Health

Emotional eating and how to stop the cycle

Sep 12, 2015

Ever been angry or upset one minute and on your couch the next, unable to remember why you started eating or how long you have spent munching? If so, then you have entered the world of emotional eating. It’s something that can happen to anyone, and is one of the most common dieting obstacles.

At best, emotional eating can pass after a few minutes. At worst, it can take over your life and cause you to eat uncontrollably for extended periods of time. And according to nutritional experts, 75 per cent of overeating is caused by emotions – so if you suffer from emotional eating, you are not alone.

What is the difference between physical and emotional hunger?

PHYSICAL HUNGER	EMOTIONAL HUNGER
Is gradual	Is sudden
Is open to different foods	Is for a specific food
Is based on the stomach	Is ‘above the neck’
Is patient	Is urgent
Occurs out of physical need	Is paired with an upsetting emotion
Involves deliberate choices and awareness of eating	Involves automatic or absentminded eating
Stops when full	Doesn’t notice or stop eating in response to fullness
Realises eating is necessary	Feels guilty about eating

People often eat to relieve stress or to get something off their minds. The kicker is that stress, and the insulin jump that goes with it, may actually cause you to crave high sugar, high carbohydrate foods – foods that go straight to your waistline and cause you even more stress.

Rather than munching, it’s better to develop new sk for dealing with boredom, self-esteem issues and stress. Try to pinpoint the major reasons for your stress or unpleasant emotions, and see how you can turn the tide. Here are a few suggestions to help you combat your emotions:

Get your trigger foods out of the house, get your crutch foods out of arm’s reach.
Go for a walk or jog. Physical activity relieves stress.
Do deep-breathing and relaxation exercises.
Keep a reminder of your goal handy.
Talk to a friend.
Surround yourself with positive reinforcers, like pictures and people.
Keep a journal that includes your best personal accomplishment.
Track your eating patterns, including when and why you pick up food.

If you still seem to come back to food when your emotions get the best of you, you can at least be prepared. Eating large amounts of snacks is not a good thing but if you eat low calorie foods, it’s not so bad. So stock the fridge with healthy alternatives – foods that have good nutritional value and are smaller in size. Here are a few food suggestions to keep within arm’s reach: