Breaking the Bonds of Emotional Eating

Do you ever…

• Go straight to the kitchen and just start eating when you’re feeling upset or stressed?
• Rush out to the closest fast food restaurant when you want to remove or distract yourself from a stressful situation?
• Start eating even when you aren’t hungry, but think that it will help you feel better emotionally?

These are all signs of EMOTIONAL EATING!

Emotional eating is reaching for food several times a week or more to soothe negative feelings.

It is about filling an emotional need, not about filling your stomach.

Negative emotions may lead to a feeling of emptiness or an emotional void. Food is believed to be a way to fill that void and create a false feeling of fullness or temporary wholeness.

It is important to understand the difference between emotional hunger and physical hunger.

Consider these questions as you decide if emotional eating is a factor in your health and well being…

• Do you eat more when you are feeling stressed?
• Do you eat when you are not hungry or when you are feeling full?
• Do you eat to feel better? (To calm and soothe yourself, when you are mad, sad, bored, anxious, etc)
• Do you reward yourself with food?
• Do you regularly eat until you have stuffed yourself?
• Does food make you feel safe? Do you feel like food is a friend?
• Do you feel powerless or out of control around food?

There are many factors that may trigger emotional eating. It may happen as a result of you retreating from social support during times of emotional need. Or it may result from not engaging in activities that might otherwise relieve stress, sadness, and so on. You could have changing cortisol levels in response to stress leading to cravings. You might be struggling with understanding the difference between emotional hunger and physical hunger.

If you come from a family where negative emotions were fed, that can set a pattern that lingers for life. For example, if every time you fell and hurt yourself your parent gave you a bandaid and a lollipop, you might learn to associate fixing painful feelings with sweet treats. Sometimes the influence is a social one. If your best friend hands you a pint of ice cream when you tell them you are sad, or takes you out for breakfast that is a social influence for emotional eating.

What is Mindful Eating?

Mindful eating is a strategy that can help you to break the bonds of emotional eating. It includes the following elements:

• Eating slowly with no distractions
• Eating only until you’re full (physical hunger cues)
• Eating to maintain your health (as fuel)
• Distinguishing between true hunger and non-hunger triggers for eating.
• Engaging your senses by noticing colors, smells, sounds, textures and flavors
• Noticing the effect food has on your feelings and body
• Learning to cope with guilt and anxiety about food
• Appreciating your food

Simple steps to get you started with mindful eating…

1. Eat more slowly and don’t rush your meals.

2. Chew thoroughly.

3. Eliminate distractions by turning off the TV and putting down your phone.

4. Eat in silence (when eating alone).

5. Focus on how the food makes you feel.

6. Stop eating when you are full.

7. Ask yourself why you are eating, whether you are truly hungry, and whether the food you choose is healthy.

Mindful eating is a process that anyone can engage in, whether they are young or old. Taking the time to become aware of what you are eating while you are eating it will aid you as you seek to delve deeper into understanding what is causing your cravings. Your cravings do not have to run your life…they can be understood, reduced, and even eliminated.