End Emotional Eating

END EMOTIONAL EATING

Almost everyone comfort-eats occasionally even if they are unaware of it. A large portion of stress eating is done on such an unconscious level that it happens completely below a person’s awareness. If you are, gaining weight but do not understand why then it may be that you are eating to calm your emotions.

What is Emotional Eating?

Emotional eating – also known as stress eating – is the practice of using food to make one feel better. It includes ordering a pizza because you are bored and lonely, swinging through the drive-through window of a fast-food favorite after a bad day at work, or drowning your sorrows in a pint of Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey. Anytime you use food to satisfy an emotional need rather than a physical one you are emotionally eating.

Sometimes this presents itself in small ways like buying a sweet treat as a pick-me-up or nibbling on sugary and salty snacks when hormonal. This is fine and well in small doses and generally does not pose any physical danger for otherwise healthy people. However, it can quickly become a habit and one may lose sight of any way outside of eating to self soothe.

Worse, emotional eating often throws a person into a spiral of declining mental and physical health. As a person eats to sooth themselves they often are plagued with feelings of guilt over the extra calories, which leads to more stress, which leads to more eating, and here we are right back at the guilt again. Emotional hunger cannot be stuffed away with food.

For that reason, emotional eaters tend to have a hard time finding food that satisfies them. They often find themselves continuing to munch long after they feel full. They may mindlessly continue eating as if in a trance without enjoying or even tasting the food, they are eating.

“One is too many, 100 never enough” might mean that by eating just one cookie, you set yourself into that spiral of never being satisfied, even after consuming 100 cookies.

If you eat when you are not physically hungry, then it is likely you are eating for emotional reasons, not physical ones. 

• Emotional hunger has some traits that set them apart from physical hunger.
• Emotional hunger comes on suddenly and feels overwhelming and urgent.
• Emotional hunger craves specific comfort foods like sugary snacks and junk food.
• Emotional hunger leads to mindless eating without enjoyment or satisfaction.
• Emotional hunger is not located in the stomach but rather the brain so there are no hunger pangs to quell or growling to quiet.

Why is food comforting?

One reason that people turn to food for comfort is due to biology.
The stress hormone cortisol floods the body during periods of high stress. Cortisol, in turn, makes your body crave carbohydrates, sugar, and fatty foods. In other words, food is soothing because of the chemical changes it makes in your body.

Chocolate is an excellent example of those chemical changes. Not only does chocolate satisfy the craving for sugar and fat caused by cortisol, but it also releases “feel good” neurotransmitters, which give the body a temporary “high.”  However, much like the high achieved via illicit drugs, the natural feeling of euphoria and energy given by chocolate is only temporary and then there is a huge crash.

Another reason why food is often comforting to people is due to the memories we often associate with certain smells and tastes. Fresh baked cookies, mom’s famous pot roast, and even buttered popcorn often have happy or relaxed memories associated with them. It is the feeling of remembered comfort that one’s subconscious mind hopes to recreate by eating that food again.

Eating also brings comfort through the simple distraction that it provides. The mechanical repetition of moving food to your mouth and then chewing can take your mind off whatever is stressing you out. Additionally, the preparation and eating of a meal can take up gaps in time that might have been spent worrying or stressing out.

If you add to that the convenience of vending machines and fast-food restaurants on every corner, it becomes much easier to soothe through eating rather than putting in the effort to find healthy ways to deal with stress.

What can you do?

The first step to learning to soothe in healthier ways than emotional eating is being aware that you are doing it. More than that, you need to understand what is the trigger that makes you eat when not hungry. To do this, you should keep a journal.

Through carefully recording why, when, and how you stress eat you can determine patterns. Whether it is the tendency to turn to a specific kind of food, noticing that certain times of day leave you bored, lonely, and munching, or pinpointing the locations that ramp up your stress levels, tracking your emotional eating patterns will help you conquer them.

If you are comfort eating because you are lonely or depressed, try calling or visiting somebody who always makes you feel better. Do something that brings you joy such as playing with a pet, visiting your favorite coffee shop, or reading a fun book.

Expend nervous energy that is making you feel anxious or restless by exercising (also great for reducing cortisol). Dance around your living room, take your dog for a walk or hit the weights. Put that energy to a directed use rather than allowing it to become a stressor.

If you are feeling exhausted or overwhelmed, try taking some time out for yourself. A hot bath with fragrant oils and candles is soothing to many. A hot cup of tea, your favorite music, and a warm blanket are other wonderful suggestions for comforting yourself.

Feeling bored is a common trigger for emotional eating. Instead of reaching for that bag of chips, grab a good book or turn your attention to an activity that you enjoy doing. If you are still bored, try one of the above techniques to keep yourself entertained.

Further, whenever you feel the urge to eat ask yourself questions before you put any food in your mouth to determine whether you are eating for physical or emotional reasons. How long it has been since you last ate? Is your stomach grumbling? Did your hunger come on all of a sudden or has it been gradually growing?

If it has not been long since you last ate, your tummy is silent, and your hunger seems to have sprung out of nowhere, it is a relatively safe bet that you are eating for emotional reasons.

Another helpful hint is to rate your hunger on a scale of one to ten. If your number is not, at least a seven you are probably eating for comfort and not for the actual need of food.

Once you have an idea of when, why, and how you use food to comfort yourself you can find healthy alternatives to replace eating as a coping mechanism.

Reducing Cortisol Levels

According to a study conducted by and reported in The Journal of Psychopharmacology, subjects that drank black tea had a 47% drop in cortisol levels over the 23% that saw drops with a placebo. Thus, it is safe to believe that black tea lowers those levels, which will, in turn, lower the desire for those foods in which cortisol tends to make the body crave.

A study published in the International Journal of Neuroscience stated that self-massage slows the heart rate and lowers cortisol levels in the body. It is easy to self-massage using just a tennis ball. Simply place the ball on the floor and roll the arch of your foot back and forth across it. Not only will this help by the aforementioned reduction in heart rate and cortisol, but it also is an immensely relaxing feeling in and of itself.

My hubby and I love to get a reflexology foot massage. For only $25 we relax for an entire hour while getting the stress rubbed out of our bodies.

Following an anti-inflammatory diet that is low in processed foods and high in antioxidants, healthy fats, and essential nutrients are also helpful in reducing cortisol. So, if you do feel the need to munch during periods of stress, do so in a way that actually has a chance at reducing that stress.

Foods like protein topped salads or full-fat Greek yogurt are all excellent choices. Just remember not to forget that this is only helpful if used in conjunction with other methods of dealing with your emotions.

Breathing Exercises

Exercises that help you slow down your body with concentrated breathing are wonderful ways to ease stress. By slowing your breathing, you can somewhat fool your body into thinking you are going to sleep and thereby help it to relax. Focused breathing – concentrating on the careful inhale and exhale of air from your lungs – can distract one’s mind from the problems that are causing stress.

I like to inhale and think, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, health, and prosperity.” And exhale, “stress, worry, frustration, doubt, anger.” This visualization always makes me feel better.

The point of these exercises is, after all, to find ways to deal with stress in a healthy manner. It will do no good to find more ways to simply ignore your stress.

Mindful Eating

The practice that develops your awareness of your eating habits and allows you to pause between your triggers and your actions is called mindful eating.

Most people who are emotional eaters feel like they are trapped by their cravings. The emotional pull to eat can be very powerful and hard to ignore. Many times, these people have tried to conquer their urge to feed their emotions literally only to fail. This can leave them feeling as if trying to resist is futile.

Mindful eating is the answer. When used properly it can help you build your confidence and realize that you control your eating … not your emotions.

Try forcing yourself to wait before grabbing that snack you are craving. If you can hold off for one minute you can probably last for five minutes and if you can wait that long then what is another ten minutes. The longer you put off giving in to your craving the better. Every minute you stand firm is another little success.

During this time, ask yourself the why behind your craving. Examine how you are feeling and what is going on in your life at the moment. Even if you give in to your craving, you will have a better understanding of what caused it and how to avoid it in the future.

8 Steps to Mindful Eating

1. Start with your grocery list.

Consider what the health value of every item you add to your shopping list is and stick to it to avoid impulse buying while you are shopping. Fill most of your cart in the produce section and avoid the center aisles – often heavy with processed foods – and the junk food in the checkout line. Only shop when you are not hungry.

2. Come to the table hungry but not with a voracious appetite.

If you skip out on meals, then you may be so hungry when you get to the table that you are overly eager to fill yourself rather than enjoying your food. Eat slowly and savor every bite. Only eat while sitting and not when walking around or driving.

3. Start with a small portion.

Try limiting yourself to eating off of a smaller plate or bowl. You can always go back for more afterward if you are still hungry. A good way to gauge the amount is by eating only a palm-sized serving of protein, two fists of veggies, and a thumb of healthy fat at each meal.

4. Appreciate your food.

Pause for a moment before you begin eating to think about all that went into bringing that meal to your table. Silently appreciate the food and the company that has been provided and make a conscious effort to enjoy your food. Be thankful for the nutrients in the food that will give your body health and energy.

5. Bring all of your senses to the table with you.

While you are preparing, serving, and eating your food pay attention to everything about that food. The texture, color, and aroma of each ingredient and the foods that you make with them should be part of your eating experience. Eating is should be an experience that you remember not mindless automation.

6. Take small bites.

It is easier to completely taste your food if your mouth is not full. Putting down your utensils between bites will help keep you from continuing to add more food before you have finished your previous bite.

7. Chew your food thoroughly.

Chewing your food well ensures that you get to experience all the flavors that each food has to offer. It will also slow down your eating to help with the previous steps and allowing you to enjoy your food more. Digestion begins in the mouth as the chewing of the food releases enzymes.

8. Eat with intention.

The previous steps have all aided in slowing down your eating, but it should also be a conscious effort on the part of the eater to slow down and enjoy their food. Devote at least five to ten minutes to mindful eating before you allow your attention to shift to a conversation with your tablemates or perusing social media. Distracted eating tends to lead to overeating, which leads to more stress on your body.

Conclusion:

Emotional eating can become an unhealthy habit that it is important to overcome. It is likely one of the leading causes of weight gain and failed diets alike. Worse, it can become a vicious cycle of emotional avoidance, guilt, and eating.

Just as most people do it to some extent or another, most people do not believe that they do it at all. It is generally unconscious and a mechanical reaction to stress, boredom, or other emotional excesses.

While it is difficult to overcome years of habitual emotional eating, it is not impossible. It is within each person’s power to overcome it. They must simply face what it is that is causing them to eat other than hunger.

Mindful eating, breathing exercises, and reducing levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the body are all good ways to deal with stress and avoid emotional eating. There are many other ways to calm yourself without allowing calories to widen your waistline or guilt to burden you even more.

Journaling, guided imagery, and practicing art are all good ways to help. All it takes is a little time and a willingness to look at your emotions with open eyes.

There is nothing good or healthy about eating your emotions.

It is a form of avoidance that can have consequences beyond weight gain. In addition to the negative effect, gaining weight can have on you emotionally, using food as a way to avoid dealing with what is truly bothering you is horrible for your physical well-being.

Clogged arteries, high blood sugar, and other dietary issues can become life-threatening side effects of emotional eating. That added to the toll stress can take on your body leaves you primed for cardiac and other health problems.

Try using the suggestions above to get control of your comfort eating. Even if you do not think that you are guilty of eating to soothe your emotions … you probably are.

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