Many people eat to feel better or relieve stress. Educating yourself on the reasons people eat other than for nutrition can help you stop emotional eating, fight cravings, identify your triggers, and find more satisfying ways to feed your feelings.
People eat for many reasons other than for nutrition or to satisfy hunger. Many of us turn to food for comfort, stress relief, when we’re depressed, happy, lonely or to reward ourselves. And when we do, we tend to reach for junk food, sweets, and other comforting but unhealthy foods.
You might reach for a gallon of ice cream when you’re feeling down, order a pizza if you’re bored or lonely, or order junk food take-out after a stressful day.
Emotional eating is using food to make yourself feel better—to fill emotional needs, rather than your stomach. Unfortunately, emotional eating doesn’t fix emotional problems.
In fact, it usually makes you feel worse. Afterward, not only does the original emotional issue remain, but you also feel guilty for overeating.
