Mindful Eating and Intuitive Eating What’s the Difference?

Mindful eating is the practice of being fully present and aware while eating, focusing on the experience of food without distractions. It involves listening to your body’s hunger and fullness cues, appreciating flavors and textures, and eating with intention rather than habit or emotion.

Principles of Mindful Eating:

1. Eat Slowly & Without Distractions – Take time to chew and savor each bite, avoiding screens or multitasking.

2. Listen to Hunger & Fullness Cues – Eat when you’re truly hungry and stop when you’re satisfied, not overly full.

3. Engage Your Senses – Notice the colors, textures, smells, and flavors of your food.

4. Recognize Emotional vs. Physical Hunger – Be aware of emotional triggers for eating, like stress or boredom, and find non-food coping strategies.

5. Appreciate Your Food – Consider where your food comes from, its nutritional value, and how it benefits your body.

6. Eat with Intention & Gratitude – Make conscious food choices that nourish your body rather than eating out of impulse.

7. Practice Non-Judgment – Avoid labeling foods as “good” or “bad” and instead focus on balance and moderation.

Intuitive eating is a self-care approach to eating that focuses on listening to your body’s natural hunger and fullness cues rather than following diets or external food rules. It encourages a healthy relationship with food by rejecting restrictive eating patterns and promoting trust in your body’s needs.

Principles of Intuitive Eating:

1. Reject the Diet Mentality – Let go of dieting and restrictive food rules that promote weight cycling and unhealthy relationships with food.

2. Honor Your Hunger – Eat when your body signals hunger to avoid excessive hunger that can lead to overeating.

3. Make Peace with Food – Give yourself unconditional permission to eat all foods without guilt or restriction.

4. Challenge the Food Police – Stop labeling foods as “good” or “bad” and free yourself from guilt or shame around eating choices.

5. Feel Your Fullness – Pay attention to your body’s signals that indicate satisfaction and stop eating when comfortably full.

6. Discover the Satisfaction Factor – Enjoy your meals by choosing foods that truly satisfy you, both physically and emotionally.

7. Cope with Emotions Without Using Food – Find alternative ways to handle stress, boredom, or emotions instead of turning to food as a coping mechanism.

8. Respect Your Body – Accept your natural body shape and size instead of striving for unrealistic ideals.

9. Exercise for Joy, Not Obligation – Engage in physical activity that feels good and energizes you rather than exercising solely for weight loss.

10. Honor Your Health with Gentle Nutrition – Make food choices that nourish your body while still enjoying what you eat, without aiming for perfection.