Mindful eating, alongside its counterpart intuitive eating, marks a significant and growing interest in nutrition science, focusing on the cultivation of healthy and conscious eating behaviors. Observational studies point to mindful eating being linked with healthier eating behaviors, reduced body weight, and improved cardiovascular biomarkers. However, alongside these positive aspects, measurement tools in both mindful and intuitive eating realms possess shortcomings that prompt the need for better investigative tools and theoretical frameworks in these areas. Recent efforts aim to address these gaps by developing and refining assessment scales that cater not only to mindful eating but also incorporate intuitive eating principles, to encompass a broader spectrum of eating awareness. Additionally, emotional eating, as a common challenge in dietary patterns, provides an essential lens for understanding the effectiveness of these approaches in fostering healthier relationships with food. Understanding how mindful and intuitive eating can mitigate emotional eating offers valuable insights into their role in addressing psychological and behavioral aspects of nutrition.
This Research Topic aims to deepen understanding of both mindful and intuitive eating and their combined potential in enhancing overall health and well-being. The goals include crafting and validating more adept instruments for evaluating these practices, investigating their relationships with psychological and physiological aspects, and exploring their effectiveness as strategies for improving eating habits and preventing chronic diseases. Additionally, this research will test hypotheses about the mechanisms through which mindful and intuitive eating may impact behaviors, such as by fostering a better awareness of hunger and satiety cues, reducing instances of emotional eating, and supporting healthier food choices. By focusing on emotional eating, the Research Topic seeks to highlight the potential of these approaches to address eating behaviors triggered by stress, mood, or other emotional factors, thus promoting a healthier and more balanced relationship with food.
To explore the intertwined and distinct aspects of mindful and intuitive eating further, we welcome articles that address a broad scope of associated topics, such as:
-Development and validation of scales for mindful, intuitive eating and emotional eating.
-Correlations between mindful and intuitive eating and physical health outcomes like weight and cardiovascular health.
-Associations between these eating practices and psychological factors, including stress, body image, and dietary habits.
-The potential of mindful and intuitive eating as methods for promoting healthier eating patterns and preventing chronic diseases.
-Mechanistic studies on how mindful and intuitive eating guide eating behaviors, including their influence on reducing emotional eating tendencies.
-Investigations into the challenges and outcomes of promoting mindful and intuitive eating across various demographic groups.
Keywords: Mindful eating, Intuitive eating, Emotional eating, Eating behaviors, Psychological health, Chronic disease prevention, Nutrition science, Behavioral interventions
Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
