What is Emotional Eating?

Emotional eating is the practice of managing one’s emotions by eating food. Here are some
things that can help you figure out how to identify emotional eating, its
effects, and a handful of tips on what you can do.

What causes emotional eating?

Major changes in circumstances, relationships, work dynamics, daily stress, and
general feelings of a loss of control can be major factors. For example, a
recent break up could drive a person to emotional eating. Little stresses of day to day life
may cause someone to turn to food for comfort.

How do you detect emotional eating?

There are a few differences between the type of hunger that comes from emotional
needs, and that of physical needs. Physical hunger is gradual, and eating
fulfills the need for nourishment. When you eat after having been physically
hungry, you will most likely feel better or more energised. When the hunger is
emotional hunger, eating may not give you the feeling of being filled, which
can lead to overeating. At the end of the meal, you might feel tired, or
depressed, but there are even more long term effects that can come from
emotional eating.

How can emotional eating affect you?

Along with the emotional effects already mentioned, there are a number of health
risks associated with emotional eating. It is one of the leading causes of
failed diets and weight gain. Weight gain puts a heavy strain on organs such as
the heart, lungs, and liver, which can lead to high blood pressure and
diabetes. However, it’s not only internal organs at risk. A person who has gained a
substantial amount of weight faces an increased risk of joint injuries of all
types. A slip or fall could result in a serious injury that requires surgery,
and many months of healing, but what is even more frightening is the fact that
a lot weight gain could make it more difficult, or even prevent emergency
medical teams from being able to respond in an efficient or timely manner. 

What can you do?

One of the most commonly used methods of determining the source of hunger is the
food test. Ask yourself if you want to eat this food, or if there is something
else you can eat instead. You can also try habit replacement. Find something
positive to do when you feel stressed out. Exercise, deep breathing, or any
stress relieving hobby can go a long way to improving your control.