For millions of people, emotional eating, or using food to deal with stress, is one way of coping. Those who engage in emotional eating turn to food when they are upset, hoping that it will improve their negative feelings. Emotional hunger occurs rapidly in response to a stressful situation. You must eat right away. It is satisfied only by specific foods. The portions of these foods are unrelated to actual hunger. You will eat past the point of feeling full. Finally, emotional eating can make you feel guilty, making you want to eat more. These things do not happen when you are physically hungry.

Emotional eating can lead to a person becoming overweight as such people have no control over their eating. For the majority of people who engage often in emotional eating, weight gain is often the biggest consequence. However, for some people emotional eating can lead to more serious issues. It is possible for emotional eating to progress to more serious eating disorders.

How to recognize emotional eating?

You eat to reduce stress and pressure

You eat too fast and crave carbohydrates

The urge to eat comes on suddenly

You eat to cope with stress and reduce feelings of tension and pressure

Work stress causes an increase in stress eating

You eat until your are uncomfortably full

You eat when you are not hungry

Stop Emotional Eating

You need to do some research to discover what triggers your eating habits. It might be your job, home life, relationships or something else.

A regular exercise program, walking or swimming can help reduce your stress levels, increase your energy, and make you feel better about yourself.

Choose a friend or two who is supportive and loving who you can call when emotional eating tries to rear its head. It is even better if you can create a mutual support group between a few folks, so that you can all count on each other for this.

Find alternative food and drinks for eating when you feel stressed. Instead of sugary drinks, try to drink water. You will feel full. Instead of candies, try fruit. You can always find good alternative!