When Emotions Meet Appetite: Understanding Emotional Eating

Welcome to my exploration of the perplexing world of emotional eating. Having navigated the turbulent seas of this experience for a long time, I've gained insights into the complex and intimate relationship with food. While my experience isn't unique, but occurrence is very personal to me. Minor disruptions in my daily life, be it a missed alarm, a small fight, or simply a moment of boredom frequently, often trigger an overwhelming binge-eating episode. Through this blog, my intention is to unravel the layers of emotional eating, sharing not only my challenges, but also addressing the common issues that many of us face on this path. Join me as we explore the foundations of emotional eating, seeking paths toward a healthier, more mindful connection with the food we consume and the emotions we experience.

Emotional Eating: A Multifaceted Journey

Emotional eating is a multifaceted and sometimes misunderstood phenomenon in the delicate dance between our emotions and our relationship with food. Whether we often find ourselves binging on a pint of ice cream after a bad day at work or overindulging in carb-based meals during stressful times, beneath these seemingly normal responses lies a deeper relationship between our emotions and nourishment.

Exploring the layers of Emotional Eating

Join us on an adventure as we delve into the layers that cover this coping mechanism. Emotional eating extends beyond a simple reaction to stress or melancholy into the regions of our brain that combines our emotional well-being with nutritional choices. As we uncover the challenges of emotional eating, our aim is not only to understand its origins but also to reveal avenues to healing and establishing a healthy connection with both our emotions and the food we eat. It's time to peel back the layers, confront the complexities, and embark on a path of balanced and conscious nutrition.

What is Emotional eating?

Emotional eating is a popular condition in which people use food to cope with or relieve unpleasant emotions such as stress, anger, fear, boredom, depression, and loneliness. This behavior can sabotage weight-loss efforts as emotional eaters seek solace in impulsive or binge eating. 

Causes of Emotional Eating

Endorsing emotional eating as our coping strategy can be experienced due to life's difficulties, whether they were major or minor events, such as:  

• Grief

• Illness

• Anxiety

• Exhaustion 

• Career tensions 

• Relationship difficulties

• Health concerns

• Financial pressure 

When confronted with intense emotions, people may unconsciously binge on food as a treat to calm their souls and comfort their wellbeing. Food might distract people from tough situations, offering a momentary getaway from emotional distress. 

Cost of Emotional Eating 

Emotional eating provides a temporary comfort to the soul. However, when the effect of food indulgence fades away, original sensations and intense emotions resurface thus burdening individuals with guilt for not meeting their weight-loss objectives. This guilt, in turn, might encourage an unhealthy cycle in which emotions motivate overeating. Overeating might cause self-criticism leading to more bad feelings and, eventually, a recurrence of the vicious cycle of overeating. Understanding the intricate link between emotions and eating patterns is crucial for breaking the cycle of emotional eating and promoting a better attitude toward food and emotional well-being.

Difference between Emotional hunger and Physical hunger

According to Melinda Smith et al (2023) people may experience two different types of hunger: emotional hunger and physical hunger. Understanding the differences between these terms is crucial for building a healthy connection with food!

Aspect	Physical Hunger	Emotional Hunger
Hunger Source	It originates from the body's biological need for nourishment.	Originates from emotional or psychological triggers, such as stress, boredom, sadness, or loneliness
Timing	Develops gradually and is usually associated with regular mealtimes or long periods without meals.	Can occur quickly or gradually and is unrelated to the body's real nutritional needs.
Cravings	In general, a wide range of foods are appropriate, depending on nutritional needs rather than specific desires.	Cravings for certain comfort foods that give immediate pleasure or distraction such as fries, hamburgers, ice cream and cake
Satisfaction and Guilt	Results in a feeling of fulfillment and refreshment. There is no related guilt when really nourishing the body.	While it may bring short relaxation, it rarely provides real satisfaction. Guilt or regret may arise as a result.
Sensation Location	Typically sensed in the stomach, with physical feelings such as stomach rumbling or a sense of emptiness.	The need for food is more mental than physical, and it is felt in the head, mouth, or throat.

6 Ways to Manage Emotional Eating:

Wondering how to manage emotional eating? Here are some strategies:

• Mindfulness Techniques: Use mindfulness techniques such as deep breathing or meditation to stay present and regulate emotions without using food.
  

• Recognize and Track Triggers: Recognize emotional triggers and keep a record of them to understand better the circumstances and thoughts that lead to emotional eating.
  

• Consider Alternative Coping Strategies: Make a list of non-food-related activities that provide comfort and entertainment, such as taking a walk, reading, or engaging in hobbies.
  

• Constant Meal Patterns: Maintain regular meal timings to help regulate blood sugar levels and prevent impulsive eating caused by hunger.
  

• Set Achievable Objectives: Set attainable objectives for emotional well-being and overall health, acknowledging minor accomplishments without establishing unnecessary expectations.
  

• Practice Smart Eating: Listen to your hunger and fullness cues, eat when you're physically hungry and stop when satisfied. A research by Michigan State University claims that incorporating a 15 minute pause after finishing a meal could determine true fullness which will reduce the likelihood of overeating. 

When to Seek Help

Recognizing when to seek help for emotional eating is significant, especially negatively impacts health. If feelings of powerlessness or mental discomfort arise, seeking help can prevent the development of more serious eating disorders such as bulimia. Bulimia nervosa is defined by binge eating cycles followed by purging, extreme activity, or fasting in order to make up for overeating. This condition is mainly caused by experiencing mental discomfort and by frequently being worried about weight and body image.

Closing Thoughts

Understanding how feelings influence our eating habits is crucial for developing a healthier relationship with food and emotions. Our journey toward recovery is significant in the maze of emotional eating, where the links between our mood and food can be complicated and consuming. Thus, recognizing the warning signals, seeking help, and taking active measures to modify our connection with both emotions and food is an act of self-compassion, bravery and power.

Compass coaching extends a helping hand, providing not only knowledge about emotional eating, but also offering personalized guidance to help you break away from this pattern. Click here for a 30-minute complimentary session. 

Together we can embark on a journey toward a balanced life. It's crucial to remember that transformation is not only possible but also immensely fulfilling as we traverse the complex journey of identifying our triggers and breaking free from the emotional eating cycle. 

Rewrite your story, promoting resilience, self-love, and a profound connection with the delicate symphony of our emotions and the nutrition that we are willing to embrace.

References

Bach, D. S. (2023, May 12). Obesity and Emotional Eating: How Coaching Can Help. Retrieved from Le Guide Sante: https://www.le-guide-sante.org/actualites/medical-news-english/obesity-emotional-eating-how-coaching-can-help#3156

Dawn Earnesty, Michigan State University Extension and Alea Carlson. (2016, April 20). Teaching kids the art of mindful eating. Retrieved from Michigan State University: https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/teaching_kids_the_art_of_mindful_eating#:~:text=Wait%2015%20minutes%20after%20eating,a%20part%20of%20that%20experience.

Hay, P. P., Bacaltchuk, J., Stefano, S., & Kashyap, P. (2009). Psychological treatments for bulimia nervosa and binging. Cochrane database of systematic reviews(4).

Juarascio, A. S., Parker, M. N., Manasse, S. M., Barney, J. L., Wyckoff, E. P., & Dochat, C. . (2020). An exploratory component analysis of emotion regulation strategies for improving emotion regulation and emotional eating. . Appetite, 150, 104634.

Lattimore, P. (2020). Mindfulness-based emotional eating awareness training: taking the emotional out of eating. Eating and Weight Disorders-Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity, 25, 649-657.

Melinda Smith, M.A., Lawrence Robinson, Jeanne Segal. ( 2023, November 28). Emotional Eating and How to Stop It. Retrieved from HelpGuide.org: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/diets/emotional-eating.htm