Wellness
Message for March 2005
Do you
ever think about why you eat? I mean really think about it? Are you like
me, do you think about food all the time? From the last bite of one meal
I am already excited about the contents of my next meal. This may sound
obsessive and maybe a bit self-destructive given my history and obsession
with my weight and food but I am a foodie and no amount of camouflage
conceals it.
From the age of 11, I remember being aware and pre-occupied with my appetite. From hiding cookies in my dresser, creating odd eating rituals and sneaking food late at night I always seemed to be hungry. A hunger that as a child seemed like nothing other than a need to eat. As an adult I know that my eating patterns tend to mimic my need for closeness and love. I now know how to recognize the warning bells when I need to pay more attention to what is on my mind rather than what is on my fork.
Emotional eating is something that I think all of us can relate to. At one time or another we have all eaten a whole pizza after a break up, downed a tub ice cream after an argument with a friend or consumed cookies by the wheel barrel when we did not get that dream job. Emotional eating does not always occur when times are tough, even celebrations and good news can bring on need for comfort.
We all see adults comfort children with sweets when they are naughty and celebrate their good behavior with a cookie. These patterns carry on through life and become engrained in our subconscious.
First of all what is emotional hunger – it is the practice of consuming quantities of food in response to feelings instead of hunger. Experts estimate that 75% of overeating is caused by feelings.
The human brain requires a precise chemical balance to maintain our established level of well being that we become accustom to feeling. When emotions are not expressed, recognized or responded to it causes the brain to communicate in the form of impulses to restore balance. These impulses lead to cravings for certain food that will create certain types of chemicals to bring us back to a state of comfort. Along with food a complex chemical cocktail of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, endorphins and dopamine play a key role in this process.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself if you struggle to discover how emotional eating plays out in your life:
• |
Do
you reward yourself with food? |
|
• |
Do
you punish yourself when you feel you have made a “bad”
food choice? |
|
• |
Do
you eat when you are bored, stressed, upset, angry, lonely or happy? |
|
• |
Did
you grow up being taught to eat everything on your plate even after
you were full? |
|
• |
Do
you ever start to eat just for a small taste and then unconsciously
eat much more than you planned to? |
|
• |
Do
you often eat past the point of satisfaction? |
|
• |
Do
you ever hide your eating habits or choice from others? |
|
• |
Do
you ever feel ashamed of yourself and what you eat? |
|
• |
Does
food help you deal with your emotions? |
|
• |
Do
you eat when you are not hungry? |
If you answered yes to several of these questions or can relate to them in any way you may want to explore deeper your relationship with food.
How can you tell the difference between emotional and physical hunger?
• |
Emotional
hunger can leave behind feelings of guilt; eating when you are physically
hungry does not. |
|
• |
When
you are eating to satisfy an emotional need you are more likely
to overeat past comfort levels. When you are eating to satisfy true
hunger you are more likely to stop when you are full. |
|
• |
Emotional
hunger feels like it needs to be satisfied immediately. |
|
• |
Eating
to fill an emotional void usually leads to cravings for specific
foods to fill the need. When you are physically hungry you are open
to variety and options. |
|
• |
Emotional
hunger comes on suddenly where physical hungry comes on gradually. |
Here are a few tips to support your desire to recognize and alter habits:
• |
Keep
a food
diary (PDF) of what and when you eat. Try to rank your hunger
from 1 to 10 each time you eat to discover if you are eating for
reasons other than physical hunger. |
|
• |
Learn
what triggers your emotional eating. Write out in detail what occurred
prior to your eating. |
|
• |
Make
a list of enjoyable things in your life you can do other than eating.
Sometimes a long walk, a phone call to a friend or writing in your
journal can be just what you need. |
|
• |
When
you do get the urge to eat when you are not hungry make a healthy
food choice instead of junk food. |
|
• |
Remember
moderate, don’t eliminate. There is a healthy place for all
food in a healthy lifestyle. |
|
• |
Portion
control and eating for the correct reasons can eliminate guilt and
feelings of shame. |
|
• |
Explore
and deal with your feelings. Develop healthy coping skills. |
|
• |
Get
support; friends, nutritionist, support groups, doctor. |
|
• |
Build
your self esteem. A good does of self confidence will help you to
express your feelings and opinions in healthy ways. |
Food should be a source of pleasure and is associated with so many moments in our lives; celebrations of all kinds are rooted in meals. Family time around the dinner table, first dates, birthdays, weddings, holidays are all part of our lives and opportunities to not only celebrate with wonderful meals but the people we share them with.
Take every moment to smell the roses and the chocolate chip cookie! Embrace your feelings; they make you human and wonderfully unique!
Be well!
