Mindful eating.

This blog is a follow up to my previous one regarding emotional eating.

I suggest that you read it first so you understand the concepts discussed here, as I will only mention them briefly.
Emotional eating is when people use food as a way to deal with feelings instead of to satisfy hunger.
In the previous blog we also looked at the difference between physical hunger and emotional Hunger.


Mindful eating
(also known as intuitive eating)


Is a concept with its roots in Buddhist teachings, it aims to reconnect us more deeply with the experience of eating and enjoying our food.
Sometimes referred to as “the opposite of diets,” mindful eating is based on the idea that there is no right or wrong way to eat, but rather varying degrees of consciousness about what we are eating and why.
The goal of mindful eating, is to base our meals on physical cues, such as our bodies’ hunger signals, not emotional ones like eating for comfort.


Mindful eating is not a diet, or about giving up anything at all. It’s about experiencing food more intensely and for the pleasure of it.
You can eat a cream bun, if you wish...  you might find that you enjoy it a lot more.
Or you might decide, halfway through, that your body has had enough.
Or that it really needs some salad, fruit or vegetables. 

When people tend to be prone to emotional eating, the food they choose is known as their "Comfort" Foods.

We all have our own comfort foods. Interestingly, they may vary according to moods and gender. One study found that happy people seem to want to eat things like pizza, while sad people prefer ice cream and cookies. Bored people crave salty, crunchy things, like chips. Researchers also found that guys seem to prefer hot, homemade comfort meals, like steaks and casseroles. Girls go for chocolate and ice cream.


This brings up a curious question: Does no one take comfort in carrots and celery sticks? Researchers are looking into that, too. What they're finding is that high-fat foods, like ice cream, may activate certain chemicals in the body that create a sense of contentment and fulfillment. This almost addictive quality may actually make you reach for these foods again when feeling upset.
http://kidshealth.org/en/teens/emotional-eating.html#


Breaking the Cycle


This is a skill, that you don’t just acquire overnight.
It takes practice, and there will be times when you forget to eat mindfully, and there will be starts and stops.
But with practice and attention, you can become very good at this.
To achieve this you will need to learn to pay attention to:

• Why you feel like eating, and what emotions or needs might be triggering the eating.
• What you’re eating, and whether it is healthy or not.
• The look, smell, taste, feel of the food you’re eating.
• How it makes you feel as you taste it, as you digest it, and throughout the day.
• How full (or sated) you are before, during and after eating.
• Your emotions during and after eating.
• Where the food came from, who might have grown it, how much it might have suffered before it was killed, whether it was grown organically, how much it was processed, how much it was fried or overcooked, etc.

How to learn to eat mindfully.


1. Eat slower
2. Savor the silence
3. Silence the phone. Shut off the TV.
4. Pay attention to flavor
It can be hard to notice what you are even eating, let alone truly savor all the different sensations of eating it. If you are trying to introduce mindful eating to your family, consider talking more about the flavors and textures of food.
5. Know your foodEven when you have no idea where the food you are eating has come from, try asking yourself some questions about the possibilities: Who grew this? How? Where did it come from? How did it get here? Chances are, you’ll not only gain a deeper appreciation for your food, but you’ll find your shopping habits changing in the process too.
6. Set your boundaries. Make a list of which foods are a “yes”, which are “maybe, sometimes”, and which are a “no”.


​Visualize success.


How often to we watch ourselves fail in our own minds? Or replay our mistakes? What if you were to visualize yourself succeeding?
​Reframe your thoughts. Replace the thought of “I can’t have that” with “I choose to have something else”. Instead of focusing on limitation or lack, focus your attention on abundance and gratitude for what you do have. And remember, you can learn to like new things.
​Challenge your thoughts. Do you interpret the thought of “I just ate something bad” as “I am a bad person” or “I’ll never be able to do this”? Respond to these thoughts in the manner you would for a friend. Use a kind, compassionate voice with yourself. These thoughts could be challenged with this: “I made a decision that was not in my best interest. That does not mean I’m a failure or that I can’t make healthy decisions. I just feel that way right now because I just made an unhealthy choice, but every moment is another opportunity to make a different choice. So now, I’m going to be present and make a good choice in this moment.”
​When you succeed, celebrate! When you make a good decision pay attention to how good you feel and relish that feeling. Keep a journal of your successes to motivate you.
http://nutritionstudies.org/overcoming-emotional-eating/


I hope that you found this interesting and helpful.
Even if you do not just eat for comfort by considering the above may make you appreciate it even more.
All comments and feedback welcome.




REFERENCES


http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/08/dining/mindful-eating-as-food-for-thought.html?pagewanted=all
https://zenhabits.net/what-is-mindful-eating/

 

 

 

If you are one of those people that tell a binge eater to just "stop" then you need to read this please.

"Binge eating" also known as "comfort eating" does NOT mean someone is a "pig", guts" or other derogatory names used... they have an underlying issue or illness in the majority of cases.
They are not in control of their relationship with food and until this is addressed can not just "stop".


In this blog I would like to explain why, address any unhelpful beliefs and attitudes towards emotional eaters and hopefully help some vulnerable people in the process.


The majority of people that eat emotionally are overweight, which also as well as increasing risk of health issues, decreases their self esteem and self confidence.
In many cases this compounds the problem and leads to further over eating. A vicious cycle.


Emotional Eating can become more of a problem in stressful periods of our lives so please, if you know someone that is doing this, then be supportive, do not judge them, offer your help, share this blog and if still concerned, encourage them to seek professional counseling.






What is Emotional Eating?


Physical hunger is a gradual sensation that we feel in our stomach, and any food seems appealing.

We usually feel good after eating.

Emotional hunger comes on suddenly and people will crave specific foods.

With emotional hunger they can have snack after snack and nothing hits the spot.

They often feel guilty after emotional eating.

Why do people do it?

It’s because they are not hungry for food. 

They are hungry for something else.

It might be stress relief. It might be a distraction. It might be a quick escape. It might be a treat. It might be a feeling of control (in a counterintuitive way).

Keep in mind: It’s never about the food that they are craving.

It’s about what the food allows us to avoid.

How do I know if I am eating for physical hunger or for emotional hunger?

The best way to determine this is known widely as "the broccoli test."

Simply ask yourself this question:

Would I eat broccoli right now? If you answer “yes” then you are physically hungry. Go ahead and eat.

If you answer “no” then you’re emotionally hungry. You are not actually hungry for food. You are hungry for something else (stress relief, a distraction, a quick escape, etc.).

The idea is that when we’re physically hungry any food is appealing. If the thought of vegetables doesn’t sound appealing we’re not physically hungry.

Triggers for emotional eating:

Identify your emotional eating triggers

What situations, places, or feelings make you reach for the comfort of food? Most emotional eating is linked to unpleasant feelings, but it can also be triggered by positive emotions, such as rewarding yourself for achieving a goal or celebrating a holiday or happy event. Here are some common causes of emotional eating:

Stress – Ever notice how stress makes you hungry? It’s not just in your mind. When stress is chronic, as it so often is in our chaotic, fast-paced world, it leads to high levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. Cortisol triggers cravings for salty, sweet, and high-fat foods—foods that give you a burst of energy and pleasure. The more uncontrolled stress in your life, the more likely you are to turn to food for emotional relief.
Stuffing emotions – Eating can be a way to temporarily silence or “stuff down” uncomfortable emotions, including anger, fear, sadness, anxiety, loneliness, resentment, and shame. While you’re numbing yourself with food, you can avoid the emotions you’d rather not feel.
Boredom or feelings of emptiness – Do you ever eat simply to give yourself something to do, to relieve boredom, or as a way to fill a void in your life? You feel unfulfilled and empty, and food is a way to occupy your mouth and your time. In the moment, it fills you up and distracts you from underlying feelings of purposelessness and dissatisfaction with your life.
Childhood habits – Think back to your childhood memories of food. Did your parents reward good behavior with ice cream, take you out for pizza when you got a good report card, or serve you sweets when you were feeling sad? These emotionally based childhood eating habits often carry over into adulthood. Or perhaps some of your eating is driven by nostalgia—for cherishes memories of grilling burgers in the backyard with your dad, baking and eating cookies with your mom, or gathering around the table with your extended family for a home-cooked pasta dinner.
Social influences – Getting together with other people for a meal is a great way to relieve stress, but it can also lead to overeating. It’s easy to overindulge simply because the food is there or because everyone else is eating. You may also overeat in social situations out of nervousness. Or perhaps your family or circle of friends encourages you to overeat, and it’s easier to go along with the group.

How to deal with emotional eating?

If you don’t know how to manage your emotions in a way that doesn’t involve food, you won’t be able to control your eating habits for very long. Diets so often fail because they offer logical nutritional advice, as if the only thing keeping you from eating right is knowledge. But that kind of advice only works if you have conscious control over your eating habits. It doesn’t work when emotions hijack the process, demanding an immediate payoff with food.
In order to stop emotional eating, you have to find other ways to fulfill yourself emotionally. It’s not enough to understand the cycle of emotional eating or even to understand your triggers, although that’s a huge first step. You need alternatives to food that you can turn to for emotional fulfillment.


What are some of your personal triggers and when do they occur?
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What can I try to do to replace addressing them without resorting to Emotional eating?
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Examples:

Alternatives to emotional eating

If you’re depressed or lonely, call someone who always makes you feel better, play with your dog or cat, or look at a favorite photo or cherished memento.
If you’re anxious, expend your nervous energy by dancing to your favorite song, squeezing a stress ball, or taking a brisk walk.
If you’re exhausted, treat yourself with a hot cup of tea, take a bath, light some scented candles, or wrap yourself in a warm blanket.
If you’re bored, read a good book, watch a comedy show, explore the outdoors, or turn to an activity you enjoy (woodworking, playing the guitar, shooting hoops, scrapbooking, etc.).




Summary


This has just been an information session to outline what may be helpful to know regarding people that are Emotional Eaters and I have heavily referenced the content.
I mentioned above, (good on you for those that noticed) .... that many Emotional Eaters are not in control of their relationship with food.  
If you would like more information regarding what this means, it is related to what we call "mindful eating" which looks at our relationship with food.
I plan to write a follow up blog on the topic as did not want to have this one too long and complicating if I connected the 2 concepts together at once.
Please send me any questions you would like me to address.


If you have had any experience with Emotional Eating, or would like to see how you go implementing the above suggestions, I would love to hear from you.

Please note:
Emotional eating often affects people with mental health issues, especially depression.
If you think this may be an underlying factor then please seek professional help.

References:

https://www.helpguide.org/articles/diet-weight-loss/emotional-eating.htm

https://www.mybodytutor.com/blog/2015/03/the-1-reason-why-people-are-overweight/

http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-15554/try-these-powerful-tools-to-stop-emotional-eating.html