Emotions and food are two things like oil and water which must not be mixed together. Food is something that fuels your body to function properly, it is not something to eat when you are stressed or upset. It is not a prize for when you do something good. It is just a source of energy, nothing less, nothing more.
But usually what women do is eat their emotions, like they eat when upset, eat when happy, eat when feeling lonely, eat when not able to sleep and the list can go on and on. This is really unhealthy. How to find out that you are indulging into emotional eating?
You do it because:
1. When you are stressed, you feel a kind of a void in you and you think that eating will help you fill that void so you eat till you cannot anymore!
2. Mindless eating is very common. It is not exactly emotional eating, you simply grab a bag of chips and keep munching them while watching TV or a tub of popcorn during movies, etc. You are not exactly hungry but you keep eating just aimlessly to keep yourself busy or entertained.
3. Sometimes food becomes the reward for something good that you did. You indulge in your favourite desserts and snack because you think that you deserve it.
4. When you have deprived yourself of food or your favourite dish for a long time, you feel like when you are eating it, you can eat as much as you want and then you overeat things. First, you cut out something from your diet and then you eat t=double of it!
5. Most of the times, eating just makes you feel good. You feel like something is missing and the best idea you get is food! While most of the time what you miss is water. So you simply eat food because it makes you feel good.
Now that you know what are the few reasons behind emotional eating, here are the few steps how you can avoid it:
1. Have tea:
Having tea will make you feel warm and comfortable and the unnecessary hunger that you feel will not be there anymore.
2. Drink more water:
Most of the time when you eat more food because you feel something missing, it is water that your body misses, so keep yourself hydrated to avoid emotional eating.
3. Have a shower:
Do not keep thinking about food, keep yourself busy, have a bath or a shower if you like and have food when it is time for it.
4. Have light snacks:
If you feel too much hungry then just have a light snack like peanut butter or some fruits. This way, your tummy won’t complain and you will be satisfied.
5. Listen to music:
Keep your mind off food, listen to your favourite music. Music has therapeutic abilities and it keeps you calm and happy.
6. Reading:
It is the best thing for the human mind. Go and find yourself an interesting book and get lost in the world of words! This way you will be doing something useful instead of filling yourself up with food.