Help – I Eat When I Am Stressed!
Have you ever craved for some high-fat, high sugar and high-calorie foods after a stressful day at work? Did it just start with a handful of nuts, and the next thing you know, you are halfway through your tub of ice cream? Did you feel gross, exhausted and out of control after?
If you have encountered something like this, don’t worry – it’s a common problem that many faces with food, which is also known as emotional eating.
Using food from time to time as a pick me up, a reward, or to celebrate isn’t a bad thing. But when eating is how you cope with your emotions, then you may get stuck in an unhealthy cycle where the real problem is never addressed. You can also be depriving yourself of important nutrients, consuming unnecessary calories, and creating an unhealthy relationship with foods!
Emotional hunger can’t be filled with food. It might feel good at the moment, but you often feel worse than you did before because of the unnecessary calories you consumed. Then you feel guilty for messing up and not having more willpower.
Eating should be fun, and not a source of frustration and confusion. If you find yourself fighting with food, try this 2-step approach:
1. FIND OUT what is causing and triggering your fight with food in the first place.
2. GET THE FACTS and SEEK HELP from a dietitian. They are trained to help you understand your eating habits and emotional stress. If you find yourself stuck in this vicious cycle, don’t be afraid to ask for help!
Here at Eatology, our nutrition team can help you identify the cause of emotional eating and be as supportive as you need us to be, and help you break this unhealthy cycle. We are able to help you become more aware of your emotional and physical responses to food. With training, many clients are able to manage their emotion-related eating and pay more attention to the present moment when making food choices.
Contact us if you are interested in doing a nutrition consultation with our nutrition team. Our aim is to improve the well beings of our clients, where you can discuss any personal dietary concerns and goals you may have! It should be nothing more than a chat to get you back on the healthy eating track.
Let us help you take the Fight out of the Food.
