Is it boredom, frustration, stress or a reward? We often confuse emotional hunger with real hunger. You can find out why this is and what helps against emotional eating here.
If we’re hungry, we eat. But sometimes the brain comes up and asks for food, even though we are not hungry, but because we are stressed or want to reward ourselves for something. But where does this behavior come from and what can we do about it?
Table of Contents
Where does emotional eating come from?
Surely everyone has had a situation where you ate out of your emotions. This can be with frustration , stress and sadness , but also with joy . This behavior was usually learned in childhood by being rewarded for a good cause, such as a piece of chocolate or a scoop of ice cream. The sentence “If you don’t eat up, the sun won’t shine tomorrow” can also have an effect well into adulthood, since the natural feeling of satiety was forgotten at an early age. The most common cause of stress is emotional hunger, as the body craves energy in stressful situations. That in this day and age fast energyalways and everywhere available does not make it easy. The combo of fat and sugar is best for quick calories, which is why we often turn to chips and chocolate. At the same time we reward ourselves with something sweet, for example after a hard day’s work, after sport or because we just need it again. Even boredom and sadness create emotional hunger.
Why is emotional eating problematic?
Emotional eating, if not recognized, can lead to eating disorders such as binge eating. Many of those affected also eat too much, so that the emotional eating quickly manifests itself as being overweight. This in turn can have a negative impact on health and put a strain on the psyche. So it is always advisable to recognize and fight emotional hunger quickly!
How do I distinguish emotional from real hunger?
- If your stomach is growling and you are feeling hungry, there is a very good chance it is real hunger . Emotional hunger is identified by cravings and persistent thoughts about food.
- Feeling that hunger needs to be satisfied as soon as possible is a sure sign of emotional hunger. Real hunger can be endured much longer.
- Do you think about high-calorie foods like chocolate or crisps? When we’re really hungry, we plan on having regular meals rather than just eating snacks.
- Hungry again after eating, even though you were just stuffed? A sign of nutrient imbalance and emotional eating.
This helps against emotional eating
- Recognizing Emotional Eating
This is the first step in taking action against eating. Anyone who recognizes emotional hunger can now begin to actively work against it. - Stopping the “trigger”
Triggers, i.e. situations, feelings or noises, can trigger emotional hunger. If you recognize these situations, you can learn to escape from them, for example by distracting yourself, taking a deep breath or talking to someone. - Endure the feeling and remain steadfast
If the feeling of eating comes up again and again in certain situations, try with all your strength to remain steadfast. If that doesn’t work out: don’t panic, as long as it’s just a slip-up. Can you stand the feeling? Try to think about where the feeling is coming from. is it fear Fury? overwhelmed? Make yourself aware of this again and again, for example by writing down your thoughts. - Learning to Eat Mindfully Learn to eat
mindfully even with regular meals by feeling and tasting every bite. Chew thoroughly and take your time. How do you feel about a meal? And how does the feeling compare to emotional eating? Be aware of the different tastes and stop eating as soon as you feel full. - Forgive Yourself
You’ve stood your ground and now you know how and what to do when emotional hunger strikes . But do you sometimes fall back into old patterns? Don’t bury your head in the sand now, because small relapses don’t mean the end. See it as a challenge to work on yourself over and over again. Look at what you’ve accomplished so far instead of looking backwards or getting lost.
