This text is part of the special book Plaisirs
In a society where consumption is king, what relationship do we have with our food? Is it healthy, balanced, rational, pleasant? These questions are not new, but they have inspired currents of thought that we know under two names: intuitive eating and conscious eating. What do these two approaches mean and what do they teach us?
The concept of mindful eating did not appear overnight. In antiquity, the Greek doctor Hippocrates already claimed that our diet was our first medicine. A truth to which our ancestors, who knew neither the technologies, nor the modern pharmacopoeia, nor the current means of production naturally also adhered.
When mindful eating, whose foundations are based on Buddhist and holistic practices, emerged in the 1970s, it did not come from nowhere, although it has since taken all sorts of directions. While intuitive eating, which is often associated with the previous one, was officially born in 1995 under the impulse of scientists who were looking for a healthy alternative to weight loss diets, with the aim of improving our relationship to the food.
What does science say?
It is with a rational approach that specialists, such as nutritionist, dietitian and clinical director at Équipe Nutrition Maude Lalonde, consider eating mindfully. “This way of eating is based on ten principles, she explains: reject diets, honor your hunger without judging it, make peace with food, stop categorizing it, have pleasure in eating and not guilt, being attentive to signs of satiation, benevolently managing one’s emotions, respecting one’s body, taking care of oneself and feeling the benefits of physical activity. »
Of course, such principles, backed by campaigns like ilistentomyhunger.ca, swear a little with the overconsumption society that surrounds us and the cultural dictates that are in vogue there. Bombarded morning to night with food offerings, fad diets, and stuck in rules like “finish your plate” or “eat your three meals a day,” we can find intuitive eating hard to embrace.
“Yet,” says M.me Lalonde, we are born intuitive eaters. A baby cries when he is hungry, turns his head away from the breast or bottle when he is full. Children are much more connected than adults on their body signals. We could take more cues from them, rather than them, and impose rules on ourselves that tarnish our relationship with food. »
The specialist adds that several benefits related to intuitive eating have already been documented. People who practice it are more attentive to their hunger, they have less food cravings, better self-esteem of their body image and more motivation to do physical activity.
However, she warns that it is necessary to deconstruct the great myths linked to this diet: “First, contrary to what untrained nutrition gurus and certain companies claim to sell their services or their products, intuitive eating is not synonymous with weight loss. Two, it is not the same for everyone. Each person has their own needs and has a different relationship with food. And three, eating intuitively is not eating just anything, anytime. The quality and variety of foods should guide our choices. »
Conscious eating and overall health
Although you have to be wary of many holistic eating proposals, some are interesting. This is the case of the one adopted by the Monastère des Augustines de Québec, a healing center that combines culture, well-being and the quest for meaning, in a heritage building bequeathed by this congregation to the community.
“The model we advocate is to slow down to think about the choices we make when we eat, and to reconnect with our body and our feelings according to our needs and our values”, says Isabelle Houde, Executive Assistant general of the establishment. How is this approach different from intuitive eating? “We graft on the origin of our food by choosing local, organic and ethical producers. We also favor certain cooking methods to avoid nutritional losses. We encourage the pleasure of cooking, presenting beautiful dishes, tasting (and gardening, if we can), or even showing gratitude to all those who have brought our ingredients to our plates. »
A way of doing things intrinsically linked to the history of the Augustinians, who for centuries were caregivers who relied, like Hippocrates, on food to heal the sick. “They had a large garden, raised animals, fished and sourced locally. The quality of their food was the cornerstone of their care. They were therefore already practicing conscious eating, ”says Ms.me Houde.
To crystallize this approach, the Monastery founded Le Vivoir in 2022, a somewhat special food court frequented by its day visitors and those staying at the establishment. As indicated by M.me Houde, “this space was designed to settle down. You can go there to read, write, take the time. And we also go there to eat when we are really hungry, whatever the time, with personalized proposals for each person within a very varied menu”. Add to this the fact that at the Vivoir, as the Augustinians did, lunches are taken in silence, “in order to start the day calmly, to better feel one’s bodily sensations and to open up to creativity”.
The concept of conscious eating advocated by the Monastère des Augustines therefore goes beyond the simple act of eating. It fits into that of global health, where body, mind and heart are in balance, so as to be fully present in the world. In short, it invites us to reconnect with our senses and our intuition. “We have everything we need to eat healthy and take care of ourselves, inside and out. Just trust yourself! concludes Isabelle Houde.
This special content was produced by the Special Publications team of the Duty, relating to marketing. The drafting of Duty did not take part.