindful eating exercises. It’s amazing to hear what flavours, textures, smells and emotions people notice when they pay attention. Eating mindfully and without judgement allows my clients to identify firstly, whether they actually like the food, and secondly, how much of that food is necessary for them to find the point of satisfaction.
What are the key differences between intuitive eating and mindful eating?
The key difference is that Intuitive Eating is a broader framework/philosophy that encompasses:
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mindful eating
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rejecting the “diet mentality”
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respecting your body, regardless of how you feel about it’s size and shape (LINK)
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self care
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making peace with food
Mindful eating is one tool to better understand your body and food preferences.
Intuitive eating goes some steps further and provides more guidance about what to do with that information. It is also a more holistic framework as it encompasses the above bullet points. These points are all key in truly arriving in a place of being at peace with your body, and in your relationship to food.
Are there any similarities between Intuitive Eating and Mindful Eating?
Both Intuitive Eating and Mindful Eating encourage increased mind-body attunement to eating cues.
Neither mindful eating nor intuitive eating are diets. Neither are meant to promote weight loss or to change body size/shape. This would be going against the very core of these frameworks. In fact, they encourage breaking free from the diet mentality.
I want to note that connecting with your body may not be possible or safe for everyone. If you’ve experienced trauma or have an active eating disorder, these tools may not be appropriate for you right now, and that’s ok. Consider discussing your unique situation with a Registered Dietitian or therapist who has experience in eating concerns. They will be able to give you the advice that is right for you.
At Nude Nutrition we are Intuitive Eating experts, offering both individual support for those seeking a healthier relationship to food and their bodies.
In Summary
Mindful eating is a tool that can helps you to bring non-judgemental awareness to the experience of eating. Both Mindful Eating and Intuitive Eating promote mind-body connection. They both encourage listening to body cues such as hunger, fullness and satiety. Intuitive eating is a broader framework of which mindful eating is a key component.
