Emotional Eating

Emotional eating is a coping mechanism for dealing with negative emotions.  Eating because you are sad, anxious, bored, angry, etc rather than when you feel hungry would constitute as emotional eating.  Using food as a coping mechanism can have a negative impact on your weight and your health. 

Emotional eating can lead to consuming excess calories, which in turn can cause weight gain and negative body image and feelings.  It can quickly become a vicious cycle. 

Emotional eating usually comes on suddenly, the trigger being specific to the person and location.  Women usually turn to sweet, convenient foods for comfort, like chocolate or desserts, while men turn to foods associated with meals, like steak and casseroles.

Emotional eating is difficult to treat on your own and usually takes the help of professionals.  Some find keeping a food record helpful to stay accountable for what is eaten each day.  Others find doing activities they enjoy helpful to avoid emotional eating.  When they feel stressed or anxious, they listen to music, take a walk, journal, engage in a hobby, anything to use as a distraction until the feelings subside.

If emotional eating is something you struggle with seek help from professionals in your community, such as a dietitian and a psychologist.  Support is key.