Emotional Eating

“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do”.
Roman 7:15


Have you ever been bored… angry or depressed one minute… and then on your couch eating the next… unable to remember why you started eating or how long you had spent consuming? If so… then you have entered the world of emotional eating. It’s something than can happen to anyone… and is one of the most common dieting dilemmas out there.Emotional eating at its best passes after a few minutes… At its worst… it can take over your life and cause you to eat uncontrollably for extended periods of time and according to nutritional experts… 75% of overeating is caused by emotions. So don’t worry… if you suffer from emotional eating… you are not alone.People are often participating in unhealthy behaviors to relieve stress or repress emotions. Some turn to drugs... while others turn to alcohol or tobacco. But for most of us… food is the one thing that provides this temporary satisfaction….not to mention that it’s cheap…abundant…socially acceptable…and legal.

Why do we crave sugar?

The problem with stress is the stimulation of the fight or flight mechanism which creates an insulin, epinephrine, and cortisol surge. This physiological stimulus actually causes you to crave high sugar… high carbohydrate foods… foods that go straight to your waistline and cause you even more stress.

When the fight or flight mechanism is stimulated… an injection of glucose floods the blood stream for immediate action. This evolutionary process developed at a time in our history when food was not readily available. It is an evolutionary advantage to have the ability to create blood sugar in times of stressful/famished situations. The stress we encountered in those times was usually life threatening… (i.e. running from tribe that was trying to kill you…escaping the attack of a saber tooth tiger… etc.)

Flash forward into the twenty first century… the stressors are different… but those traits that contributed to our early ancestors survival still preside within us.
How ironic it is that these evolutionary traits that contributed to our success as a species… are now the traits that are killing us.

Today’s stressors are very different from those of our ancestors. They are most often boredom and self esteem issues. Rather than munching… it's better to develop new skills for dealing with boredom. 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 combat your emotions…


~ Remove trigger foods out of the house… get your crutch/texture foods out of arms' reach

~ Go for a walk or jog. Physical activity relieves stress.

~ Do deep breathing and relaxation exercises

~ Display a reminder of your goal

~ Talk to a friend

~ Surround yourself with positive reinforcers, (i.e. pictures and people)

~ Keep a journal that includes your best personal accomplishments

~ 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…mixed foods… it’s not so bad. So stock the fridge with healthy alternatives-foods that have good nutritious value and are smaller in size. Here are a few food suggestions to keep within arms' reach…

~Apple or orange slices with small amount (1 tbs.) of Natural peanut butter

~Broccoli with reduced fat dressing with 3 oz. of chicken, turkey or tuna

~Whole wheat toast or Whole wheat tortilla with 3 oz chicken or turkey (NF mayo or honey mustard)

~Fruit smoothie with protein powder (banana, strawberries, oranges, blueberries)

Eating meals that contain a mixture of protein and carbohydrates…as mentioned above… will produce a slow…sustained release of energy that will modulate appetite and provide a lasting feeling of fullness.

The famous philosopher Socrates once said…“Know thyself…The unexamined life is not worth living”. Pinpointing the major reasons (antecedents) for your stress or unpleasant emotions is a must before achieving self-transformation. Self transformation is the ultimate goal.