emotional eating

The earlier we all understand that food and dietary patterns have a way of affecting us emotionally, the better.

If we can be mindful about so many things including what we wear, where we go, who we date etc, then we should also should be able to practise mindfulness not just while selecting ingredients for food or where to eat, but also how to eat.

It sounds quite funny that you’ll have to practise mindfulness when it comes to eating habits, but it is very important as it can help prevent being overweight and also emotional eating which can lead to eating disorders.

In fact, The term “mindfulness” was defined by Jon Kabat-Zinn as “paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally”.

Mindful eating on its own is a type approach to food that addresses how an individuals senses appeals to food and their experience with that food.

Apart from helping to prevent further weight gain, mindful eating also helps to create a very healthy relationship with food and removes guilt and anxiety that comes with eating for some people.

HERE ARE 7 PRINCIPLES OF MINDFUL EATING

– Honor the food:. Sounds a bit odd, but acknowledging how the food was prepared and who made the food brings to you a sense of belonging.

– Engage all senses: The aroma, taste, hotness or coldness of the food helps you appreciate it more. It also helps to pause at intervals and can reduce overeating.

– Serve in modest portions: portion control is also part of mindful eating. Making sure that every food is served at the right amount cuts out overeating and wastage too.

– Chew thoroughly: These practices can help slow down the meal and fully experience the food’s flavors.

– Eat slowly to avoid overeating: carefully masticating food, can help you realise when you are satisfied. This way, you don’t ignore satiety and go on eating, then feel guilty after the meal.

– Don’t skip meals: mindfulness about food can always get you excited before every meal. You’re always looking forward to every healthy meal and this way, you don’t skip meals at all. The body/brain has a way of playing on you to unintentionally overeat after skipping a meal.

– Observe: notice your body language. Check out when your body gives you signs that it’s full and stop eating. Eat only when you get hunger cues and not when you are sad or overly happy. Be observant.

Practising mindfulness is highly important to improve your relationship with food. Diseases and eating disorders all come from not being mindful about our food choices. Start from today and become mindful and see the wonders of this practise.

SOURCES:

– https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5556586/

– Am I Hungry.com. Mindful eating programs and training [Internet]. Available from http://www.amihungry.com. Accessed 13 January 2017

– Harris C. Mindful eating: studies show this concept can help clients lose weight and better manage chronic disease. Today’s Dietitian 2013;15:42. Available from http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/030413p42.shtml. Accessed 17 May 2017

– Rossey L. The Mindfulness-Based Eating Solution. Oakland, Calif., New Harbinger Publications, 2016

Sometimes we might just ask ourselves questions like:
How can I stop eating out of boredom?
“How do I resist the urge to snack all day especially when I’m stressed out?”
“How do I take control of my overeating when I feel depressed?”
“Why do I turn to food when I am happy, sad or stressed?”
If one of these questions is familiar with you, then this article is a must read for you.
This article enlightens you on emotional eating, its types and how you can understand and navigate through it.

WHAT IS EMOTIONAL EATING?
Inarguably, eating has emotions attached to it. Culturally, for kids especially, emotions depict they are hungry; if a child cries too much, it shows they’re hungry and they are fed immediately.
But, on a basic level though, ultimately, food is for nourishment, then maybe pleasure could come in, but also sometimes comfort to. The idea of using food to soothe emotions isn’t inherently a “bad thing”.
Turning to food when you’re hungry is your body saying there’s something that should be addressed, and that’s surely a coping tool.

SO WHY FOOD?
Negative emotions comes with a feeling of emptiness, and for some people, food could help them feel a sense of temporary wholeness.
Other factors might include:
• retreating from social support during times
of emotional need
• not engaging in activities that might otherwise
relieve stress, sadness, and so on
• not understanding the difference between physical and emotional
hunger
• using negative self-talking that’s related to bingeing
episodes. This can create a cycle of emotional eating
• changing cortisol levels in response to stress, leading to
cravings.

UNDERSTANDING TYPES OF EMOTIONAL EATING
There are four main avenues to emotional eating:
1) Breaking a food rule: this happens when you set a rule about some foods which you’re not supposed to eat but still find yourself eating those foods or one of them which could cause distress.
For example, you eat a cookie, feel bad about the act, but still go ahead to finish it and even more than expected.
2) Experiencing a strong emotion that reduces appetite: Like if you’re really anxious, you might feel a bit sick and not want to eat. So you eat less.
3) The backlash of restriction: happens when boredom, stress or loneliness causes you to start eating those foods you already termed “bad” in the past without control. According to research, it is more prevalent among dieters (obsessed with weight loss) than non-dieters.
4) Comfort eating: this happens when you find yourself eating to distract yourself from unpleasant or uncomfortable situations. This automatically leads to overfeeding.
The manner we were raised, either by societal values or individual perspectives affects our ability to cope effectively with what life throws at us. Your parents approach to frustration and disappointments, and how they trained you to coping with those situations matters a lot.

So what can you do to manage emotional eating?
To understand emotional eating, first you’d have to understand its roots, which could be as check lists:
1. Have you eaten enough?
The real reason behind emotional eating is still hunger. Most times, you don’t get to eat enough, so you term it ‘emotional eating’. If you don’t get enough food to eat during the day, there’ll surely be a drive to eat, and when you eat thereafter, you’re likely to eat beyond what feels comfortable. When this happens, they start out with compensatory behaviors like over-exercising and heavy restrictions which would later backfire.
What can you do? Fill your belly first! Hunger can present itself in mood, reduced energy levels, and lightheadedness.
A few tips for you to consider:
a. Eat at least 3 meals a day, and snack regularly with snacks and vegetables for easier satiety?
b. Have a balanced proportion of carbohydrates, proteins and fats in each meal.
c. Increased your physical activity, be active!
2. Can you identify what you’re feeling?
This might seem futile for you especially if you’re used to bottling your emotions or suppressing them. You have to identify if you’re sad, depressed, if you fee self-pity, irritated etc.
3. Identify coping tools
For almost everyone, eating could be part of their coping tools, and removing it might cause a stir. So, its better to look for other coping tools to add to food.
Get a jotter and make lists as:
– people you can call when you feel emotional and want to vent or just talks (parent, friend, close pal etc.)
– Good options to relax like taking a stroll, taking a hot bath, read a book etc.
– places you go could go to calm down (e.g. your bed, outdoors, to the beach, a park etc).
– things you can say to yourself (“you’ve got this”, “this feeling will pass”).
– activities you can do to distract yourself (e.g. start a puzzle, watch a film etc).

Conclusion
Emotional eating isn’t inherently bad. Most times it’s a clue your body is giving you to respond to its urgent need, you just need to learn how to know what that need is.
If you’re looking to improve your relationship with food and manage emotional eating, you could always speak to a dietitian.

SOURCES
https://www.healthline.com/health/emotional-eating#What-causes-someone-to-eat-because-of-their-emotions?

How to Navigate Emotional Eating