Emotional Eating is the practice of consuming food, usually comfort or junk foods, in response to feelings, instead of hunger. Experts estimate that 75% of overeating is caused by emotions (MedicineNet).
The reasons for emotional eating can be multi-layered. In his article Why we Engage in Emotional Eating Arash Emamzadeh looks at “Situational determinants” such as hunger and stress and “Psychological determinants” such as personality factors tied to motivation and self-regulation. He describes how high stress levels and negative mood are linked to making unhealthy food choices.
He suggests finding ways to reduce stress and interestingly avoiding shopping for food when stressed. Even being aware of which food shopping experiences cause you stress, can help you plan ahead to avoid them.
Raising your awareness is also key, so you are consciously eating. Jennifer Kromberg in her article 5 Reasons You Can’t Stop states unconscious eating as one of the reasons. Mindful eating is a great way help you eat more consciously. I’ve stopped eating at my computer as a result, as I often looked down to eat that last bit of biscuit to find it had already been eaten! You can read more tips here – https://positivepsychology.com/mindful-eating-exercises/
And finally don’t give yourself too hard of a time if you fall off the wagon around eating, as our pesky brain gets involved too! Neuroscience shows that when we eat sugar or carbohydrates our brain releases dopamine, the pleasure neurotransmitter. Brain scans have shown there is a correlation to binge eating and dopamine increase (Shanti McCabe, L. 2018).
So in summary be aware when you eat and what you are eating, so you are mindfully eating and try and reduce stress.
