When Comfort Can Kill: The Dangers of Emotional Eating

We cannot take emotions lightly, yet they are hard to define. How do you explain to someone what love feels like? Or grief? Or sadness? Feelings can overtake us and even cause physical ailments. Have you ever been so worried about something that it made you sick to your stomach or gave you an excruciating headache?

Some people seek solace and comfort in food. It can start innocently enough: Choosing to celebrate accomplishments with dinners out or soothing a heartache with pints of ice cream.

Unfortunately, the mind decides this is a rewarding behavior and releases a cascade of feel-good chemicals. The next time the person feels celebratory (or sad), they reach for food. Eventually, any emotion can lead a person to turn to food. But once you recognize the feelings, thoughts, and behaviors, you can stop emotional eating in its tracks.

What is emotional eating?

Often, emotional eating is triggered by events that cause stress. Sometimes these are life-changing events, such as the death of a loved one. Other times, it is the daily stress of trying to make ends meet, relationship problems, issues at work or school, illnesses, or insomnia.

Emotional eating involves reaching for food as a coping mechanism and distraction. If faced with a fast-approaching deadline, you may seek food to distract you from the overwhelming stress.

Emotional eating can lead to an abundance of cortisol, resulting in high blood pressure. You can also develop Type II diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, digestive issues, joint pain, low self-esteem, depression, and other physical and emotional problems.

The Difference Between Emotional Eating and Binge Eating

People who struggle with emotional eating consume food to make themselves feel better. They are typically aware of the food and how much. For example, they might choose a pint of ice cream after a breakup late at night instead of eating dinner and going to bed, or they may walk by their coworker’s candy dish and grab a few pieces because they are unsure of their next assignment.

However, with binge-eating, the person isolates from others during the binge. They can consume hundreds, if not thousands, of calories in a short two-hour window. They may eat several food items, from chicken leftovers to cake, nuts, chips, and ice cream.

They will eat until they feel uncomfortable or physically ill. Although emotions may rule over their behavior, many other factors come into play during a binge, like genetics, history, and preexisting mental health conditions.

Binge-eating disorder is a serious eating disorder that requires help from a professional therapist to get to the root of the behavior.

How to Stop Emotional Eating

There are steps you can take to stop emotional eating. Some of these suggestions will take time to create a new habit, but they will pay off as your mind begins to associate routines and emotions with positive (and healthy) behaviors.

Keep a food journal Sometimes, seeing what you are consuming (and how much) in black and white is eye-opening. If you have a trusted friend or family member, consider asking them to check in with you daily to review your food journal. Accountability can make you strive to make better choices.

Tip: Wait to jot down your meal until you are consuming it. If you write down what you plan to eat, you might eat more or change your mind, and if you write it down after the meal, you may go overboard.

Watch portion sizes According to Psychology Today, average-weight and overweight people underestimate their calorie consumption by 20% to 40% (respectively). This can lead to thousands of extra calories per year and extra pounds. You can defy this statistic by measuring cups and spoons while at home as you serve meals or snacks until you learn to estimate the proper portion size.

Tip: Learn how to approximate a portion by using the hand method, such as one serving of meat can equal the open palm of your hand.

Practice mindfulness Before you reach for the bag of chips or the box of sea salt dark chocolate caramels, pause and take stock of your emotions. Is your stomach growling? Are you truly hungry? Or are you feeling overwhelmed, stressed, depressed, or angry? What feeling is driving you? Write down how you are feeling in your food journal.

Tip: To figure out if you are truly hungry, grab either an apple or a boiled egg. If neither one sounds good to you, you are probably not hungry but just looking for a way to feel better.

Make healthy food choices Salt, sugar, and simple carbohydrates seem to drive the impulse toward emotional eating. You may crave chocolate, chips, French fries, donuts, or pizza. As the sugar and simple carbs break down into more sugars and your brain responds with an influx of dopamine, the behavior cements deeper into your mind.

Tip: Prepare healthy snacks ahead of time. Cut up veggies and fruits for cravings and prepare your meals. Find healthy substitutes for your favorite comfort foods.

Work to lower stress Stress, worry, and hurt can lead to an adrenaline release from the adrenal glands. Cortisol is the hormone responsible for the “fight or flight” response. Since you are not fighting off a lion or getting out of the way of a moving train, cortisol bombards your system, resulting in higher-than-normal sugar levels. Chronic stress can not only lead you to seek relief in food but also cause physical ailments.

Tip: Find ways to lower your stress level. Practice stretching, yoga, or breathing techniques. Delegate some of your tasks and consider saying no to opportunities and relationships that disrupt your peace.

Reframe your negative thoughts Negative thoughts, if left unchecked, can lead us to behaviors that we would not usually indulge in to find relief. What thoughts zip through your head before you to food for temporary comfort? Are you stressed about a deadline and wondering how you will provide for your family if you lose your job? What thoughts drive the behavior as you reach for a donut or nachos?

Tip: Write down your thoughts the next time you reach for food. Are they negative thoughts? (Examples: I can never meet deadlines. I’m going to lose this job. No one wants to be with a loser.) Identifying negative thoughts is the first step in changing your emotional eating behavior. Now reframe those thoughts. (Examples: I do meet deadlines when I plan. I bring value to the company. I am a child of God and made in His image.)

Ask for help from people who know about emotional eating Emotional eating can be socially acceptable if your friends do it, but that does not mean what they are doing is healthy for you (or for them). If you and your friends meet after work to discuss the stressful day while downing drinks and appetizers, you may want to reconsider this lifestyle. It would help if you had support and encouragement from people who have insight into emotional eating.

Tip: Find someone who has battled emotional eating and won. See if they would be willing to keep you accountable and offer support. If you cannot find someone in your circle, reach out to a counselor.

You can get a handle on emotional eating and reverse your attachment between negative thoughts and impulsive eating. It will take practice and support from others who have walked through the same fire, but it can be done.

If you need extra support or want someone who can help you overcome emotional eating, reach out to one of the other counselors in our online directory today. We help people find breakthroughs in eating disorders and disordered eating behaviors. We use science-backed methods with scriptural principles to help our clients grow and thrive in their physical, emotional, and spiritual lives. Contact us today!