When does enjoying your favorite snack cross the line from comfort to concern?
Emotional Eating
Ever catch yourself elbow deep in an ice cream container after a stressful day? Emotional eating is when you consume food not out of hunger, but out of anxiety, frustration, or sadness. Emotional eating can be triggered by a specific situation, or it could be a reaction to more general stress.
But don’t worry- emotional eating is somewhat “normal”.
Emotional eating can be great for relieving stress with THE RIGHT FOODS, provided it doesn’t get out of control. Eating puts our body into a state of relaxation by activating the parasympathetic nerves. Enjoying the flavors of food feels good and can improve mood. (But I think you already know that!)
But when emotional eating no longer relieves, but adds stress, it could be out of control.
Emotional eating often leads to feeling ashamed. You want to hide your “binging” episodes. But without other methods to cope, emotional eating could spiral out of control.
To prevent emotional eating from progressing- tackle the problem at its roots: stress, frustration, or other emotions. Stop ignoring what’s bothering you.
Experiment with meditation, prayer or exercise to tackle stress. Practice self-discipline and celebrate your small victories. Give yourself space between whatever is the source of your stress.
You can manage emotional eating with healthier food choices. Try snacks like oven baked sweet potato fries instead of greasy fast food fries. Or grab baby carrots sand hummus instead of potato chips.
Binge Eating
Binge eating, unlike stress eating, is considered by professionals as an eating disorder. Characterized by constant overconsumption, BED (Binge Eating Disorder) involves consuming very large quantities of food in a short time period. It’s not just your average full belly after a special dinner. It’s characterized by constant overeating that leaves the body uncomfortable and unhealthy.
The transition from emotional eating to binge eating occurs when you lose your sense of control. It often leads eating more due to guilt. This leads to a vicious cycle: your stress turns into binge eating, and your binge eating fuels your stress.
It is important to talk to someone if you are experiencing any of the symptoms of binge eating. Your attitude toward your body image, mental health history and eating habits could be contributing to BED.
If you are suffering silence, please know you can fight emotional eating and overcome binge eating. It doesn’t have to take over your life. Talk to a trusted family member or friend to begin on the path to overcoming. You can make progress as you begin to dive deep to identify the reasons behind your eating. You got this!!! XOXOXO