Do You Eat Emotionally?

Submitted by: Daphne Senyuva

We go out to eat to congratulate a birthday, anniversary, promotion, etc.

Or we enjoy around banquet parties and holidays. At church functions,

there are social and potluck meals. You tag it and somehow it all

evolves around food. Yes food has a important part in our lives of comfort and

entertainment. Ethnically and intuitively we prepare and serve foods

to comfort those who have experienced loss, to celebrate joy or to illustrate

friendship and care for. Food is very important in our lives. Without consuming

food we would not be able to complete our day by day activities. Our muscles

would become weak, our nervous system would break down. We all need food.

WHAT IS EMOTIONAL EATING?

But are you also eating whenever you are lonely or depressed? Seeing food

as more than just a supply of energy and enjoying it in basic terms for the

satisfaction it gives is not wrong. In fact science shows that food

can support good feelings by chemical reactions created in our brains.

What the problem is when a human being cannot practice pain, anxiety,

joy or even being upset without turning to food as means of dealing with

those feelings, or they are obsessed with food, weight and dieting.

Emotional eaters turn to food as a source of distraction from dealing

with feelings. However, eating these foods leads to feelings of guilt

which can only be soothed with more eating, restrictive dieting,

excessive exercise or purging.

Emotional eaters tend to value themselves based on their weight and

how closely they have stuck to their ‘ideal’ diet. Because of this

distorted relationship with food, foods are labelled “GOOD” and “BAD”.

Emotional eating can lead to dangerous eating disorders and mental problems.

HOW DO I KNOW IF I’M AN EMOTIONAL EATER?

Do you turn to food for reasons other than craving? Are you obsessed

with thoughts of food – whether you plan to eat it or focus

on restricting yourself from eating it?

Do you consistently try diets and disappoint – leading to guilt and furthe

over eating? Do you think about or attempt to purge excess food by

throwing up or using laxatives? Do you exercise compulsively when

you think you’ve eaten too much?

HOW DO I OVERCOME EMOTIONAL EATING?

Because emotional eating is caused by looking at food as a coping

strategy for emotional distress dieting can in fact create

more problems. When the emotional eater fails to run through to a diet they

suffer feelings of guilt that can only be soothed

with more food and in turn, more guilt or punishment.

It is a chain reaction after all.

Instead of trying to focus on what they are eating, the emotional

eater needs to discover new skills for coping with nerve racking

emotions. Frequently this requires the help of a Personal Coach o

Psychotherapist who deals with emotional eating. It is only

y finding replacements for the comfort food provided that the

person can put food into its rightful place and learn

healthy eating practice that last a life span.

When you aged, your eating system also cannot absorb what you have

eaten. Especially, individuals who pass the age of over 40, has to

e much more careful on their emotions.

About the Author: Ali Engin Senyuva is the author of

YourOver40Diet.com

. He is sharing his experinces on healthy living over the age of 40. Please visit his site at

YourOver40Diet.com

. Or press the link here Your Over 40 Diet

Source:

isnare.com

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