While we’re all somewhat familiar with the nagging voice of guilt in our heads that accompanies an excessive or indulgent meal, it’s another thing entirely to HEED that voice and stop while our body is at a comfortably satiated level.
Stress-eating can be defined in other words as ‘emotional eating,’ or eating to compensate for, or as an alternative to, dealing with emotions.
Harvard Health has issued a fascinating article which details some of the reasons that stress causes overeating in adult Americans.
Read more here: https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/why-stress-causes-people-to-overeat
The following quiz is a great way to assess your eating habits and why you act in certain ways around food when you do. It’s slightly long, so feel free to wait until after the class to take it but be sure to save this link either way!
https://www.psychologytoday.com/tests/health/emotional-eating-test
See the link below for some alternative ways to distract yourself from stress-eating:
http://www.sheknows.com/health-and-wellness/articles/974151/10-ways-to-soothe-yourself-without-food
More helpful mindful eating tips here: https://www.mindful.org/6-ways-practice-mindful-eating/
Gut bacteria directly affects the brain and the hormones, and it’s only in recent years that studies like the one linked below have shown just how strong that effect can be.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry/201404/the-gut-brain-connection-mental-illness-and-disease
. If you feel like writing down your intake and acknowledging the emotions which surround each meal, however, I encourage keeping a food journal, as opposed to just a diary.
Food Diary App: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dailybits.foodjournal&hl=en
The following links also provide useful info on creating and maintaining food diaries to help gain some control over your eating habits:
https://www.realsimple.com/health/nutrition-diet/healthy-eating/keep-food-journal
My Favorite App www.myfitnesspal.com
The following links will provide you with a little more information about the benefits that food prepping can have on your food intake, and also recommendations on the best way to plan, purchase, and prepare your food.
https://www.active.com/nutrition/articles/5-benefits-of-prepping-your-food
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/2017/03/20/meal-prep-planning/
The following is a great place to start reading about the correlation between nutrition, fitness, and mentality: https://www.livestrong.com/article/41294-eating-unhealthy-foods-affects/
The emotional eating test I linked earlier is a good way to assess your relationship with food and evaluate the steps necessary for you to take to overcome any issues. I’ve linked it again below, as well as another link with information on EDNOS.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/tests/health/eating-disorders-and-emotional-eating-test
EDNOS article: http://www.nedc.com.au/ednos
More on the mind-body connection of emotional eating:
http://www.thecasket.ca/archives/16362
Here’s a really interesting piece on the best and worst kinds of physical exercise for emotional eaters: https://livethewhole.com/best-exercise-emotional-eating/
While we know it’s more likely we will consume more food if our attention is diverted elsewhere - tv, social media, etc., - it’s interesting to consider if it is to blame for emotional eating, too?
The link below discusses this topic!
http://theladiescoach.com/health/social-media-triggering-eating/
More on triggers here: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/diets/emotional-eating.htm
www.livestrong.com
