Emotional Eating and How to Manage It

What is Emotional Eating?

Emotional eating happens when someone eats in response to feelings like stress, anxiety, or sadness instead of eating because they are hungry.1,2 People often confuse physical hunger with emotions, which leads to eating when they aren’t truly hungry.2 Research now shows that emotional eating can also occur in response to positive emotions.3

Binge eating disorder (BED) is a common type of emotional eating disorder, where people overeat to cope with their emotions.4 In this condition, negative emotions and difficulties in managing emotions play a big role.4

Why Do People Emotionally Eat?

Our eating habits start developing when we are young. The way parents and caregivers handle food can impact our emotional connection to eating later in life.2 Emotional eating can also be influenced by things like strict dieting, low awareness of body signals, difficulty expressing emotions, and stress.5 Studies have found that emotional eating is linked to depression and obesity.1,5

When someone struggles with binge eating disorder, they often eat large amounts of food quickly, even when they’re not hungry, which can lead to feelings of guilt and self-disgust.4

How Do Emotions Affect Our Eating?

Our emotions play a huge role in the types of foods we choose.2 For example, people who are not emotional eaters might indulge in tasty foods purely for enjoyment.2 On the other hand, emotional eaters might turn to energy-dense food, rich in sugar and fats for comfort when they feel stressed or upset.2 Stress can cause some people to eat more and others to eat less.1 Research shows that emotions like anger, anxiety, and sadness are often linked to binge eating.4

What Triggers Emotional Eating?

Emotional eating is triggered by negative emotions and stress, or simply the pleasure of eating tasty food.1,2 When food is used as a way to feel better, it can mask negative emotions or make them seem more tolerable.2

In our clinical practice we find that many people eat high-calorie, processed foods during emotional eating episodes, and rarely choose healthier options.  This type of eating is a coping mechanism to deal with stress and anxiety.1 Both positive and negative emotions can influence food choices, but negative emotions have the greatest influence on eating behaviour.2

How Can We Measure Emotional Eating?

Emotional eating is usually measured by looking at how people react to strong emotions.3 People who emotionally eat often have trouble recognising their body’s hunger signals, have a reduced ability to perceive stress, and have difficulties in emotion regulation.3

How Can We Manage Emotional Eating?

Mindfulness techniques can help people become more aware of their emotions which may help to address the use of food to regulate emotions.3 Finding coping mechanisms for negative emotions and nutrition education can help reduce emotional eating.1 Interventions like stress management, cognitive-behavioural therapy, and having access to healthier snacks are useful strategies.1

It’s also important to have a plan in place before emotional eating happens.6 Surrounding yourself with supportive friends and family can make it easier to manage.6 Finding non-food ways to deal with emotions, like going for a walk, meditating, or listening to music, can help you pause before reaching for food.6

Mindfulness meditation can improve focus, emotion management, and enhance executive functioning.3 If you or someone you know struggles with emotional eating, seek help early and build a strong support system.

The information provided in this blog post is based on the professional opinion of Nutrifundi dieticians and is intended solely for informational purposes. It is not meant to replace professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Consult health care providers for personalised advice and treatment options related to the specific health concerns.

References:

  1. Dakanalis A, Mentzelou M, Papadopoulou SK, et al. The Association of Emotional Eating with Overweight/Obesity, Depression, Anxiety/Stress, and Dietary Patterns: A Review of the Current Clinical Evidence. Nutrients. 2023;15(5):1173. doi: 10.3390/nu15051173.
  2. Fuente González CE, Chávez-Servín JL, de la Torre-Carbot K, et al. Relationship between Emotional Eating, Consumption of Hyperpalatable Energy-Dense Foods, and Indicators of Nutritional Status: A Systematic Review. J Obes. 2022;2022:4243868. doi: 10.1155/2022/4243868.
  3. Lattimore P. Mindfulness-based emotional eating awareness training: taking the emotional out of eating. Eat Weight Disord. 2020;25(3):649-657. doi: 10.1007/s40519-019-00667-y.
  4. Walenda A, Bogusz K, Kopera M, et al. Emotion regulation in binge eating disorder. Psychiatr Pol. 2021;55(6):1433-1448. doi:10.12740/PP/OnlineFirst/122212.
  5. van Strien T. Causes of Emotional Eating and Matched Treatment of Obesity. Curr Diab Rep. 2018;18(6):35. doi: 10.1007/s11892-018-1000-x.
  6. Mayo Clinic. Weight loss [online; 2 December 2022] [Cited August 2024].  Available from: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/weight-loss/art-20047342?p=1

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