Emotional Eating: Understand the Way We Eat, Why We Cannot Follow Diets

Representative Image. Pic/iStock

Are you having difficulty following diets? Our lives are way more complex than one which allows us to stick to a monotonous restrictive diet. Food-Psychologist and Mind-Body Eating Coach, Ridhi Golechha said, "If all of us could follow diets, we'd all have reached our goals. Real-life stresses such as lockdown-anxiety, relationship conflicts, workload, financial stresses, exasperating parenting, teenage drama, and so much more directly impact how we feel and by virtue, what we eat. If on paper diets were so easy to follow, then we'd all be part of that tiny ten percent of people in the world (athletes, models, or actresses) - who are permanently fit."

What is Emotional Eating?

We all know of those rough days when all we want is to drown our faces in a tub of ice cream or reach out for that melting chocolate cake. "Emotional eating is nothing but eating our emotions. We're all human- with emotions and hunger. By that definition, all of us are emotional eaters. We turn to food when we're overwhelmed with anger, sadness, frustration, or any other significant emotion," explained Ridhi.

Why do we indulge in Emotional Eating?

There's a reason why the butterfly comes back to suck sweet nectar from the flowers, in turn pollinating the rest of the garden. Humans much like animals, birds, and insects are hardwired for pleasure. But here's the catch- we humans are afraid of receiving pleasure. Many fear that If they allow themselves to eat a slice of cheesy pizza (and also enjoy it), they'll be overwhelmed with pleasure, lose control, and end up finishing the whole pizza. We fear this would result in a failed diet, weight gain, and massive guilt, so we avoid it altogether. But, it doesn't work.

"Biology suggests otherwise. Like every other species, homo-sapiens were also built for survival. Non-extinction and strength (body fuel) are essential for our survival. Hence, evolutionary biology has put so much pleasure in sex and food, the two things we need to carry forward the species. If sex and food weren't pleasurable, nobody would eat or reproduce and the human race wouldn't survive. It is pleasure that drives humans to repeat the feel-good behaviour endlessly," explained Ridhi.

When does Emotional Eating become worrisome?

"Largely, there's nothing wrong with that. We do eat to manage and cope with our feelings, especially those that don't feel so good, because eating itself is so biologically rewarding. It's completely okay if we're doing it once in a while, because as I said- we're all evolutionarily wired to emotional eating. However, if we're constantly depending on food to swallow our difficult emotions and discomforts- leaving us with a feeling of guilt constantly at the end of it- then definitely, we need to work on it", said Ridhi. Being stuck in a loop of eat, diet-cheat, repent, and repeat is surely a cause of worry.

What are some of the Warning Signs?

Ridhi has shared a quick guide to check yourself and to recognise warning signs:

1. I'm hopeful that someday I'll find a new diet that will ACTUALLY work for me.

2. I often turn to food when I feel sad/ anxious/ bored/ lonely/ stressed out.

3. I'm afraid to be around my favourite foods because I know I can't control myself.

4. I feel pressure to control my weight and body.

5. It's hard to resist eating something good, even if I'm not hungry.

What can we do to reduce Emotional Eating?

According to Ridhi, the reason we fail our diets is that we try to fight biology and suppress our emotions, which only works temporarily. To make long-lasting changes, we must address the root causes of emotional eating. Although the best way to address it would be to understand your patterns and emotional eating journey through mind-body eating coaching, here are a few easy tips to get you started:

1. Don't skip meals. Starving often confuses your biological hunger drives and makes you more vulnerable to eat your emotions.

2. Understand the difference between actual physical hunger versus emotional hunger.

3. Make a list of the top three emotions you feel weekly- and start finding different ways to cope with them.

4. Talk to an expert. It's better not to ignore your emotional eating since it can later cause health issues like bloating, gas, acidity, constipation, etc.

5. Go for a walk or do something completely different that will take away your urge by distracting you momentarily.

Emotional eating is a message that reveals a deeper problem. Understanding yourself and the way you eat via Mind-Body Nutrition can address the root causes and enable you to live a life that is beyond food obsessions and the fear of failing your diets.

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