It seems that there has always been a popular fad diet that people use to try and lose weight, people are looking for a quick and easy way to lose those extra pounds. One of the more popular trends right now is Mindful and Intuitive Eating, but they are not the same thing.
Mindful eating is where you are focused on the task of eating, not distracted by the television, or reading the newspaper but focused on what you put in your mouth. Intuitive Eating is where people eat when they feel hungry. They listen to their body and pay no attention to ‘good’ or ‘bad’ foods. They eat if they feel hungry, if they don’t feel hungry, they don’t eat. It is suggested that this is how we are born but as we develop and grow older, we no longer trust our bodies and we eat when society suggests we should, at breakfast, lunch and dinner (at least).
As people’s knowledge around their health and wellbeing grows, there has been a growing suspicion of fad diets. People now want to find a sustainable way of eating, they want to make it a lifestyle choice that they can stick to, not a few weeks or months of very limited food choices.
The Coronavirus Pandemic has also given people an opportunity to review their relationship with food. Many people have had more spare time available than normal and have started baking or cooking meals from scratch with fresh ingredients instead of eating ready meals or convenience foods. Money has become an issue for many, so being able to feed families more cheaply with fresh, wholesome, and filling ingredients is a huge positive. Self-care has also become a big thing during the pandemic. Regular gym visits or team sports have been put on hold, so people have had to look elsewhere. The big food trends of the pandemic are Sourdough (we have some great recipes under our BOLDfood section) and Banana Bread not bright green smoothies full of ‘goodness’ which used to be aimed at those early morning gym goers.
Mindful and Intuitive Eating both have their place. They are not diet plans and you will not necessarily lose weight, nor are they a quick fix for your current eating habits. However, learning to listen to your body and trusting those feelings is a great way to reconnect to your body and feed it what it needs.
**Boldie thanks**
Thanks to Louis Hansel for the photograph featured on Unsplash