This is my article. I can talk all about myself and probably cover the emotional eater in one full swoop. The truth is many women are emotional eaters and don’t even know it. Their on autopilot skipping meals and then putting whatever in their mouth based on mood and availability. When I’m unhappy with my life I love lots of wine and high fat foods. It fills up that pit feeling that sits in my stomach like a big gaping hole. Perhaps some people call it anxiety or others sadness. It manifests for different people in different ways but if it seems to go away even briefly with a big piece of cake or giant bowl of ice cream then you may be an emotional eater. It certainly doesn’t have to be sweets either. Emotional eaters can pick their poison. It might be giant bowls of pasta or chips and dip. The key to identifying yourself as an emotional eater is the inability to control the impulse and the emotions that flare up and down around food.
I am that women and much of the time it takes everything in me to stay aware of the choices I am making. If you think this may be you here is some advice on how to stay on top of your emotions before they take control of you.
Five Food Facts for emotional eaters…
1. Make a list of your triggers. These are things that cause you to lose focus. Examples would be a bad nights sleep, a fight with your partner, loneliness, and stress . You may not even know what your triggers are which brings me to my next point.
2. Begin keeping a log of food and emotions. Weather you know your triggers or not this is something that all emotional eaters can benefit from. If you still need to identify your triggers journaling will give you an overview of what you ate especially when reactionary. It will force you to think about the whys of what you are putting in your mouth.
3. Meal plan. While emotions can trigger bad eating the cycle is a vicious one. Bad eating can really play with your emotions. Blood sugar levels effect your hormones and can cause emotional responses. Stay in check by planning to succeed.
4. Reduce high sugar foods. Like stated above blood sugars wreak havoc on emotions. Stay away from foods that keep your going high then low. Its an exhausting emotional ride. Try and get off by limiting the foods that create mood swings and high sugar foods are the big one.
5. Increase your essential fatty acids. It is a well known fact now that essential fatty acids increase brain function amongst many other benefits This means you will notice elevated moods and more emotional stability. Adding in the good stuff is often a first step for emotional eaters.
Remember good food is happy food. Bad food is like a drug…it feels good in the moment but makes you feel like crap after the high. Heres to kicking the bad food habit.
Cheers
Andrea