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Emotional
Eating - the Dangers and Solutions
Emotional eaters turn
to food as a source of distraction from dealing with
feelings. However, eating these foods leads to feelings
of guilt which can only be soothed with more eating,
restrictive dieting, excessive exercise or purging.
Food is a source of nourishment
and energy. Without food we would not be able to perform
our daily activities. Our muscles would wither, our
nervous system would fail. We all need food.
However, food also has
another role in our lives - a role of comfort and entertainment.
Culturally and instinctively we prepare and serve foods
to comfort those who have experienced loss, to celebrate
joy or to show friendship and love.
WHAT IS EMOTIONAL EATING?
Seeing food as more than just a source
of energy and enjoying it simply for the satisfaction
it gives is not wrong. In fact science shows that food
can promote good feelings by chemical reactions caused
in our brains. What IS a problem is when an individual
cannot experience pain, anxiety, joy or even boredom
without turning to food as means of dealing with those
feelings, or they are obsessed with food, weight and
dieting.
Emotional eaters turn to food as a source
of distraction from dealing with feelings. However,
eating these foods leads to feelings of guilt which
can only be soothed with more eating, restrictive dieting,
excessive exercise or purging.
Emotional eaters tend to value themselves
based on their weight and how closely they've stuck
to their 'ideal' diet. Because of this distorted relationship
with food, foods are labeled "GOOD" and "BAD".
Emotional eating can lead to serious eating disorders
and depression.
HOW DO I KNOW IF I'M AN EMOTIONAL EATER?
Do you turn to food for reasons other
than hunger? Are you obsessed with thoughts of food
- whether you plan to eat it or are concentrating on
restricting yourself from eating it?
Do you regularly try diets and fail
- leading to guilt and further over eating? Do you think
about or attempt to purge excess food by throwing up
or using laxatives? Do you exercise compulsively when
you think you've eaten too much?
HOW DO I OVERCOME EMOTIONAL EATING?
Since emotional eating is caused by
looking to food as a coping strategy for emotional distress
dieting can actually create more problems. When the
emotional eater fails to stick to a diet they suffer
feelings of guilt that can only be soothed with more
food and in turn, more guilt or punishment.
Instead of trying to focus on what they
are eating, the emotional eater needs to learn new skills
for coping with stressful emotions. Often this requires
the help of a Personal Coach or Psychotherapist who
deals with emotional eating. It is only by finding replacements
for the comfort food provided that the individual can
put food into its rightful place and learn healthy eating
habits that last a lifetime.
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