What is it?
Emotional eating is the habit of using food to cope with emotional distress rather than to satisfy physical hunger.
They may eat beyond the point of fullness and may choose high-calorie, sweet, or fatty foods. This type of eating can lead to weight gain and create a cycle of negative emotions and unhealthy eating habits.
Emotional eating can also interfere with a person’s overall health and well-being and may indicate deeper emotional or psychological issues that need to be addressed.
Emotional hunger vs Physical hunger
Physical hunger is driven by the body’s need for nourishment, while emotional hunger is driven by emotions such as stress, boredom, or anxiety.
It’s important to be aware of the differences between the two and to learn to differentiate between true hunger and emotional hunger in order to make healthier food choices and maintain a healthy relationship with food.
| Emotional Hunger | Physical Hunger |
| Often appears suddenly and urgently | Gradual onset |
| Cravings for comfort foods, such as junk food or sweets | Focused on foods that the body needs for nourishment |
| Often not satisfied even after eating | Satisfied with any healthy food |
| Persists even after eating | Disappears after eating |
| Triggered by emotions, such as stress, boredom, or anxiety | Triggered by the body’s need for nourishment |
| Approached impulsively and without thought | Approached with a practical and mindful mindset |
| Accompanied by feelings such as sadness, loneliness, or stress | Accompanied by physical sensations, such as growling stomach or headaches |
| Leads to overeating or binge eating | Leads to normal, regulated eating patterns |
Causes of emotional eating
People who engage in emotional eating may eat in response to stress, boredom, anxiety, depression, or other negative emotions. For example:
- Stress: Stressful situations, such as work-related pressure, relationship problems, or financial difficulties, can trigger emotional eating.
- Boredom: Boredom can lead to emotional eating, especially when there is nothing else to do or focus on.
- Anxiety: Anxiety and fear can lead to emotional eating as a way to cope with the negative emotions.
- Depression: Depression can lead to a lack of motivation and drive, which can result in emotional eating as a form of self-soothing.
- Childhood experiences: Childhood experiences, such as neglect, abuse, or an overly restrictive diet, can lead to emotional eating as a coping mechanism.
- Social and cultural factors: Social and cultural factors, such as exposure to food ads and peer pressure to eat, can contribute to emotional eating habits.
- Hormonal imbalances: Hormonal imbalances, such as those that occur during menopause, can cause changes in appetite and lead to emotional eating.
- Poor sleep: Poor sleep quality and quantity can lead to increased hunger and cravings, which can contribute to emotional eating.
Stopping emotional eating
The most important thing to keep in mind when dealing with emotional eating is to be kind and patient with yourself.
Emotional eating is a complex issue that often stems from deep-seated emotional and psychological issues.
Changing patterns of behavior takes time and effort, and it’s essential to approach the process with compassion and self-compassion.
It’s also crucial to remember that setbacks are a normal part of the process and to avoid falling into a cycle of self-blame or criticism. Instead, use each setback as an opportunity to learn and make positive changes moving forward.
Tips to manage it
Some helpful tips you can implement include:
- Mindful Eating: Pay attention to physical hunger and fullness cues and try to eat slower, and only in response to physical hunger. Practice being present and aware while eating.
- Distract yourself: Find alternative activities that help distract you from emotional eating, such as exercise, reading, or calling a friend.
- Identify triggers: Keep track of situations or emotions that trigger emotional eating and develop alternative coping strategies for those triggers.
- Practice stress-reduction techniques: Try techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, or yoga to help manage stress.
- Get enough sleep: Lack of sleep can increase stress and emotional eating, so aim to get 7-9 hours of quality sleep a night.
- Seek support: Talk to a friend, family member, or therapist about your emotional eating, and consider seeking support from a support group.
- Re-frame negative self-talk: Practice positive self-talk and be kind to yourself. Focus on progress, not perfection.
- Eat healthy, balanced meals: Regularly eating balanced meals that include protein, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables can help regulate hunger and avoid overeating.
See also
- Heavy metals: an overview
The most common heavy metals that negatively impact human health are lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and chromium. - IgG Food Sensitivity Testing
IgG food sensitivity testing lacks good scientific evidence to support its accuracy and clinical utility, often leading to false positives. - Low FODMAP Diet: an overview
The low FODMAP diet aims to reduce certain types of carbs that can cause bloating and gas. It can sometimes help reduce symptoms of IBS. - How To Eat Mindfully
Mindful eating involves paying attention to the food you are eating, your body’s hunger cues, and your thoughts and emotions related to food. - Anti-inflammatory diet: an overview
The anti-inflammatory diet focuses on eating foods that have anti-inflammatory properties, and avoiding pro-inflammatory foods.