At times, we all indulge in emotional eating. During times of intense emotions, seeking solace in food is a common occurrence. For all of us.

Eating is intrinsically rewarding. Indeed, it must be! Food is essential for our survival. Seeking methods to manage stress is a common and normal response.

However, we are aware that resorting to stress eating or emotional eating is not conducive to good physical or mental health.

Emotional eating can impact your physical well-being. Kasey Kilpatrick, a nutritionist at Houston Methodist, states that overeating can decrease energy levels, trigger headaches, and overall lead to pain. “Eating is not effective in resolving uncomfortable emotions.”

Kilpatrick explains that despite the abundance of diet-related advice to address emotional eating, stringent food regulations are not effective for everyone. She suggests a more effective way for dealing with emotional eating that is not food-related.

Kilpatrick states that despite memorizing and adhering to food guidelines like restricting snacks to two per day or avoiding eating after 7 p.m., many individuals still face challenges with emotional eating. In order to effectively address this behavior, we must first eliminate the negative perception associated with it and then implement a more constructive approach to deal with it

Why restrictive food rules don’t always solve emotional eating

Kilpatrick states that the primary reasons why controlling emotional eating with restrictive food rules is generally ineffective for most individuals are:

• It presumes that your actions are a result of a deficiency in self-discipline.
• You are utilizing food as a remedy to address an emotional issue.

Kilpatrick suggests that if questioned about the various aspects of your life where you demonstrate self-control, you would probably have an extensive list. Emotional eating is often unrelated to self-control. Indeed, you likely have an abundance of it! Food rules aim to promote self-control but may not effectively address emotional eating in the long term.

Regarding emotional eating, the act of eating is typically not the underlying issue. Keep in mind, consuming food is inherent to human beings! Craving comfort food is inherent to human nature! The underlying problem is the uncomfortable emotion you are experiencing, leading you to resort to eating as a coping strategy.

Kilpatrick emphasizes that addressing the root emotion generating emotional eating in a healthy manner is crucial to overcoming this struggle.

Instead, use this two-step method to overcome emotional eating

Managing emotions can be challenging, especially at times of high stress or when your typical coping strategies are unavailable. Consequently, you may resort to food as a way to manage your emotions.

Kilpatrick states that there are much less effective ways to manage emotions than eating. Nevertheless, emotional eating is not beneficial or healthy, thus it is crucial to deal with it.

Kilpatrick’s strategy for overcoming emotional eating involves two steps.

1. Recognize the behavior without self-judgement

Kilpatrick states that acknowledging that you are eating due to an uncomfortable emotion brings you closer to overcoming it. If you are emotionally capable, you can further this progress by writing down a word or statement that captures your current feelings.

This stage may seem straightforward — almost overly so. To achieve genuine achievement, it is essential to acknowledge the conduct without criticizing yourself. This is when the laborious effort begins.

“Judgment is not beneficial in this situation.” Kilpatrick explains that, in reality, it exacerbates the situation. Self-criticism is linked to feelings of shame and guilt, intense emotions that compound your burden and hinder the appropriate processing of your emotions.

When you realize that you are emotionally eating, Kilpatrick suggests affirming to yourself: “I am a person experiencing a highly stressful situation, and I am coping with it in a very human manner.”

Now, it is time to proceed to Step 2.

2. Seek an emotional resolution for your emotional issue.

To overcome stress eating or emotional eating, you must acknowledge your emotions and identify a constructive resolution.

Kilpatrick advises selecting a more effective coping technique than eating after completing Step 1. Dealing with and confronting painful emotions can be challenging. If you feel overwhelmed and want to postpone Step 2 for another time, it’s acceptable! The final objective is to find a more efficient method to manage your emotions.

What is the optimal answer to your emotional issue? It relies on your individual characteristics and the specific feeling you are having difficulty with.

Kilpatrick’s suggestions for managing typical emotions are as follows:

• Stress – breathing exercises, meditating or finding a quiet place to take a walk
• Loneliness – text, call or video chat with a friend or loved one
• Sadness – make a list of things you’re grateful for or laugh along with some comedy
• Boredom – finish a project, watch a movie or read a book
• Anxiety – confide in a friend, spend time with your pet(s) or consider reaching out to a counselor or therapist

Kilpatrick states that replacing food with a more effective solution is the only way to successfully address emotional eating in the long run. While articulating these two steps may be simple, implementing them requires diligent effort and may be time-consuming. Experiencing progress followed by setbacks is normal and acceptable. Practice self-compassion and tolerance. Adopting a new perspective to tackle emotional eating is a gradual process, but it is valuable.