Nutrition Dunne Right

Intuitive vs Mindful Eating: The impact on weight loss and overall health

Written by Millie Rose

Introduction

What are they?

Intuitive eating: “Considers eating specifically in response to hunger and satiety cues” (The Nutrition Source, 2023)

Mindful eating: “increases awareness of your thoughts, senses and feelings during and after you eat” (BDA, 2020)

What is the relevance?

The British Dietetic Association (BDA) has found that in adulthood 67% of men and 60% of women are overweight or obese (BDA, 2024). Many adults are attempting fad diets to combat the health concerns associated with being overweight, which are often short-term solutions and do not create long lasting, sustainable solutions.

Additionally, the BDA states that fad diets often cause muscle and fluid loss, not fat. They are also often associated with health risks as cutting out complete food groups will not fuel the body adequately and nutritional needs are not met (BDA, 2021). Fad diets are often suggested by non-professionals and are not evidence based. These diets often lead to individuals feeling helpless and deflated. The BDA recommends mindful and intuitive eating as it supports the emotional relationship with food. By tuning into cues of the appetite, enjoying the sensations of eating, and keeping a varied diet (BDA, 2022), individuals find they do not remove the enjoyment of eating (BDA, 2020).

How do I eat mindfully/intuitively?

Intuitive Eating
  • Regulate hunger cues by eating when you are hungry
  • Challenge curiosity with the sensations of eating
  • Seek pleasure in what you eat, do not cut out foods you enjoy

(BDA, 2022)

Mindful eating
  • Chew food for longer
  • Relax and enjoy food, turn off the TV or your phone
  • Try to engage with your body’s hunger and satiety cues
  • Identify why you are eating, emotional hunger vs physical hunger

(BDA, 2020)

Why may they be beneficial?

Using these techniques is more sustainable as they are subtle, meaning weight loss is achievable and less likely to be retained in the long term. This may lead to health benefits, such as lowering cholesterol and blood sugar.

By practicing mindful and intuitive eating, giving yourself permission to eat with no food rules or guilt, it will help you to maintain a healthy relationship with food because food is not perceived as a challenge. Instead, tuning into the body’s signals allows you to enjoy your favourite foods, while learning cues, such as satiety and hunger.

Both do not cut out whole food groups, meaning if a balanced varied diet is obtained, nutritional needs can be met and fat can be lost, instead of muscle or fluid.

Are there drawbacks?

Intuitive eating

Intuitive eating may not be suitable for those with poor appetites, which may be caused by disordered eating or medical conditions, as they may not have enough hunger cues to eat enough to fuel their body through intuitive eating.

Intuitive eating may be misinterpreted to eat what you want, without balance. This would not be using satiety cues and listening to how your body is affected by what you eat.

Additionally, it may take longer than other weight loss methods, due to unlearning unhealthy habits and learning how to listen to body cues. It may also be frustrating as results may appear slower than fad diets.

Mindful eating

Those with anxiety surrounding food or body image may feel amplified critical thoughts. However, by reducing limitations to the diet and the smaller changes mindful eating entails, mindful eating may be a better option for those wishing to lose weight.

Mindfulness increases awareness while eating. However, it does not address overindulgence, which may be caused by emotional eating, for example, psychological issues or external societal pressures. Individuals may be subject to reaching for calorific snacks for comfort (BDA, 2022). However, when practicing mindful eating, individuals can learn the skills to seek comfort in other ways other than food, for example, to go on a walk or make a hot drink.

Additionally, learning how to mindfully eat may take time to form new habits, unlearn old habits, and to build self-awareness of satiety. However, through consistency and practice, with gradual change and realistic expectations, new habits will form and become routine.

Some individuals may not enjoy the social aspects of food, while eating mindfully. For example, while eating out with friends, it may be difficult to engage with the body’s cues with surrounding conversations or noise.

Effect on dietary choice/energy intake

By removing restrictions and categorisation of intake, for example, good and bad foods, an individual’s diet has the potential to be more varied. If a more varied diet is obtained, a wider range of nutrients can be consumed. Additionally, by reducing emotional eating, energy intake will be reduced, increasing the likelihood of weight loss. This will allow individuals with high body mass index (BMI) to lose weight sustainably, reducing the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.

Also, individuals will learn to eat in response to their body’s needs, for example, increasing intake for strenuous exercise or adjusting dietary choices during the menstrual cycle. This will ensure individuals are fueled accordingly and not overindulging where it is not necessary. Individuals should begin to tune into the relationship between diet, mood, and symptoms, such as bloating and energy levels. This should shift the diet towards whole grains, vegetables, and unprocessed foods, while reducing ultra processed foods and foods high in sugar.

Additionally, individuals may enjoy more flavours, textures and smells of food while eating mindfully, allowing individuals to feel satisfied from smaller portions. Enjoying food will also allow individuals to sustain their healthy eating habits.

Adapting your lifestyle

How can you implement this style of eating into your life?
  • Small, gradual changes
  • Monitor how specific foods make you feel physically and emotionally
  • Journal your progress
  • Talk through your journey with a nutritionist
  • Do it with a friend/partner/family member
  • Find alternatives to emotional eating, such as, try a new hobby or have a hot drink
  • If you struggle to keep on track one day, do not give up, start fresh again tomorrow, habits take time to settle!

Conclusion

Mindful and intuitive eating may not suit those with loss of appetite or those who require to lose a lot of weight. It is not a medical approach and cannot replace medical interventions, such as Ozempic and gastric sleeves. Additionally, it may be necessary to monitor compliance by a nutritionist or other relevant health professionals to ensure it does not affect the health and wellbeing of an individual.

However, for most cases of weight loss or weight sustainability, mindful and intuitive eating is a safe and easy to manage technique to allow individuals to form sustainable habits and improve quality and variety of intake, according to their body’s requirements. As well as seeking pleasure from food, unlike most weight loss diets.

Overall, this is an effective way to sustainably lose or maintain weight, allowing individuals to learn what their body needs and how it responds to specific foods, leading to a positive relationship with food and decreased health risks associated with overindulgence and obesity.

References:

Written by Millie Rose

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