The other day I was in an irritated mood, and stressed out, and found myself craving chocolate and candy. Since I have been on a no sugar diet for the last month, that wasn’t an option. I grabbed a piece of fruit instead and started thinking about what triggered my craving. It was emotion pure and simple. Interesting.
Most people will eat as a response to emotion at some point in their life. A lot of people are emotional eaters a majority of the time and don’t realize it! An “ emotional eater” is defined as “overeating in order to relieve negative emotions”. I would venture to say that you don’t even have to overeat in order to be an emotional eater, although that is often the case. If you find yourself immediately going for certain types of food when you are stressed, angry, sad, etc….that is a form of emotional eating.
So how do we combat emotional eating? Distraction and substitution are good strategies. If I find myself eating due to emotions, I will get up, walk away from the kitchen and go to another part of the house to read, listen to music etc. if I stay in the kitchen I am doomed. If that doesn’t work, grabbing a piece of fruit and drinking some water will do the trick. Stop and think about why you want to eat, and how you are feeling in that moment. Acknowledge the emotion, and get it out. Don’t stuff your emotions down with food.
Battling food? Feeling defeated? Email me at lisa@ahealthyfit.net, and let me help you😊
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