Most people experience cravings at some point. Food is nourishment and eating is often what comes to mind when you want to comfort yourself. Unfortunately, the food choices we make at these times are usually unhealthy, there is also a tendency to overeat, leading to weight gain. This is often followed by feelings of shame and guilt for eating unhealthily.
Food cravings can be either biological or emotional.
Biological Cravings
Biological (physiological) cravings are your body trying to tell you there is a nutrient in the food that your body needs. Examples include craving salty food when you are run down and feeling stressed. Your adrenal glands regulate sodium levels and when run down this balance is upset, your salt: water balance is upset and you crave something salty to address this.
Emotional Cravings
It’s common for people to turn to food to cope with big, difficult feelings. Emotional eating is when you eat in response to emotions. Our bodies need food for survival, when we eat the reward centres in our brains light up and make us feel better. This was essential in the days when food was scarce and finding it was often difficult and required effort. These days food is abundant and easy to source, but our brains still react in the same way.
Emotional cravings are more about the comfort provided by the food than the nutrient value. For example, eating a bar of chocolate after a fight with a friend or family member or craving a glass of wine after a difficult day at work. Often you will feel better for a while but eating has not addressed the underlying issue. For some people, eating then leads to feelings of guilt and regret, adding more feelings to address.
On its own emotional eating isn’t an eating disorder but it can lead to an eating disorder. You can seek help for emotional eating and it is a good thing to do, so I encourage you to do this. You want to have a good relationship with food.
Food is central to our lives, it is a big part of celebrations, sharing food is a way to connect and we don’t want to change this. The aim is to be making conscious choices of what and when we are eating and choosing the most effective way to deal with emotions.
You may be turning to food when you are stressed, upset, bored, lonely, unhappy or angry. There is an emotion or a feeling there and you are using food as a short term solution to feel better and avoid this emotion. There is nothing wrong with you, this is a normal reaction.
Dealing with the feelings is hard but it is the way to stop the emotional eating. It will take time, so be kind to yourself and commit to the journey.
Food habits
You may have developed habits or routines related to food, such as reaching for a biscuit when feeling stressed, or having dip and crackers when you get home from work. We are also bombarded with messages and images of food, which can make you feel hungry.
How to stop emotional eating
Are you ready to identify the cravings, put in place other support mechanisms and enjoy the benefits associated with healthier eating?
Start by taking note of what and when you eat and how you feel. Being more aware of how you feel before, during and after you eat is very powerful.
When are you triggered and use food to curb an emotion? What do you crave?
How do you feel before, during and after you eat?
Did you do anything to try to distract yourself?
Don’t apply any judgement, just be curious and notice what is happening.
Once you have gathered some information you can start to make changes.
What could do to address the emotion that doesn’t require food?
Are there stress relief techniques you can try, can you change your habits and go for a walk to get some fresh air? Be creative and try to think of as many options as possible. I recommend you do this at a time when you are not feeling hungry.
Some options include:
- Meditation
- Exercise
- Mindfulness especially mindful eating.
- Reading
- Playing a game
- Housework
- Speak to a friend
- Positive self talk and affirmations
Plan to try these activities when you find yourself craving food and see which ones are most effective for you.
Consider getting help from professionals. A mental health professional can help you find ways to deal with emotions as you move away from food. Dieticians or nutritionists can help to ensure you have a balanced diet and ensure that you are eating an adequate and balanced diet during meal times. Look for support from someone specialising in eating disorders if that is relevant.
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