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Emotional eating is a challenge many face. According to the American Psychological Association, 38% of adults report eating unhealthy foods or overeating in the past month due to stress. 50% of those adults report engaging in those behaviors weekly or more.
You eat for a variety of reasons. External cues such as the presence of food, portion sizes, social settings, and time of day can prompt you to eat and affect how much you eat. Internal cues such as strong emotions can also prompt you to eat. For some, emotional eating can be a tool used to provide occasional relief from emotions. For others, emotional eating can be an unhealthy vice that negatively impacts their lives. This article will teach you how to identify your emotional triggers for eating and what your best course of action is to achieve a healthy relationship with food.
Emotional eating is the desire to eat in response to positive and negative emotions. Positive emotions such as happiness, joy, excitement, gratitude, and celebration can drive you to eat. Food can help heighten positive emotions because it’s associated with rewards, social bonding, and pleasurable experiences.
Negative emotions such as sadness, boredom, anxiety, anger, stress, loneliness, or fear can also trigger emotional eating. Eating comfort food can release calming neurochemicals like serotonin and dopamine and reduce feelings of negative emotions.
Emotional eating can quickly become a problem if not managed correctly. If you are struggling with turning to food for the temporary relief of strong emotions, have uncontrollable cravings, or are dealing with shame after eating, it may be time to reevaluate your relationship with food and develop more healthy and productive coping strategies.
Before you can break free from the cycle of emotional eating, you first need to develop self-awareness to learn how to distinguish between emotional hunger and physical hunger.
Physical hunger (true hunger) gradually builds and is accompanied by feeling a genuine desire to eat. You are more open to a large variety of foods. Eating to satisfy physical hunger is also intentional. It is often felt in the stomach, signaling that the body needs nourishment and energy.
Emotional hunger develops more spontaneously. It tends to involve cravings for specific foods. Emotional hunger can be mindless and can become difficult to satisfy. Emotional hunger is not felt in the stomach and can lead to feelings of regret, guilt, or shame.
One strategy to differentiate between emotional hunger and true hunger is to consider the “broccoli test.” Ask yourself if you would be willing to eat broccoli to satisfy your hunger. If yes, then you are physically hungry. If not, then you are emotionally hungry. Awareness of the problem is key to stopping emotional eating.
The root cause of emotional eating is emotion. What is causing you to feel negative emotions? Are you feeling stressed at work and subsequently stress eating? Are you feeling anxiety in your relationships? A good way to identify eating patterns is to keep a food and mood journal. Every time you eat, record what you eat, how much you eat when you eat, how hungry you are, and what emotions you are feeling. You can do this on paper or by using apps such as Nourishly.
The ability to recognize the difference between cravings and hunger can contribute to greater self-awareness. Pay attention to the onset of your cravings. Hunger is gradual, while cravings are sudden and intense. Hunger can be satisfied with a variety of foods, whereas cravings are satisfied by only certain kinds of food. Hunger will subside after you eat, but cravings may not subside after eating. You can use a hunger and fullness scale to better gauge whether or not you are experiencing physical or emotional hunger. Rate your hunger on a scale of 1 (full) to 10 (hungry) and aim to stay within a 3-7. This can help you recognize your fullness cues and strengthen your intuitive eating skills.
Many experts agree that one of the keys to managing your relationship with food is mindful eating. In other words, it’s important to be mindful of what and how much you are eating. You can do this by eating slowly and savoring each bite, checking in with your hunger cues, and eating without distractions. Turn the TV off, put your phone down, and be present when eating food.
Planning and prepping meals can be helpful in preventing you from choosing unhealthy comfort foods. Prepare meals in to-go containers. Prewash fruits and vegetables so that they are easier to grab. Place healthy food in plain sight and hide comfort foods away in cupboards. Making healthy foods more convenient can be one strategy for developing healthy lifestyle habits.
Negative emotions and emotional eating are closely connected. Stress, for example, often influences your food choices. Sometimes, reaching for unhealthy food feels like the only way to cope or soothe stress. If your negative emotions are managed, then it will be easier to manage emotional eating. Coping mechanisms such as deep journaling, going for a walk, taking a bath, breathing practices, etc, can help manage negative emotions. Talking to friends and family about your struggles can also be a valuable coping strategy.
If you have tried the previously suggested methods of overcoming emotional eating and still find yourself emotionally eating, then it may be time to find some professional help. Getting a therapist and a registered dietitian nutritionist onto your treatment team can be extremely beneficial in managing emotional eating and coping with emotions. These professionals listen to your situation, provide you with understanding, look for signs of disordered eating patterns and eating disorders, and intervene accordingly. Asking for professional help can elicit the support you need to develop skills to reduce negative emotions, improve your mental health, and stop emotional eating.
Overall, by improving your mental health, strengthening your ability to differentiate between emotional and true hunger, and practicing mindful eating, you can develop a healthier relationship with food and stop emotional eating. Stopping emotional eating is empowering. Take control of your relationship with your eating habits for long-term well-being. With the right strategies and support, you can release yourself from the cycle of emotional eating and embrace healthier eating habits again. Our team of expert dietitians at Sarah Lynn Nutrition is here to guide you during every step of your healing journey. Schedule an appointment today to start your journey toward a balanced and empowered relationship with food.
Sources
Van Strien, T. (2018). Causes of emotional eating and matched treatment of obesity. Journal of Consumer Research.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). (2017). Emotional eating: Coping with emotions through food. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/weight-management/emotional-eating
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). (2017). Emotional eating: Coping with emotions through food. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/weight-management/emotional-eating
Herman, C. P., & Polivy, J. (2008). External cues in the control of food intake in humans: the sensory-normative distinction. Physiology & Behavior, 94(5), 688–692.
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