Emotional eating is eating, as a way to suppress or soothe negative emotions, such as stress, anger, fear, boredom, sadness and loneliness.
If you’re in emotional distress, you might turn to impulsive or binge eating, quickly consuming whatever’s convenient without enjoyment. Your emotions can become so tied to the eating habits that you automatically reach for a treat whenever you’re angry or stressed without thinking about what you’re doing. You also may focus on eating comfort food instead of dealing with the painful situation.
Emotional eating brings you short-term relief. But it also leads to overeating and other health problems.
To help stop emotional eating, first of all, try to keep a food diary. Write down what you eat, how much you eat, when you eat, how you feel when you eat and how hungry you are. Over time, you might see patterns that reveal the connection between mood and food.
What else can be done to cope with emotional eating? Write your way to solve the problem, and stay tuned to read more tips.
For help or advice, schedule an appointment with Rostyslav Shemechko at 647-866-9061 or info@shemechko.com.
Source: Mayo Clinic
