Understanding emotional eating is a powerful tool that can empower you to take control of your relationship with food. It’s a challenging journey, but one that’s entirely possible if you’re aware of how emotions can fuel your need to eat. Both physical and emotional reactions are influenced by hormonal issues, making it crucial to examine emotional eating and understand how it affects your behaviour.
- Do you find you eat more when you are stressed?
- Do you find yourself eating when you are not hungry and perhaps even when you are full?
- Do you feel better after you eat (calmer, less mad, or sad)?
- Do you reach for food as a treat to reward yourself?
- Do you often eat until you are stuffed?
- Does food feel like a comfort and make you feel safe?
- Do you ever feel powerless around food and feel you must eat something?
- Do you find yourself eating when you are bored?
- Do you eat when you feel anxious (butterflies in the stomach are a sign)?
- Do you find yourself eating when you are angry or depressed?
If you’ve found yourself nodding along to any of these questions, you’re not alone. Many people find that their relationship with food is influenced by their emotions. Recognizing this can bring a sense of relief, as it means you’re not alone in this struggle.
Emotional eating can be driven by powerful urges. It can be easily mistaken for physical hunger, and it is important to understand the difference between physical and emotional hunger.
Emotional Hunger vs. Physical Hunger
- A sudden desire to eat – physical eating comes on gradually.
- A desire to eat specific foods. When you are physically hungry, any food will satisfy you.
- Emotional eating often leads to mindless eating. Before you know it, eating a whole pie or a bag of chips is a sign that you are not eating to satisfy physical hunger.
- Emotional hunger leaves you feeling unsatisfied even though you are full, and you find yourself looking for something else to eat.
- If you are eating emotionally, you do not experience a growling in your stomach as a signal for eating. Instead, you are guided by a desire for specific smells, tastes, or textures.
- Afterward, you may feel regret, shame, or guilt. You will not feel this if you are physically hungry.
It is essential to learn when you are physically hungry. When you need or desire to eat, do a physical check.
Ask yourself:
- When did you last eat? Is it reasonable to be hungry at this time?
- Does your stomach feel empty? Do you hear growling (not absolutely necessary)?
- Are you thirsty? The signals for thirst and hunger are similar. If you do not drink water (or other suitable substitutes such as herbal teas or water fruits and vegetables) enough during the day, you may think you are hungry instead of thirsty.
Once you have established you are not physically hungry, what can you do?
- If you are feeling anxious, take a moment and try to figure out why. Take time to do some deep belly breaths to try to calm feelings of anxiety. Go for a walk or get some other form of exercise that can help expend the excess energy you may be feeling from the anxiety.
- If you are feeling lonely, sad, or depressed, find something to do that will make you feel better. Call a friend, play with the kids or your pets, or do something you enjoy that is not related to food.
- If you are tired, have a nice bath or a cup of calming herbal tea, such as chamomile or passionflower. This will help you relax, make sleeping more accessible, and resist the urge to eat before bed.
If you are bored, think of something to do. Walking is an easy solution because it does not involve anyone else but you and can pass the time. You can also read a book, watch a movie, connect with other people, or even do some work you have been putting off. Other ways to meet your emotional needs besides eating could include practicing a hobby, stretching, or engaging in a creative activity.
Practice Mindful Eating
Mindful eating teaches you to be aware of your eating habits and the value of the eating process to distinguish between your triggers and actions.
When the craving or urge to eat occurs, take 5 minutes before you give in to the craving.
Be aware of your physical and emotional cues. Learn to know when you are eating for reasons other than hunger. Focus on how you buy and prepare your food. Be aware of how you eat—how long it takes to eat and if and how you enjoy it. Learn to choose foods that are both enjoyable and nourishing. Finally, learn to find other ways to meet your emotional needs besides eating.
Most emotional eaters often feel powerless over food and their cravings. The minute you find the urge to eat so strong that it is unbearable, you must teach yourself that that is the cue to take a step back and figure out what is happening. You must recognize the urge to find the appropriate corrective action. Remember that emotional eating is often mindless, so conscious thought, which means actively thinking about your actions and their consequences, can be your best friend and help you find the right solutions.
Learn to accept your feelings, good or bad. Emotional eaters often eat to prevent feeling what they are trying to avoid. It may be painful or even scary to have the feelings on the surface, but this will help prevent mindless eating.
6 Steps to Mindful Eating
- It starts with buying the food. Think about what you are purchasing and why. What is the benefit of each food? Are the foods providing nourishment, pleasure, or convenience? Make each food a conscious choice so you understand why you are buying the foods you buy.
- Sit down at the table with an actual physical appetite. Try not to be too hungry, which can happen if you do not eat regularly. Being too hungry can cause you to eat too fast and not enjoy your food.
- Eat smaller portions to start. Make a conscious decision to eat more as needed rather than filling your plate and eating everything on it.
- Take time to appreciate your food. Before you eat, take a minute to smell your food and notice the colour and texture. Contemplate the enjoyment of the eating process and express gratitude.
- Taste your food. Take small bites, as too much food in the mouth overloads the taste receptors and can prevent true enjoyment.
- Eat slowly and chew thoroughly. Allow the mind and body the time they need to appreciate what has been received, and the body can, in turn, tell you when it has received enough. Emotional eating distorts our sense of how much food we really need. Taking time to chew and savour the food can re-establish our natural food cues so we eat only the amount we need to meet the needs of the body and be truly satisfied
Food should be guilt-free and a pleasure, but it should also be a physical pleasure. We must know that we are eating the food for the right reason. Practicing these steps takes time for them to help you, but it is worth the effort.