Intuitive eating is eating based on internal hunger signals, rather than external stimuli – such as social outings, the time of day, boredom or our emotional responses, and the availability of food. Because many of us have grown so used to relying on these external stimuli to tell us when to eat, many of us have lost touch with our ability to even perceive how hungry we are unless we are starving or absolutely stuffed. Sound familiar?

So what is interoception, and what does it have to do with food? Interoception is the perception of internal signals in the body – how aware we are of the messages our body is sending to us. Recent research published in Appetite indicates a strong correlation between a person’s overall level of internal awareness and intuitive eating behavior (Herbert et al, 2013). Makes sense, right? If we’re aware of our bodies overall, we should be able to feel hunger too! What’s great about this research is that it means that by improving our overall interoception or internal awareness, we can improve our ability to perceive our own hunger as a byproduct – whether or not we work with hunger & appetite specifically.

In the study, researches determined an individual’s interoceptive sensitivity by asking participants to listen to their heartbeat. This doesn’t mean feeling for a pulse, but determining their heartbeat based on awareness alone. Participants who were able to determine their heartbeat most accurately were more likely to be intuitive eaters. Perhaps by practicing listening to our heartbeat, we can improve our overall awareness and improve our ability to eat intuitively.

Another study has shown that mindfulness meditation training can improve how much our internal awareness contributes to our overall experience (Farb et al, 2013). From this, one could reasonably conclude that this training may also improve our ability to feel & honor our hunger. Mindfulness is simply being aware of the present moment, exactly as it is. Try starting off in 10 or 15 minute increments and just notice. Notice your breathing – is it fast, slow, irregular? Deep or shallow? Notice the feel of your skin – is it warm, cold, prickly? Notice any feelings that arise in your body – is there a twitch in your shoulder, or a knot in your chest, maybe a warmth in your stomach or hips? Notice any thoughts that come into your head. The point of this meditation is not silence, but awareness. Acknowledge any thoughts that come into your head. You can practice noticing all of these sensations, or just one during a meditation. Many people find it easiest to start with the breath.

As we become more familiar with this practice, we can start to apply it to what and how we eat. Before you sit down to eat, notice. What am I feeling in my body? In my throat? In my stomach? In my heart? What am I feeling or thinking in my head? It is not necessary to know what they mean, but by practicing awareness, you will begin to learn your body’s language and what these things you notice may be trying to say.

More information on mindfulness & mindful eating, visit The Center for Mindful Eating’s website.

Sources:
Beate, M. Herbert, Jens Blechert, Martin Hautzinger, Ellen Matthias, and Cornelia Herbert. “Intuitive Eating Is Associated with Interoceptive Sensitivity. Effects on Body Mass Index.” Appetite 70 (2013): 22-30.
Farb, NA, ZV Segal, and AK Anderson. “Mindfulness Meditation Training Alters Cortical Representations of Interoceptive Attention.” Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 8.1 (2013): 15-26. Print.

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