Copyright © 2010 by Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD  Published at www.EvelynTribole.com

Rights to Reproduce: As long as you leave it unchanged, you don’tcharge for it, and you include the entire copyright statement, you mayreproduce this article. Please let us know you have used it by sending awebsite link or an electronic copy to Etribole@gmail.com.

Q. The phrases "intuitive eating," "mindful eating," and"normal eating" seem to be used interchangeably on the internet. I know that you and Elyse cameup with the concept of intuitive eating. What is your take on all of thedifferent phrases? Do they all represent the same thing?

A. In 1990, Jon Kabat-Zinn published his best-selling Full Castrophe Living, which describeshow to live mindfully. He included a couple of pages on mindful eating, with anactivity on how to eat a raisin using a mindfulness approach.  To my knowledge, that was the first timethe concept of mindful eating was introduced to the public.  (I am a big fan of his work, but I was not introducedto it until about 7 years ago!)

Mindful eating is compatible with Intuitive Eating, and it is a process of paying attention (on purpose), to your actual eating experience,without judgment.  While thissounds straightforward, the process can be quite complex, especially for those inclined to multi-tasking.

While Intuitive Eating, includes mindfulness (we call it conscious eating)— I consider Intuitive Eating a broader philosophy, which includes physical activity for the sake of feeling good, using nutrition information without judgment, and respecting your body, regardless of how youfeel about its shape.  In short,Intuitive Eating is a form of attunement of mind, body and food.  It's exciting that scientists have started to research and validate Intuitive Eating as a healthful way to live and use in the treatment of eating disorders (see resources).

In a nutshell, normal eating means eating is flexible—it’sa way of eating that varies according to your hunger, schedule andsatisfaction.  Ultimately, normaleating is enjoyable. My favorite definition comes from Ellyn Satter, which youcan read in its entirety here:

https://ellynsatter.com/showArticle.jsp?id=268

For those who struggle with their eating, both mindfuleating and Intuitive Eating can help facilitate normal eating.

Resources:

1. The Center for Mindful Eating website:http://www.tcme.org/

2. Intuitive Eating website: www.IntuitiveEating.org

3. Jon Kabat-Zinn. Full Catastrophe Living.(1990). Delta:NY,NY.

4. Tylka, T. Intuitive Eating Assessment Scale. J CounselingPsychology 2006(53):226-240.

Copyright © 2010 by Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD  Published at www.EvelynTribole.com

Rights to Reproduce: As long as you leave it unchanged, you don’tcharge for it, and you include the entire copyright statement, you mayreproduce this article. Please let us know you have used it by sending awebsite link or an electronic copy to Etribole@gmail.com.