Emotional eating in a positive way

Emotional eating isn’t actually bad

I hear clients say all of the time that they feel guilty for eating out of emotions. There is a huge industry telling you that food is strictly fuel, but the problem is that food is so much more than that. As humans we are very emotionally driven creatures. The problem with this guilt is that it convinces us that there is something wrong with us, when in reality emotional eating is totally normal.

Yes, food is fuel. Food can also be joy, comfort, connection, nostalgia, tradition, culture, celebration and so much more. If we treat food solely as fuel you miss out on life giving moments and probably are putting a major strain on your relationship with food. 

This is also causing a restrictive and scarcity mindset that may be why you feel obsessed with food in the first place. The problem only occurs when food becomes your main or only source to cope with emotions. I often see clients numb out with food instead of addressing the emotions at bay. 

So how do you know when you cross that line?

First of all, if you are feeling guilty after having a bowl of ice cream after a stressful day or having cake to celebrate your partner’s birthday. The guilt is what you need to address first and foremost.

Remember that intuitive eating at its heart is a self care framework that also gives permission to have the autonomy to eat in a way that feels good and honors your mental, emotional and physical health in a way that you see fit. 

If you find yourself eating out of emotions often, here are a few tips:

Be intentional

You have permission to emotionally soothe and numb out to cope with emotions, but if you feel like this is happening frequently it can be helpful to become more intentional and present when coping with those emotions. What I mean by this is to be aware and notice what and why you are feeling a certain way before using this coping mechanism. This can make you much more likely to be satisfied by the food and can help prevent you from eating to the point of discomfort.

Use other coping mechanisms along side of food

Sure, having a bowl of ice cream can feel really nice after a stressful day, how else can you manage your stress alongside this? Having multiple coping mechanisms in your tool box can help you feel more prepared and handle emotions head on. 

Allow yourself to enjoy the experience

We also eat out of emotion with positive circumstances like going out with friends and enjoying food you might not normally have. In this case food is part of the experience and connection. Guilt in eating can really get in the way of enjoying these experiences and maybe even make you turn down experiences.

Challenging those underlying food rules and really addressing that guilt can help you reach a point where you can feel confident emotionally eating in a positive way and say “yes!” more often.

If you resonate with this and want so badly to enjoy nights out with friends, date night or the quickly approaching holidays my 1:1 coaching could be a great opportunity to get the support you need to reach your goals and find food freedom!