What is Emotional Eating? Know The Signs, Symptoms And Causes

Emotional Eating: The foods you reach for to feel better could really make you feel terrible. Fortunately, there are ways to make sure your feelings don’t permanently damage your diet.

Emotional eating refers to the use of food as a coping mechanism for both good and bad feelings. It is a common problem that many people face, and it can negatively affect their general health and well-being. Unlike physical hunger, emotional eating is generally motivated by psychological or emotional needs rather than nutritional requirements.

Emotional causes of eating:

As you try to cut down on harmful things, you often restrict how much you eat and exclude particular foods, which can contribute to emotional eating. Did you know that situational stress like COVID-19 can also lead to emotional eating? Many people tend to eat more when stressed, while some people do the opposite.

Emotional Eating Symptoms:

There are no clear symptoms or indications of emotional eating, however a person’s eating habits can be inconsistent. One of the things patients do is eat as a reward for a stressful day or event and/or to relieve their mental strain. Most of the time, impulsive behavior or an emotional outburst precedes the emotional experience.

8 SIGNS YOU ARE AN EMOTIONAL EATER

1. Eating when you are NOT hungry: When someone eats even when they are not hungry, this is one of the most obvious indications of emotional eating. They eat to satisfy an emotional need rather than to nourish their bodies.
2. Food cravings: Emotional eaters may develop cravings for certain foods based on their feelings. For example, people may want comfort foods like ice cream or pizza if they feel anxious.
3. Eat alone: Emotional eaters may prefer to eat alone or in silence. This behavior could be an effort to hide eating habits from observers to avoid criticism or censorship.
4. No control over appetite: Emotional eaters may have trouble controlling their appetites and avoiding overeating. For example, you struggle with portion control. This can result in weight gain and other health problems.
5. comfort food: Even after being full, emotional eaters may continue to eat. Regardless of how much food they eat, people can derive comfort or pleasure from the process of eating.
6. Guilt eating: Many people experience guilt or shame after emotionally overeating. Insomnia can result from these unfavorable feelings, which can create a vicious cycle.
7. Triggers: Specific triggers are often what cause emotional eaters to engage in their eating behavior. These triggers can be emotional events, stress, or environmental cues, like seeing a favorite dish or being in a certain place.
8. Escape from emotions: The most typical indicator of emotional eating is turning to food for comfort and security. Without expert help, it can be difficult to change this behavior, which is often based on traumatic memories or childhood events.

If you are having trouble with emotional eating, it is advisable to see a doctor or therapist for an evaluation to determine if you have an underlying medical condition or something else.