2. The Emotional Eater – Food is Comfort

Emotional eaters use food as a coping mechanism to make themselves feel better. Because eating is a pleasure and is magnified when the food partaken tastes fantastic, these people use foods to relieve stress, to lift their spirits, to forget heartbreak and to overcome sadness.
the problem with this approach os two-fold . on the psychological front, using food to cope may temporarily offer comfort but is seldom effective in getting rid of the root cause of the difficulty. Secondly, from the view point of health and nutrition, comfort foods are usually high in fat and calorie content. Examples of foods often reached for include chocolates, ice cream, cakes, pastries, chips, chicharon and bacon rinds.
Solution: Find healthier coping alternatives for unsought emotions. Exercise is a great booster because it releases ” feel good” hormones in the body- a fact so often overlooked because people think working out is tiring. Talking to a good friend about a difficulty may have a cathartic affect. On the practical side, stay away from the fridge and the kitchen when you’re in a bad mood.

Tags: emotional eater, food is comfort