What We’re Really Hungry for When We Eat Emotionally
We all just want to feel okay
I polled several clients and asked when they first heard the term emotional eating. I discovered that they heard it either from a Weight Watchers leader or, like me, they couldn’t remember. It was just a term they knew that helped them understand why they were overeating.
I saw a chart, maybe a therapist showed me, or I had read it in a weight loss book, that claimed we want to eat crunchy and salty foods when we are angry and warm and sweet foods when we are sad. When I was trying to understand my own episodes of overeating, this chart seemed to help. It linked trail mix to stress, cheese and crackers to anger, and ice cream to sadness. I now had a tool I could use to dissect my overeating behavior and inform me how I was feeling. Accurate or not.
If my emotions were causing my overeating, I now had something else to blame. It wasn’t just the temptation of food, it was how I felt. By far, this was an even bigger and more serious personal attack.
Food Makes Us Feel Better
When we eat sugary food, like a pastry or a cookie, our brain releases dopamine. Dopamine is the “feel-good hormone” that can improve our mood, make us feel better, and increase our motivation. We can physically alter…
