emotional eating is defined as a tendency to turn to food in periods of either positive or negative emotions. it’s often associated with selecting unhealthy foods and may or may not be accompanied by a side order of guilt.
in some ways, it’s a bit of a cruel irony because, traditionally, the flexibility of working from home has been associated with the consumption of more nutrient-dense foods and less eating out.
one such hormone, ghrelin, is quite famously referred to as the hunger hormone because it stimulates appetite and desire to eat. very often this leads us to seek out what are known as “hyperpalatable” foods — a.k.a, not broccoli.
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during periods of stress, people find themselves less capable to listen to their body cues about hunger and fullness. in fact, many of us aren’t great at this, even on our best days. it’s important to listen to your body when you eat . eating i ntuitively gives you permission to eat what you want when you are experiencing certain cravings, but it’s also acknowledges your biological nutritional needs. but it’s more than eating well, but also eating when you are hungry instead of eating for the sake of eating.
a recent study found that minimizing the presence of foods you want to eat less often is more effective than increasing the presence of foods you want to eat more. basically, eating more healthily requires more than just simply packing your fridge and pantry with goodness — you really do need to cut out the not-so-good stuff, like chips and cookies.
the other important thing is proximity. studies have shown that the foods at you keep closest to you physically, are the ones that get consumed more often. so as you sit down to your computer today with a coffee beside you, why not add a glass of water and a bowl of blueberries or carrots?
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multiple studies from the journal of the american medical association and the journal of clinical psychology have found that mindfulness meditation is an effective stress management tool. so i f we accept that emotional eating is at least partially driven by stress, we can assume that mindfulness meditation has the potential to help. for ideas, check out this article from the harvard gazette, or visit mindful.org.
eating more mindfully also helps. this means eating more slowly, chewing your food 20 or more times before swallowing, eating in the absence of distractions (no phone, computer, tv), and taking a deep breath between bites.
andy is a registered dietitian and multi-book author who has operated a private practice in toronto since 2015. he spends his free time eating, writing and talking about kale @andytherd. he can be reached at andytherd.com.