Emotional Eating

Larisa Anghelescu
Feb 17, 2015
2 min read

What Is Emotional Eating?

Emotional eating is when people use food as a way to deal with feelings instead of to satisfy hunger. We've all been there, finishing a whole bag of chips out of boredom or downing cookie after cookie while cramming for a big test. But when done a lot emotional eating can affect weight, health, and overall well-being.

Why is emotional eating unhealthy?

Emotional eating can lead to overeating because it isn’t usually about fulfilling a need for nutrients or calories. Your body doesn’t need the food. Over time, the extra calories may cause you to gain weight and become overweight or obese. And if you are already overweight or obese, overeating could cause you to experience feelings of guilt or remorse.

Getting Help

Even when we understand what's going on, many of us still need help breaking the cycle of emotional eating. It's not easy — especially when emotional eating has already led to weight and self-esteem issues. So don't go it alone when you don't have to.

Take advantage of expert help. Counselors and therapists can help you deal with your feelings. Nutritionists can help you identify your eating patterns and get you on track with a better diet. Fitness experts can get your body's feel-good chemicals firing through exercise instead of food.

*Keep in mind that emotional eating patterns can be learned: A child who is given candy after a big achievement may grow up using candy as a reward for a job well done. A kid who is given cookies as a way to stop crying may learn to link cookies with comfort.

So if you are a mum or a dad please be more careful with how you'll reward your child!