Healthy Body. Happy Mind. MINDSET EXERCISE #10 Emotional Eating 1
It doesn t matter how much information you have about how to eat healthily if you eat for emotional reasons. For most people emotions override logic. 2
Many people eat food when they are sad, anxious or bored. If you eat when you are emotional you do not have awareness of your appetite and you can easily overeat. 3
And usually the food we turn to when feeling emotional is not real food. It is usually non-food laden with processed carbohydrates, sugar, additives and vegetable oils. 4
The reason for this is that highly processed foods have been engineered to be addictive to make us feel good. But of course consuming these non-foods is extremely detrimental to long-term health. 5
There are 2 ways to tackle this problem: Awareness - become aware of the emotions that drive you to mindlessly comfort eat Alternatives - find alternative ways to soothe yourself that are not as physically harmful 6
Here is the MINDSET EXERCISE For managing Emotional Eating Try these exercises this week when you turn to food for comfort. 7
Raise Awareness When you feel the need to comfort eat ask yourself the following questions and try to identify a pattern: What emotion are you feeling? Try to label it. Where do you feel it in your body? How strong is the emotion on a scale from 1-10? How physically hungry are you on a scale from 1-10? It may help you to journal to give you insight into the emotions you are feeling. 8
Learn to Tolerate Difficult Feelings As children we learn to avoid bad feelings which sets us up for emotional eating. It takes practice to tolerate bad feelings: When you experience emotions, try to sit with them and get in touch with them instead of avoiding them. Each new time they occur try to sit with them a bit longer before turning to comfort. 9
Eat Mindfully When you comfort eat try these exercises to bring awareness to your eating: Eat slowly - chew your food thoroughly. Focus on the flavours and sensations in your mouth are you enjoying the food? Can you actually taste the food? Try to get in touch with your hunger levels are you actually hungry? 10
Find alternatives Many people comfort eat because it s one of the only things that makes them feel better. Here are some alternatives to try: Find a healthier alternative to your comfort food eg coconut bark. Find another pleasure eg massage or a hot bath. Try deep breathing or meditation to manage emotions. 11
Expect & Prepare Know that you will experience situations which will lead to comfort eating so prepare and plan for them the best you can: Don t let yourself get tired and hungry eat regularly & eat before you get too hungry. Be prepared with healthy alternatives have a healthy nut bar in your handbag or some nuts in your glove box. 12
"Addiction isn't about substance - you aren't addicted to the substance, you are addicted to the alteration of mood that the substance brings." ~ Susan Cheever "Gluttony is an emotional escape, a sign something is eating us." ~ Peter De Vries 13