Blog #23: Emotional Overeating Awareness Month

The month of April is known as Emotional Overeating Awareness Month. We did discuss eating disorders earlier (check out Blog Post #19), but this month we will highlight overeating from an emotional standpoint. 

Emotional eating can be classified as a way to manage your mood with flavors or food. Eating can also serve as a distraction for your fingers and mouth. Trying to manage your feelings with food can lead to overeating, weight gain, and in some cases, weight regain. Some people may experience overeating with anxiety, depression, stress, a recent loss, or unexpected changes. 

Honestly, the first thing to do is to identify what emotions can trigger your eating. Maybe it’s a certain person, situation, emotion, or relationship. Once you identify your emotional trigger, you can start to make changes to respond in a more healthy way. You can help to identify your trigger by asking “why am I eating right now?” when the urges hits you. You can also keep a diary or a journal to reflect on your emotions and eating habits. Once you read back your words, it may help you to identify your trigger. I also suggest people to drink water instead of reaching for foods. Sometimes, your body can signal to you that you need food, but it can also be satisfied with water consumption. This trick may not work for everyone, but it’s worth trying to see if it works for you. 

You can also keep healthy snacks/foods/drinks on hand, rather than unhealthy ones. For example, instead of purchasing those potato chips, purchase some carrot stick, celery sticks, pretzels, or hummus to have available in your home. You can also choose baked chips as a healthier option if you are so inclined. Having healthy options to reach for can also help get more nutrients into your body, and also change existing habits into better ones. 

People who suffer from emotional overeating can also turn to therapy. Talking to a licensed professional may help people to calm their emotional turmoil, and it can also help to create new coping mechanisms instead of reaching for the cookie jar. Better management of your emotions can lead to healthier habits.

If you think that you or a loved one has an eating disorder, then here is a link to an eating disorder website: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/get-help/