Emotional Eating and How to Gain Control Over It

First of all, what is it emotional eating?
Emotional eating can be defined as eating in response to feelings rather than to true hunger.

Emotional eating is common in our society. We eat to celebrate, we eat to mourn, we eat when we are tired, happy, sad, anxious and often, when we are bored.

So, what is the solution?

The first step is to determine what causes the triggers of your emotional eating.

Stress is a frequent trigger for out of control eating. If you know you tend to overeat when you are stressed then you can plan for it. Learn from your past experiences. Plan to have healthy snacks available during these stressful times.

Maintaining a balanced diet and healthy life style is a great defense against emotional eating. If you always eat breakfast then you will have the energy and reserves to tackle your job demands. Munching on your favorite comfort food can make you feel better physically and relieve the stress that you are feeling temporarily. If you skip breakfast, then become too hungry during the day, your body will go into survival mode and your food choices may not be as wise as when you have planned ahead.

Another great defense against emotional eating is physical activity. Taking a walk (outside if the weather allows) will help to relieve some stress and get you out of the environment of eating. Exercise can also improve your mood and give you more energy. (This is what emotional eating may be trying to do).

Maybe a specific food or situation is the trigger for your eating. If you identify a certain food that gives you problems, then don’t have that food around. If possible, avoid places where that food is available. Unfortunately you can’t always do this.

One of my favorite solutions (to many different types of nutrition related questions, not just emotional eating) is to keep a food diary. (Yes, I can hear you moaning). Food journals may seem tedious but with just a little work and planning they can provide insight and solutions that, normally, are not obvious. Food journals are great tools. They can be very simple. Keep a record of what you eat, when you eat it, and how you are feeling at that time.

After a few days, your answer may be obvious.

- Jaime Bass, RD, dietitian for the Bariatric Program at Texas Health Fort Worth