Have you ever rushed to your snack pantry because you are sad, cranky or feel the need to chew something? If yes, you have participated in emotional eating. You shouldn’t be actively worried as we do it at times. What you should be worried about is how much you let your feelings overrule your sense of urgency.

Emotional eating is the satisfaction of your feelings, whether positive or negative using food. Most people are guilty of emotional eating, as hunger and eating is a part of life. While this concept is not dangerous, it can formulate a bad habit that can lead to health risks.

Most of the time, emotional eating is not a feeling of hunger, rather a strong urge formed by your senses to eat something sweet and rewarding. You might crave a bowl of ice-cream or think about two bars of Chocolate sometimes, and you cannot get the feeling out of your mind until you get your cravings satisfied.

Sometimes you do not have to feel sad or cranky about a situation. You might also be in a celebratory mood, and reach out to your fridge to celebrate. Or you might want to reward yourself for an achievement you’ve made.

Overall, emotional eating doesn’t pose a health risk if managed effectively.

Most times, the feeling of guilt is evident when you partake in emotional eating, as you have given yourself a distraction to push down your feeling of anxiety and stress. Most of your problems aren’t solved through emotional eating, and it comes back right after you relieve yourself from the little food distraction.

So, emotional eating doesn’t help your negative feelings, rather than suppress them for a while before you are faced with them again.

Effects Of Emotional Eating On Health

It has been confirmed that a habit of emotional eating has an effect on both mental and physical health, as there is a link between the two. An unstable and unhappy mind reaches for a large serving of burger and fries, while trying to drown out negative feelings. This happens for a while, but those negative feelings come back later, alongside with guilt, making the situation more complicated than it was. Continuous eating leads to stress and unhealthy weight gain, which causes health problems.

Consistently using food to drown out emotional instability is not advised, as it reduces self control, increases health problems and creates more emotional downpour.

The most common effects if emotional eating on health are;

●       Lack of proper sleep

●       Unhealthy weight gain

●       Digestive problems

●       Lack of proper lifestyle habits

●       Lack of self esteem, and;

●       Increased risk of future health issues.

It is important to do everything in moderation, as an overload or regularity of emotional eating is a sign of an eating disorder.

Causes of Emotional Eating.

Most of our daily lives can be directly affected by food. Food is the easiest and cheapest way to feel better almost instantly. It is also legal and widely available, so consuming food in large amounts wouldn’t attract legal attention.

The largest cause of emotional eating is stress or anxiety. While there are other factors that cause emotional eating and the urge to satisfy a craving with a snack, stress is one major cause of emotional eating. How is that?

Stress increases the hormone production of cortisol, which is the common denominator of emotional eating. It increases the urge for fast food and comfort meals high in fats, sugar and salt. Cortisol is also known for increasing stress levels and the need to find solace in food constantly, directly leading to weight gain and several health problems.

What are the other factors that cause emotional eating? Here are the most common factors:

●       The overwhelming feeling of sadness through heartbreak, loss of a loved one or the feeling of disappointment.

●       Hormonal changes in women, as they have an urge to crave foods high in sugar in their luteal phases in the menstrual cycle. This is perfectly normal, but learn to control the way you reach for snacks because of a craving. You can substitute some snacks for a healthier option, as they taste just as good, but packed with nutritional value.

●       Boredom

●       Lack of self control

●       Health issues and so much more.

It is also studied that people who participate in a strict or restricted diet often go back to stuff themselves with sugar often. Then feeling guilty about it immediately, as they were meant to follow a standard. This is why the call for balance in your meal is advised. You can’t skip sugar and fats completely, but limiting the intake of foods that have unnecessary high amounts of them should be recommended.

How To Tackle Emotional Eating.

Most times we do not know when we indulge in emotional eating, as we feel it’s a way to cope through stress and tension. Since creating a habit out of emotional eating leads to health problems in the long run, knowing when to eat and how to tackle our problems with eating is the best option.

Here are expert recommend ways on how to improve your eating habits by tackling emotional eating;

By Seeking Help For Emotional Problems.

Before reaching for the pantry, talk to your loved ones or therapist about how you feel. This will not only drop the feeling of stress or negativity, but improve your mood and make you more active. Your therapist might recommend exercise a physical activity that keeps your mind away from food, and making you feel encouraged while tearing down negative thoughts is more satisfying and fulfilling than loading your system with junk and feeling guilty about it later, making your problems worse than it is.

By Getting Active.

Emotional eating should not be the only coping mechanism for you to feel better for a while. They are healthier alternatives to binge eating habits such as working out or taking a light run. This increases dopamine in the brain which creates a better and stress free environment for your mind and body,and improves your health by encouraging fat burn. Working out also makes you feel more confident and coordinated, and the urge to eat a high calorie diet that is rich in refined sugar is greatly decreased.

From high intensity workout down to calming exercises, getting active creates a connection with your body, and it is easy to tell the difference between emotional hunger and physical hunger. Getting active also increases the urge for a filling diet which less nutritional foods cannot give.

By Eating Healthier.

By bulking up on food high in protein and essential nourishment, the need to eat more frequently is decreased.

Proteinous foods are filling and satisfying, and combining them with a balanced proportion of all classes of food works best in keeping your body satisfied, filled and healthy.

Some examples of filling protein sources are;

●       Lean meat such as chicken.

●       Poultry and seafood.

●       Soybean, lentils and beans

●       Greek yogurt, kefir and tofu are proteinous sources of food that are beneficial to gut health.

Combining these food choices with roughages reduces your urge to eat consistently.

What are roughages? This is a class of food that adds bulk to the waste products disposed of by the body. It is known as dietary fibre, and it is not completely digested in the body.

It has several benefits as it aids weight management and decreases heart diseases it also reduces the risk of constipation. Foods high in roughages are leafy greens, carrots, most vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds.

Difference Between Emotional Hunger and Physical Hunger.

Most times, it is difficult to differentiate between emotional hunger and physical hunger. It is common to confuse the need to eat for physical hunger. Knowing the differences increased awareness on how to tackle each form of hunger appropriately.

The main differences between emotional hunger and physical hunger include;

Physical hunger	Emotional hunger
Doesn’t develop a sudden urge	Develops a sudden urge to eat.
It builds up gradually, and it is often felt in the stomach.	The need to eat springs up immediately, and it is often in the mind or a thought.
It calls for filling, balanced meals that reduces the need to binge eat.	It calls for comfort foods that soothes temporarily.

Physical hunger doesn’t cause guilt, rather it revitalizes the body and gets it ready to complete daily tasks.

Knowing the differences between the both types of hunger makes it easier to know if you want to eat emotionally or you need to refuel your body.

Summary

Healthy eating habits start from awareness, and while most people do not understand the effects of emotional eating on health, it is important to know the difference between emotional eating and physical hunger and the need to refuel the body through healthy food sources.

Speaking out, seeking help and practicing mindfulness when you feel down are the best ways to avoid the constant need to run to the comfort of junk food.

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