Intuitive Eating vs Mindful Eating: Which is Better?
What Is Mindful Eating?
You may have heard the term mindful eating, and are still determining what that really means. Mindful eating, according to Mindful, is:
Being aware of the positive and nurturing aspects available through food selection and preparation.
Tapping into your senses in choosing food that is both nourishing and satisfying to your body
Being able to determine which foods you like, dislike, and are neutral to you without judgment.
Learning what your physical hunger and satiety cues are to guide when you begin and end eating.
Principles of Mindful Eating
The principles of mindful eating focus on
Eating without judgment
Encompassing internal and external factors
Promoting balance, acceptance, and wisdom
How can we incorporate mindful eating into our meals?
It may not be realistic to practice mindfulness with every meal, but getting into the habit of being mindful more often than not is a great way to help create a positive relationship with food. Consider these questions and thoughts at your next meal:
Consider how you are feeling before your meal
Think about where your food came from and appreciate your journey
What is the texture of this food?
Do I like the food or not? Why?
How do you feel during and after the meal?
What Is Intuitive Eating?
Intuitive Eating encompasses mindful eating, However, Intuitive Eating goes deeper into various aspects that play into overall health such as body image, movement, gentle nutrition, etc.
10 Principles Of Mindful Eating
Intuitive Eating is composed of 10 principles, which are:
Ditch the diet mentality
Honor your hunger
Make peace with food
Challenge the food police
Discover the satisfaction factor
Feel your fullness
Cope with your emotions with kindness
Respect your body
Movement-feel the difference
Gentle nutrition
How Are They Similiar?
Intuitive Eating and Mindful Eating both put the enjoyment of food at the forefront. They both provide health benefits without weight being the number one priority.
Intuitive Eating and mindful eating are both realistic and sustainable, unlike many other diets that set unrealistic restrictions and goals.
In addition, they both do not recommend food restriction. They both prioritize the relationship between the mind, body, and soul when it comes to food.
How Are They Different?
Intuitive Eating encompasses mindful eating, but mindful eating does not encompass Intuitive Eating. It’s like the whole rectangle and square thing.
Intuitive Eating is an entire framework of tools while mindful eating is just one set of tools.
Evelyn Tribole, one of the founders of Intuitive Eating said it best in her blog:
“I consider Intuitive Eating a broader philosophy, which includes physical activity for the sake of feeling good, rejecting the dieting mentality, using nutrition information without judgment, and respecting your body, regardless of how you feel about its shape.”
Final Thoughts
Both mindful eating and Intuitive Eating are great tools for healing your relationship with food and finding the joy and satisfaction factor that food provides.
Even the aspects of Intuitive Eating that do expand beyond the bounds of Mindful Eating rely on the same basic principles as the broader realm of mindfulness.
Coping with your emotions with kindness, feeling and appreciating your movements, and generally respecting your body all rely on the objective and non-judgmental frame of reference that mindfulness requires.
And, of course, feeling your hunger, your satisfaction, and your fullness and being aware of how all of these interact within yourself is a perfect match for the mindfulness principle of slowing down and being aware of yourself and your surroundings.
Want To Learn More About Intuitive Eating?
If you are interested in learning more about Intuitive Eating, I work virtually with clients that are over-dieting and want to say goodbye to dieting for good. I meet you where you are and guide you down the Intuitive Eating path to finding peace and freedom with food. Click here to work with me and build lifelong, sustainable habits that fit you.