Emotional food
With these 5 strategies you can get it under control
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Many of us know emotional eating, and in the short term it is not a bad thing. Only when it becomes a habit can it affect your quality of life. These strategies will help you deal with emotional eating.
The day is stressful and you need some nerve nutrition now? After an argument with your boyfriend, is it good for you to eat frustration? Most of us are familiar with such situations. What many of us do not realize is how much we let our subconscious guide us and mutate into emotional eater.
This is behind emotional eating
We are hungry and we eat because our body needs nutrients and energy. But it doesn't stop there: Eating out of boredom, stress, anger or as a reward is part of everyday life for many – physical hunger does not play a role, it is more about our emotional hunger. According to a report by the news magazine Spiegel Online, around 30 percent of Germans are emotional eaters!
Above all, negative feelings should be compensated with food. Reason for that positive links between eating and relaxation (candlelight dinner or dinner with friends or family) and certain foods that are associated with childhood memories, love and warmth. But also learned behavior in childhoodwhen to eat Emotion regulation is used – for example chocolate for calming – can continue into adulthood. And that has nothing to do with pleasure eating …
SOS tips for having a snack
We show below which strategies can help you in the long term. The following tips can help you in acute situations:
- Identify the trigger: You want to grab a chocolate bar or a bag of chips – stop and ask yourself why you want to eat this now. Are you really hungry? Or is it stress, sadness, boredom, etc.?
- Think of an alternative: If you are aware of the trigger, you can control it. Think about how you can best face the situation.
- Start the countermeasure: You're bored? Do something or work through the pile of letters that besieged your desk – the sense of achievement will make you happier than the chips. You're sad? Talk to a friend or your parents on the phone or get rid of your frustration.
Stopping emotional eating – that can help
Short-term emotional eating is usually safeonly when it becomes a habit it could become a problem and e.g. B. favor obesity. Plus, eating doesn't solve the real problemsbut instead just displaces them. If you feel that you are one of those emotional eaters, the following measures can help:
1. Keep a food diary
Does emotional eating affect you at all and limit you in the long term, or is it just a few slip-ups? To track this down, you can keep a food diary. In this you list what you eat, what time and why! So did you have a dinner date with friends, are you feeling stressed or did your stomach growl? The diary helps you Patterns in your eating habits to discover.
2. Understand feelings
Are you prone to emotional eating ask specifically why you eat. Do you often eat out of boredom, stress at work or relationship problems with your partner? Of course, it is not always easy for us to deal with negative emotions and we try to dampen them – e.g. B. with food. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, the possible causes are too different. But often it helps Talking to other people about your feelingsto get things off your mind. Here we give you more tips on how to better understand feelings. Don't be afraid to seek professional help with deep problems.
3. Listen to your body
Eat when you are hungry! So only eat when your body (!) Demands food. Avoid snacking on the side, avoid overeating and stop when you are full. Remember: You shouldn't go hungry, of course, but can eat something again when you get back on Feel hungry. Pay attention to your body's signals. In between: distract yourself.
4. Find alternatives
Eating is a habit like many other things in our life. Do you mainly eat out of boredom, break this habitby getting another one. It works, you just need some time for it. And so you can change your habits.
5. Stress management
If you are mainly frustrated or stressed, we have tips for you. It is a good idea to reduce frustration Sports and breathing exercises and – just as with coping with stress – conversations with people you trust also help. Certain relaxation techniques are also a great way to manage stress.
Reading tip: Here are 8 things you should know about eating disorders!
Already knew? In the Brigitte Community you can easily exchange ideas with others about healthy eating!