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Take control of emotional eating

Emotional eating (or stress eating) is Food also serves as a distraction from using food to make yourself feel better the real problems facing an emotional — eating to satisfy emotional needs, eater’s life. For instance, if an individual rather than to satisfy physical hunger. is worried about a big presentation at Researchers have linked stress to work or just had a fight with a spouse, weight gain, and according to an comfort foods can calm nerves and American Psychological Association suppress feelings of anxiety. Instead of survey, about 25% of Americans rate worrying about the problems, the eater their stress level as eight or more on a is fixated on the positive feeling of 10-point scale. The hormones that eating. Yet, once done eating, the stress unleashes, in addition to the emotional eater focuses not only on effects of high-fat or sugary “comfort their problems again but also on how foods,” push people toward overeating much they overate. This leads to more and unhealthy weight gain. grief in the long run. yy Identify triggers. Keep a food Emotional eating is a common Characteristics of an psychological problem for both men journal and write down everything emotional eater and women. To curb this issue, the root that you eat, how you felt of why someone eats must be detected yy Eating when feeling strong emotions emotionally right before eating and before the eating will stop. Food is such as anger and depression caused how you felt when you were done commonly used as a coping by an event unrelated, or eating eating. It is also beneficial to note mechanism for sadness, depression when bored how hunger played into the eating. and anger. Eating to suppress feelings yy Becoming incredibly hungry without Then, analyze what emotions not only sabotages efforts to lose warning accompanied food intake to weight, but it also eventually leads to yy Craving specific foods (usually determine what is causing the need weight gain and more depressed unhealthy), such as chocolate, pasta to eat. y feelings. Emotional eaters can get back or candy, and not being satisfied by y Find comforts outside of food. Pick on track if they figure out what triggers any other foods up a hobby, try watching a movie, are causing their need to eat. yy Cravings are felt in the mouth and in listen to music, take a walk or visit a the mind; the stomach is not hungry friend instead of eating when you feel particularly blue. Food and emotions yy Eating absent-mindedly yy Does not stop eating even when full Traumatic events such as losing a job, Continued >> divorce, the death of a loved one, Gaining control of health problems and stress at work can lead to emotional eating. Since some emotional eating foods trigger the release of mood- yy Learn to identify real hunger. If you elevating hormones (chocolate), the ate only a few hours prior and your body craves these foods when the mind stomach is not rumbling in response feels down in the dumps. to hunger, then you probably should not eat. AssociatedBRC.com yy Remove unhealthy foods from the emotional eating. Knowing the reasons focusing your attention on an home. If junk food is not there, you you are eating will help you find a unpleasant task. Food can seem like can’t eat it. more effective coping strategy. the answer. Awareness can help you yy Snack smart. Instead of reaching for make a more effective choice. Doing yy Unpleasant emotions. Maybe you unhealthy foods when feeling an activity very different from the had an argument with a friend or hungry, eat a piece of fruit or one that led to the fatigue often loved one, or you are worried about vegetables. offers the best relief. your job or finances. If this is the yy Eat a balanced diet. In general, case, your hunger is about avoiding yy Habit. Eating mindlessly, putting emotional eaters should try to eat a anxiety or sadness. Practice food in your mouth without being balanced diet so as to not give in to tolerating the emotion. You can also aware of the taste or how satisfied emotional eating later on. practice other coping skills, such a you are is a form of self-soothing. Instead of getting down on yourself talking it out with someone, writing Eating mindlessly may be a habit. after eating emotionally, move on from your emotions, exercising, or You may “veg-out” in the same chair the experience and identify the issues distracting yourself. You might want each night, watching various that caused the need to eat. Tackle to do an activity that is not television shows, and not even aware those problems, and emotional eating compatible with eating such as that you aren’t truly present. Practice will pass. taking a shower. mindfulness to be more present. You may find that you don’t enjoy your yy Boredom. In those moments where routines and need to change them. Common triggers for there is “nothing to do” and there is Perhaps you find that you need a emotional eating no one to talk with, you may different way to completely slow experience an aloneness that is When you struggle with urges to run to your mind and relax. uncomfortable or a boredom that is the fridge, wait a moment or two and difficult to tolerate. Food can seem use mindfulness to observe what is If you've tried self-help options but you like the answer. As a coping strategy, happening. The pause is not about still can't control emotional eating, make a commitment to try at least stopping you from enjoying food – it’s consider therapy with a mental health two activities before turning to food. about understanding the reason you professional. Therapy can help you are craving it. yy Fatigue. Craving food often occurs understand why you eat emotionally when you are tired, particularly the and learn coping skills. Therapy can Awareness of the triggers for your urges burned-out kind of tired. When also help you discover whether you is an important step in overcoming you’ve been working for hours, you have an eating disorder, which can be emotional eating. Here are some ideas may not be physically tired but you connected to emotional eating. to help you identify what is behind are tired of concentrating and

Recipe Garden Egg Salad yy 2 radishes, grated on the large holes of a box grater yy 8 romaine lettuce leaves yy 1 cup pea or other sprouts Directions 1. Put the eggs in a saucepan with enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, cover, and remove from the heat. Set aside for 12 minutes. Drain the eggs and roll them between your palm and the counter to crack the shell, then peel under cool running water. Ingredients 2. Dice the eggs. Combine the eggs with mayonnaise, yy 6 large eggs mustard and season with the salt and pepper. Stir in the yy 1/2 cup low-fat mayonnaise scallions, celery, and radish. yy 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard 3. Divide the egg salad among the lettuce leaves, top with yy Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper the sprouts and roll up. Serve 2 rolls per serving. yy 2 scallions (white and green), thinly sliced, Source: foodnetwork.com yy 1 rib celery, minced, scant 1/2 cup