When you’re stressed out, do you find yourself seeking comfort in the form of your favorite ice cream or a bag of chips? If this is a familiar situation, you could be into the habit of emotional eating.
What is emotional eating?
It’s pretty basic: when we’re hungry, we eat. But when we eat to address negative feelings like stress or sadness, that’s when emotional eating occurs. It’s when you eat to meet your emotional needs instead of your physical ones. Emotional hunger and physical hunger are different, but one can be easily mistaken for the other. So how can you tell if you really need to eat, or just looking for comfort food?
Here’s a helpful chart to help you tell the difference:
|
Physical Hunger |
Emotional Hunger |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What triggers emotional eating?
Negative emotions such as sadness, stress, anxiety, and even boredom can trigger emotional eating. It may also be a product of childhood eating habits, like when our parents treat us to sweets when we were being moody. But whatever causes you to overeat, it creates a cycle that can impact your physical health and your well-being. It starts with eating to soothe the negative feelings. You’re satisfied and relieved, but this is only temporary. You will then have to deal with guilt or shame, which then triggers you to eat more. While it’s impossible to avoid negative situations or situations, your cravings can definitely be managed.
To help you take control of your emotional eating, try these tips:
- Find healthier ways to de-stress. Instead of turning to food, try different methods to relax such as meditating, deep breathing, or listening to music.
- Keep healthy snacks on hand. If you really can’t help it, make sure that the snacks you have around are good for you. Stock up on granola bars, fresh fruits, or nuts so you can still satisfy your cravings.
- Turn to your support system. Why rely on food when you can easily turn to your friends or family?
- Keep your hunger in check. When you start feeling hungry, stop and ask yourself if you’re actually hungry. If it has been a while since your last meal, it’s okay to have a snack. If not, drink water or have a mint candy to let the craving pass.
