Emotional eating is basically a practice of consuming food for reasons other than hunger. When you’re feeling down, that bag of chips and those chocolate chip cookies might be tempting. However, the relief is short-term and can cause you to overeat and put on weight.

What causes someone to eat out of emotion?

Almost anything can make someone want to eat. 

The following are some typical outside causes of emotional eating:

• worry about money and work stress
• health problems
• relationship issues

When you experience sadness, stress, anxiety, or anger, you can learn other ways to cope so that you don’t feel the need to reach for unhealthy foods.

Seven Ways to stop the Trigger

Look for healthy activities you could do until your hunger to eat passes when you notice that you are about to do so because you don’t feel well. For example, 

• Read a magazine or book, or play some music.
• Go for a walk
• Exercises for deep breathing or meditation.
• Play some games.
• Do laundry, garden work or housework.

Maintain a food diary. Note what you eat, when you eat it, and any thoughts or feelings you have while eating.

Moreover, you might want to engage in “talk therapy” with a counselor. Planning other coping ways and changing your relationship with food can be done here.

Exercise regularly to overcome emotional eating

Stress and anxiety can be effectively managed by moving your body.

Your body’s levels of stress hormones can be lowered through exercise. Endorphins are also released, which improves your mood. A regular exercise schedule can assist in controlling underlying emotional eating triggers.

Not everything has to be intense. Consider going for a five-minute walk or doing some light stretching if you aren’t already moving. 

Yoga and other mindfulness practices seem to have extra benefits.

Always keep in mind  that you don’t deprive yourself

You might restrict calories excessively, consume the same foods repeatedly, and disregard treats when trying to lose weight. Your cravings for food might even get worse as a result, especially when you’re feeling down. Consume sufficient quantities of healthier foods, indulge in occasional treats, and get plenty of variety to help control cravings.

Seek help

In times of sadness or anxiety, avoid isolation. Those are difficult emotions to deal with on your own. Your mood can be greatly improved by making even one quick call to a friend or family member. There are also formal support communities which can help you in this case.

It is extremely important to get help from professional dietitians and nutritionists as it can have an adverse impact on your body.

Look for a dietitian who has knowledge of helping those who struggle with emotional or disordered eating. They can assist you in identifying eating triggers and managing them.

Remove all distractions

Your brain misses out on the entire eating experience if you eat while working or watching TV (Known as Binge Watching). If at all possible, focus entirely on your food when you eat. This may increase how much you enjoy the food.

You also have a higher chance of eating faster when you are preoccupied. Your stomach must have some time to communicate your fullness to your brain. If you eat quickly, you might be consuming more calories than your body requires before your brain alerts you to stop.

Conclusion

Although change is difficult, you have a right to feel better. 

An eating disorder can develop as a result of disordered eating habits. You don’t need to be diagnosed with an eating disorder to get assistance.

Reach out for support if you are having problems with your eating. Asking for assistance when you need it is brave.

You can discuss your worries with your healthcare provider. To address both the physical and mental aspects of emotional eating, you can also get in touch with a dietitian or a mental health professional.

Sometimes changing your eating habits or finding other activities to distract yourself from emotional eating is not enough to cope up.

You can try meditation or counseling, or talk to your family doctor to know what other strategies and resources  they can recommend to us in order to help you cope with anxiety and emotional stress.