There are a lot of different terms used in relation to eating, disordered eating and eating in recovery. Often, they are used synonymously but they don’t always actually mean the same thing. Sometimes it can be helpful to appreciate the different meaning because they will speak to different stages of behaviour and readiness.

All the following approaches to eating may be the best choice at a different point in recovery – there is no one that trumps another. There is also rarely linear progress but usually a chaotic jumping between most categories until more steadiness occurs.

The following definitions are reflective of how we use these terms in the Wings and Quill practice.

Structured eating

As the name suggests, structured eating means eating to a plan and often a timetable. Food choices are usually predetermined, often by a nutritionist. Despite ED deviations from the plan, the guidelines are to return to the structure as soon as possible. The purpose of structured eating is to support the body and nutritional intake mimicking most common hunger cues to allow physiological repair from ED behaviours and eventually allow normal eating cues to return.

Mechanical eating

Similar to structured eating mechanical eating is designed to allow the body to heal and for normal hunger cues to return. Mechanical eating refers specifically to the eating behaviour being driven automatically by external guidelines (such as a food plan) despite of perceived hunger or fullness cues or ED desires. Mechanical eating may be set with or without a structured eating approach. It is designed to allow the body to realign to likely timeframes and quantities of food until reliable hunger and satiety cues return.

Mindful eating

Mindful eating was adapted from Buddhist psychology principles. Mindfulness is a practice of paying attention to ones’ experience. Mindful eating encourages one to slow down, pay attention to the sensory experience of food, notice emotional and physiological sensations and hopefully enhance a sense of agency and insight for the mindfulness practitioner.

Mindful eating can be practiced alongside both structured and mechanical eating.

Intuitive eating

Intuitive eating means eating from a place of inner knowing. This may be a combination of physiological awareness (hunger and fullness cues) awareness and trust of cravings and desires, and an appreciation for the social, spiritual and healing qualities of food. Intuitive eating often focuses more on how food makes you feel than what the food constituted. Intuitive eating is flexible, unpredictable and joyful.

Health

A holistic definition of health is not simply the absence of disease put the ability for the organism to reach its full potential. It encompasses multi-dimensional functions of wellbeing beyond physical health, considering social, psychological, creative, purposeful and even spiritual aspects of a person feeling well.