Trending buzzwords decoded: What are somatic, intuitive and mindful eating?

What is mindful eating?

Simply put, “Mindful eating is about being fully present and intentional while eating,” says Chantelle van der Merwe, a registered dietician in Pretoria. “It’s about paying attention to your food, without judgement or distractions.”

Marie MacGregor, a registered dietician at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa in Cape Town, agrees. “It’s about sitting down with your food, putting something in your mouth, and thinking about how it tastes, how it feels. I say to my clients: put a raisin into your mouth and just sit there – what does it taste like? How does it feel on your tongue?”

The worst thing you can do while eating, says Marie, is to not pay attention – snacking in front of the TV, or devouring a packet of crisps while you’re working. “Your body is not registering that you’re eating because it’s focused on something else,” she cautions. The same applies to eating while driving or walking. “Mindfulness is about taking your attention back to what you are eating.”

What is intuitive eating?

Chicken-and-nectarine bowls recipe 

Intuitive eating, on the other hand, is about listening to your body and what it wants or needs. “It’s about trusting your body’s natural hunger and fullness cues to guide you in terms of what, when, and how much to eat,” explains Chantelle.

Marie offers this perspective: “When you’re thinking about eating something, ask yourself this: is this an external or internal cue for hunger?” Are you truly hungry? Or are you bored? Stressed? Is it something as simple as arriving at the movies and automatically buying that box of popcorn, just because you’re there, despite having recently eaten? “Or when you arrive at someone’s house, and they have snacks ready. Are you eating because you’re hungry or because the food is there?” Marie recommends keeping a food diary: “Before you eat, write down how you are feeling.” This may help you understand why you are eating.

Intuitive eating – like mindful eating – stands in opposition to diet culture. “Think about when you’re dieting,” says Marie. “You’re ignoring your body’s hunger signals, overriding its natural cues. Intuitive eating means you go back to listening to your body. You’re hungry now, so you can eat now. What will satisfy your body now? And perhaps, halfway through, because you’re paying attention, you realise that you’re full and that you can stop, because your body is satisfied.”

What is somatic eating?

Somatic eating is the relatively new kid on the block. Somatic means “as relating to the body, especially as distinct from the mind”.

Chantelle defines somatic eating as follows: “It’s a holistic approach that goes beyond diet culture. It addresses the root causes of disordered eating, which are often linked to stress, anxiety and depression. By focusing on overall well-being rather than just food and weight, somatic eating helps people regulate their nervous systems, manage stress and develop a healthier relationship with food. Mental health support, such as therapy, is a very important part of the process.”

“Somatic eating is body-oriented and focuses on physical sensations,” she continues. The idea, she says, is to get in touch with your body’s physical signals such as hunger and fatigue, or any physical symptoms you experience when eating certain foods, such as bloating or cramps. These are all negative examples, she admits, but the same holds true for the opposite: somatic eating encourages you to also get in tune with the foods that energise you or help to relieve pain.

“Unlike diet culture, which imposes external rules on eating and ignores natural signals like hunger and fatigue, somatic eating promotes attunement to the body’s needs.”

It should be noted that it’s early days for somatic eating. Unlike mindful and intuitive eating “where we have really good evidence of the benefits of these approaches,” says Marie, somatic eating as a wellness approach is still in its infancy. Chantelle also does not use somatic eating as a strategy per se, although she does incorporate some of its elements into her treatment plans.

The golden thread

One thing all three of these approaches have in common is that they reject mainstream diet culture (particularly detox diets) and the fixation on weight loss and “food guilt”. All three encourage you to pay attention to your body and how you’re feeling, what your body’s needs are, rather than denying yourself. All three are aimed at promoting a better relationship with food.

As a trend, this approach has been gathering steam in recent years. Recently, Yotam Ottolenghi published an article in the Guardian around his experience with intermittent fasting. His conclusion? “We need to ditch the diets and go back to basics.”

Both Chantelle and Marie suggest moving away from the idea that some foods are good and bad. (With the caveat that we know certain foods – such as overly processed high fat, sugar, salt junk foods  – are scientifically proven to be bad for your health.)

The goal, says Chantelle, is to reach a point where you have a “non-judgmental” relationship with food. “Food should enhance quality of life.” No bland or restrictive diets for her clients. “I want my clients to enjoy food.” Marie is on the same page: “Everything your body does – breathing, thinking, feeling – needs fuel, needs food. The key is to think about how to nourish and appreciate your body.”

Radicchio-and-celery leaf salad recipe

• Chantelle van der Merwe is a registered dietician in Pretoria and can be found at essnutriments.co.za. 
• Marie MacGregor is one of several registered dieticians consulting at the Sport Science Institute of South Africa: ssisa.com. 
• Find a dietician in your area at adsa.org.za