How to control emotional eating and be happier and healthier

October 30, 10:46 AMHealth Care ExaminerSheila Guilloton

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Emotional eaters crave foods that are less healthy to give them comfort

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Emotional eating is a chronic condition which plagues millions of overweight Americans. Emotional eaters turn to food for comfort.  Eating when you are not really hungry but just because you crave something is a sure sign of emotional eating.

The problem is that almost any emotion can trigger a food fest.  It would be easier if the urges were confined to one emotion.  But studies show that any emotion, sadness, anxiety, happiness, dread, fatigue, tension and depression have all been shown to trigger a desire for food.

Two of the most powerful emotions which trigger emotional eating are boredom and loneliness.
When food is used as comfort and eating answers a purely emotional need,  the foods we eat are generally the least healthy option we can find.   Typically  high in calories and fat,  the foods we crave to satisfy an emotion are most likely to be ice cream, cookies, chips or candy.

Identifying the emotion (or emotions) which triggers eating is necessary  before control can be established.   After the triggers are identified, a person can begin to modify their behavior and curb the habit of emotional eating.

First identify your triggers

How do you identify the triggers  that compel you to eat?  The best way is to keep a journal of when and what you eat.  Before you pop that cookie in your mouth, write down how you are feeling.  Note the time of day, where you are and why you think you need the cookie.

If you do all that faithfully, you may find you don’t want the cookie, but more importantly you will be able to identify what it was that made you crave it in the first place.

Sometimes you will find that you are eating just because it has become a habit. Reaching for that box of cookies when you come home from work  is simply a reflex.   You got in the habit of always having a cookie when you get home from work.   You may not even realize you are doing it.   That’s why writing it down before you eat it is so important.

Once you identify the trigger substitute a more pleasurable activity

After you have identified the why, concentrate on substituting something you want to do until the urge to eat passes.  It can be any activity although studies show the more active the behavior is the more likely it will be to break the cycle.

Reading a book or watching a show on TV may appeal to you but you can still eat that cookie while you are doing these activities.  Try taking a walk or dancing around the house.   Do something to distract yourself from eating.  Develop alternative habits that do not involve eating.

Reward yourself when you succeed

When you begin to break the cycle, reward yourself when you succeed in substituting another habit in the place of the habit of eating.  Continue to reward yourself as you get better at avoiding emotional eating.

If you do this consistently, you can break the habit of emotional eating. It isn’t easy. But the rewards are a happier healthier you.

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