These findings help to explain why some individuals may struggle with emotional or stress eating more than others.

Read more about the effects of stress on total health in this blog post. Leaving our stress unchecked may cause us to feel more stressed and lead us to seek convenience foods like takeout or fast food that lend to highly palatable, calorie-dense meals.

Executive function describes the set of mental skills that allow us to plan, focus attention, remember, think before acting, and juggle a number of tasks. The eight executive functions include self-control, emotional control, task initiation, working memory, self-monitoring, flexibility, organization, and planning and time management.

You are unique, and so is your stress response. Rather than shaming yourself for engaging in stress or emotional eating, first remind yourself that you are human.

Eating to honor our emotions becomes problematic when it takes away from our quality of life and sidetracks us from reaching our health goals, rather than enriching our lives and becoming integrated into a sustainable approach to nutrition. There are a number of physiological, physical, mental, environmental, behavioral, and social causes that may increase the likelihood of emotional eating.

Not getting needs met in other life areas—like through adequate sleep, social connection, fun, self-care, or downtime—can create feelings of deprivation and lead individuals to seek fulfillment through food instead.

Over time, this may cause individuals to become out of touch with these bodily cues, leading to eating in response to emotions rather than physical sensations. Being unaware of our physical and mental sensations may prevent us from appropriately addressing our bodily state and promote emotional eating.

Emotional eating has been associated with a reversed stress response in individuals who experienced chronic early life stress. In these cases, levels of the stress hormone cortisol are reduced rather than increased following a stressor. As a result, individuals are more likely to experience increased rather than decreased appetite after stress.

Read more about the impact of sleep on appetite and eating behavior in this blog post. We may be more susceptible to stress eating if our gut health is off.

Research shows that our gut bacteria play a role in the metabolism of dopamine, a neurotransmitter involved in reward pathways, as well as serotonin , acetylcholine, and norepinephrine.

As a result, our gut may indirectly influence our eating behavior through changes in our mood. Emotional eating tends to take place with external eating. Not only can eating provide distraction from our boredom , it can increase levels of dopamine, too.

Perfectionism is a personality style characterized by striving for excellence and setting extremely high standards of performance. Negative perfectionism may increase stress levels, and has been studied for its effects on emotional eating.

On a short term-basis, highly palatable foods can provide relief from negative emotions like stress and anxiety and improve mood states. Because of these adaptations, food may need to be more palatable in order to have the same stress-busting effects.

Research also suggests that continued stress may not even be necessary in order to initiate the urge for highly palatable foods, meaning that stress eating can become a habit even in the absence of stress.

In one study , researchers suggested that some individuals mistook overeating with emotional eating when they reflected on their food intake from the prior evening. Was I tired, lonely, bored, or anxious?

Did I crave a specific food, taste or texture? Did I feel guilty or uneasy while eating or immediately afterwards? Are you hungry, angry, lonely, or tired?

However, when positive emotional states or situations arise, individuals are more likely to indulge themselves with food. As coping methods that fall under these broad categories focus on temporary reprieve rather than practical resolution of stressors, they can initiate a vicious cycle of maladaptive behavior reinforced by fleeting relief from stress.

There are numerous ways in which individuals can reduce emotional distress without engaging in emotional eating as a means to cope. The most salient choice is to minimize maladaptive coping strategies and to maximize adaptive strategies.

A study conducted by Corstorphine et al. in investigated the relationship between distress tolerance and disordered eating. They found that individuals who engage in disordered eating often employ emotional avoidance strategies.

If an individual is faced with strong negative emotions, they may choose to avoid the situation by distracting themselves through overeating. Discouraging emotional avoidance is thus an important facet to emotional eating treatment. The most obvious way to limit emotional avoidance is to confront the issue through techniques like problem solving.

Corstorphine et al. showed that individuals who engaged in problem solving strategies enhance one's ability to tolerate emotional distress.

One way to combat emotional eating is to employ mindfulness techniques. An individual may ask his or herself if the craving developed rapidly, as emotional eating tends to be triggered spontaneously. An individual may also take the time to note his or her bodily sensations, such as hunger pangs, and coinciding emotions, like guilt or shame, in order to make conscious decisions to avoid emotional eating.

Emotional eating can also be improved by evaluating physical facets like hormone balance. Female hormones, in particular, can alter cravings and even self-perception of one's body. Additionally, emotional eating can be exacerbated by social pressure to be thin.

The focus on thinness and dieting in our culture can make young girls, especially, vulnerable to falling into food restriction and subsequent emotional eating behavior.

Emotional eating disorder predisposes individuals to more serious eating disorders and physiological complications. Therefore, combatting disordered eating before such progression takes place has become the focus of many clinical psychologists.

In a lesser percentage of individuals, emotional eating may conversely consist of eating less, called stress fasting [32] or emotional undereating. While emotional overeating is typically the focal point in addressing emotional eating issues, some individuals experience symptoms of emotional eating as undereating, self-deprivation, or decreased appetite.

Understanding the childhood indicators of emotional overeating EOE and emotional undereating EUE is crucial. EOE is generally associated with excess weight, while EUE is linked to lower weight.

So that means if a child who emotionally overeats also tends to emotionally under-eat as well. The study conducted on twins revealed that shared environment is one of the factors underlying EOE and EUE.

It was found that children whose families use food to calm them have a higher likelihood of experiencing EOE. Contents move to sidebar hide.

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Emotional eating tends to involve the consumption of foods that are high in sugar, unhealthy fats, and salt. These comfort foods, while temporarily satisfying, can disrupt a balanced diet and displace more nutrient-dense foods.

Over time, unhealthy eating patterns can lead to nutrient deficiencies and overall poor nutrition, which can negatively affect physical health and well-being.

After an episode of emotional eating, individuals often experience feelings of guilt, shame, or regret. These emotions can further exacerbate the emotional distress that initially triggered the behavior, creating a vicious cycle of emotional eating and negative self-perception.

The emotional aftermath of emotional eating can contribute to increased stress and further emotional eating, perpetuating the cycle. Emotional eating is closely linked to mental health issues. The very act of relying on food to cope with emotions can be indicative of underlying emotional or psychological struggles.

Emotional eating may temporarily alleviate emotional distress, but it does not address the root causes of these emotions. Over time, it can exacerbate or contribute to conditions like depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem.

Instead of learning to manage and process emotions in constructive ways, emotional eaters may turn to food as their primary coping strategy. This can hinder personal growth and emotional resilience. This decrease in self-efficacy can make it even more challenging to break free from the cycle of emotional eating and adopt healthier behaviors.

Emotional eating can contribute to negative body image issues. People who engage in emotional eating may experience fluctuations in weight and body size, leading to dissatisfaction with their physical appearance.

This negative body image can further exacerbate emotional distress and may lead to disordered eating patterns.

Emotional eating can also affect relationships, particularly if it becomes a pattern that isolates individuals from social activities or causes them to withdraw from loved ones. Additionally, the emotional turmoil associated with emotional eating can strain interpersonal relationships.

Emotional eating can have a wide range of consequences that impact both physical and mental health. While it may provide temporary relief from emotional distress, the long-term effects can be detrimental. Recognizing and addressing emotional eating is essential for overall well-being. Developing healthier coping mechanisms, seeking support when needed, and practicing mindful eating are important steps toward breaking free from the cycle of emotional eating and fostering a more balanced relationship with food and emotions.

Overcoming emotional eating is a process that involves developing mindful eating habits and addressing the underlying emotional triggers. Here are some strategies to help manage emotional eating:.

Ultimately, developing a healthier relationship with food is key to managing emotional eating. This involves recognizing that food is not a solution to emotional problems but a source of nourishment and enjoyment.

By addressing the underlying emotional triggers, practicing mindful eating, and seeking support when needed, individuals can break free from the cycle of emotional eating and cultivate a positive and balanced relationship with food. By understanding the causes and consequences of emotional eating and implementing strategies to manage it, you can regain control over your eating habits and emotional well-being.

Remember that seeking support from friends, family, or professionals is a valuable step toward achieving a healthier and more balanced relationship with food. A comprehensive guide to emotional eating by Premium Health Oct 7, Uncategorized. What Is Emotional Eating? Some common causes include: Stress: High-stress levels can lead to a desire for comfort foods, as they provide a temporary sense of relief.

Negative Emotions: Feelings of sadness, loneliness, boredom, or frustration can trigger emotional eating as a way to distract from or numb these emotions. Coping Mechanism: Emotional eating may be a learned coping mechanism from childhood, where food was used as a source of comfort.

Social and Environmental Factors: Social gatherings, celebrations, or cultural events can encourage overeating, even when not physically hungry.

Advertising and Food Cravings: Food marketing and advertisements often promote indulgent and emotionally appealing foods that trigger cravings.

In fact, your emotions can become so tied to your eating habits that you automatically reach for a treat whenever you're angry or stressed without thinking about what you're doing. Food also serves as a distraction. If you're worried about an upcoming event or stewing over a conflict, for instance, you may focus on eating comfort food instead of dealing with the painful situation.

Whatever emotions drive you to overeat, the end result is often the same. The effect is temporary, the emotions return and you likely then bear the additional burden of guilt about setting back your weight-loss goal. This can also lead to an unhealthy cycle — your emotions trigger you to overeat, you beat yourself up for getting off your weight-loss track, you feel bad and you overeat again.

When negative emotions threaten to trigger emotional eating, you can take steps to control cravings. To help stop emotional eating, try these tips:. If you've tried self-help options but you still can't control emotional eating, consider therapy with a mental health professional.

Therapy can help you understand why you eat emotionally and learn coping skills. Therapy can also help you discover whether you have an eating disorder, which can be connected to emotional eating.

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By Mayo Clinic Staff. Show references Duyff RL. Reach and maintain your healthy weight. In: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Complete Food and Nutrition Guide. New York, N. Whitney E, et al.

Weight management: Overweight, obesity, and underweight. In: Understanding Nutrition. Belmont, Calif. Braden A, et al.

Eating when depressed, anxious, bored, or happy: Are emotional eating types associated with unique psychological and physical health correlates? Spence C. Comfort food: A review. International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science.

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