People are different in many ways, while some may lose their appetite when stressed, others find comfort or solace in food—a practice called emotional eating. Emotional eating isn’t about physical hunger, it’s about reaching for food several times a week or more to suppress and soothe negative feelings. However, health experts do not support this as it may lead to a cycle of excess eating and is also associated with weight gain. Private Kamanzi, a dietician at Amazon Nutrition Cabinet-Gasabo, notes that people who tend to eat emotionally reach for junk food, like pizza and pastries, which are unhealthy, and in the end they feel guilty for overeating. Food is believed to be a way to fill a void and create a false feeling of “fullness” or temporary wholeness. Photo/Net He says that emotional hunger isn’t contented when one is full, as you may want to eat more and more until you’re awkwardly full. Kamanzi adds that an emotional eater is one who crave a variety of different foods when feeling low, and can’t sense satisfaction or fullness while eating. He says that some people crave specific foods instantly, you may want to have ice cream or chocolate. Overeating without control, and feeling emotional distress, like shame or guilt, over your eating habits, are also signs of emotional eating. Kamanzi states that although emotional eating can be an indicator of depression, many people who do not have clinical depression or any other mental health issue engage in this behaviour in retort to fleeting feelings or chronic stress. This behaviour can hinder you from maintaining a healthy diet, a thing that may cause obesity. He says that overcoming emotional eating may involve teaching one healthier ways to view food and change to better eating habits, identifying the causes for engaging in this behaviour, and finding suitable ways to avert and relieve stress. The dietician also notes that you can turn to a healthy diet, for instance, by feeding on foods rich in vitamin D (fortified milk and cereals, eggs, mushrooms, and fish, like salmon) as they can improve your mood. Experts say that there are both physical and psychological causes for emotional eating, for instance, often, emotional eating is triggered by stress or other strong emotions, but coping strategies can help a person trying to lessen the most severe symptoms. For example, Medical News Today states that being bored or having nothing to do is a common emotional eating trigger. Many people live very stimulating and active lives, and when they have nothing to do, they will turn to food to fill that emptiness. “It is easier to overeat or eat mindlessly when fatigued, especially when tired of doing an unpleasant task. Food can seem like the answer to not wanting to do a particular activity anymore,” Kamanzi says. He says you ought to have people, either family or friends, who can keep you focused in times of stress, and with that, a healthy lifestyle. He also urges working out as it activates the body to make chemicals known as endorphins that network with the brain to calm and relax a person. In case you reach out for food or snacks yet you’re not hungry, find means of occupying yourself with other activities to drive away your urge for food, Kamanzi adds. Experts say that if you can’t control emotional eating on your own, you can seek professional help to change your behaviour. A form of psychotherapy called cognitive behavioural therapy can help. It can teach you to change your eating habits and deal with unpleasant emotions in a better way. Medicines, including antidepressants and appetite suppressants, may also help. You can talk with your healthcare provider to learn about more treatment choices.
