Mindful Eating vs. Intuitive Eating
Mindful eating and intuitive eating are practices that help improve our relationship with food. Although they are often used interchangeably, there are differences between the concepts.
Mindful eating is the practice of paying attention to the experience of eating. Intuitive eating is a broader concept that promotes three key characteristics: (1) eat for physical rather than emotional reasons, (2) rely on internal hunger and satiety cues, (3) allow yourself unconditional permission to eat.
Intuitive eating rejects diet culture such as “don’t eat carbs.” Intuitive eating allows us to consider internal cues to decide what, how much, and when to eat. Intuitive eating encourages letting go of the guilt associated with certain foods, respecting our bodies, and dealing with emotions in ways that do not involve food.
Ultimately, both mindful eating and intuitive eating complement each other and allow us to understand our bodies better and enjoy food without guilt. See www.intuitiveeating.org for more.
