Collin County Living Well Magazine May/June 2020 | Page 39
Mindful Eating vs. Intuitive Eating
I’ve written before on mindful eating, which is, among other
things, paying attention to what you’re eating and the ex-
perience of that moment without judgment. Also, it’s good
practice if you’re a multitasker because you have to stop
doing everything and enjoy your eating moment. It helps
you develop better habits and opens your senses when
choosing food. You will see now that it gets a bit confusing
because it overlaps with intuitive eating. Let’s see.
While intuitive eating includes some of the characteristics
of being mindful, it’s more complete. You learn how to stop
having the diet mentality, manage your emotions with be-
ing kind to yourself, and accept and respect your body as
is. You’ll also develop the habit of being more active in
terms of adding some form of exercise such as walking,
etc. It also helps you become aware of your body in terms
of hunger versus satiety; become aware of your thoughts
at that moment helping the emotional versus physical com-
ponent (mindful), while helping you to develop freedom
around food.
It’s not a tool to lose
weight, but if you
practice the concepts
that are involved,
you may lose weight.
If you eat only when
you’re hungry and not
because of an emotion
that was developed by
a thought, you won’t overeat because you’ll be more at-
tuned with yourself. I will talk a bit more about overeating
in another article.
Remember to always consult your physician before trying
anything new related to your health.
“Fall in love with taking care of your body.”
~Unknown
Julie Alvira, M.D., MBA
Healthcare Management, is the
founder of Coach Dr. Julie, LLC
– Physician Life and Weight
Loss Coaching Services. You can
find her on Facebook as Coach
Dr. Julie or via email at
[email protected]
www.coachdrjulie.com
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