Using food to celebrate or cheer yourself isn’t always a bad thing. After all, we have cake on our birthdays, eat ice cream during breakups, or cook our mom’s famous dish when we’re lonely. But if you’re turning to food any time you feel an uncomfortable emotion, that behavior can become compulsive and could lead to disordered eating. Thankfully, there are ways you can learn to be more intentional about eating to avoid feeling out of control.

Emotional eating can be related to conditioning, biology, and mental health. In childhood, we may be rewarded or comforted with food and snacks, leading to emotional eating struggles later in life. Those who have had restrictive diets in the past are also more prone to emotional eating.

What is emotional eating?

Emotional eating is defined as using food as a coping mechanism to soothe stress, loneliness, boredom, or other upsetting emotions. You can think of emotional eating as having a vicious cycle:

something upsets you
you eat as a response
you eat more than you feel you should
you feel guilty about overeating

This guilt from bingeing or overindulging fuels your feelings of powerlessness over food, which means you’re more likely to turn to food when stressed out. This is a behavior that’s considered automatic, which means the habit becomes harder to break the more food is used to cope with feelings.

Symptoms of emotional eating

You may be an emotional eater if you:

eat when you’re feeling upset
eat to soothe yourself
eat when you’re not hungry
eat to the point of feeling overfull
view food as a comfort or a safety blanket
reward yourself with food

What causes emotional eating?

Emotional eating can be related to conditioning, biology, and mental health. In childhood, we may be rewarded or comforted with food and snacks, leading to emotional eating struggles later in life. Those who have had restrictive diets in the past are also more prone to emotional eating. People who struggle with emotional regulation or cannot identify their feelings may tend to eat emotionally. Biologically, as cortisol is released as a response to stress, we may feel compelled to eat sugary or fatty foods.

Breaking the cycle of emotional eating

Maintain a healthy food environment.

Keep your kitchen stocked with nutritious, satisfying foods, especially fruits and vegetables. This helps reduce the temptation to reach for unhealthy snacks in moments of distress.

Eat intuitively and mindfully.

Listen to your body’s hunger cues. Eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re satisfied. Savor your bites. Pay attention to the flavors, textures, and sensations of your meal. This way, you’re more aware of feeling comfortably full.

Plan out your meals.

Structure your eating schedule to include regular meals and balanced snacks. If you’re organized, create a digital spreadsheet with recipes to help you keep making the food you enjoy preparing and eating.

Practice emotional regulation and healthy coping skills.

Learn alternative ways to cope with heavy emotions. Practice mindfulness, deep breathing, meditation, art, exercise, or other hobbies to divert your attention from food. Part of this also means paying attention to your eating patterns and learning your emotional eating triggers. Keeping a food journal detailing your feelings surrounding each meal may be helpful.

Have self-compassion

Be kind to yourself. Remember, breaking the cycle of emotional eating takes time and effort. Don’t chastise yourself for slip-ups; instead, look at them as opportunities for growth.

Getting help for your emotional eating

If you’re worried your emotional eating is out of your control, it’s time to seek help. Talk to a therapist who specializes in disordered eating. Your therapist can help you address how and why you’re emotionally eating. They’ll guide you towards healthier coping mechanisms so you develop a more positive relationship with food.

To find out more about how eating disorder therapy can help you curb your emotional eating, please reach out to us.

What Is Emotional Eating?