How to Stop Emotional Eating

Co-authored by Mindy Lu, LMHC, CN

Last Updated: May 4, 2023 References

Emotional eating often occurs due to feelings of stress, anxiety, fear, boredom, sadness, or loneliness. You may use eating as a way to suppress negative emotions and feel powerless once your food cravings hit. You may be triggered to eat by a major life event or the negatives of everyday life.^{[1]
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Go to source} Emotional eating can be detrimental to your physical health as well as your mental health, as it can lead to weight gain and issues with food. You can stop emotional eating by adjusting your eating habits and doing physical activity, as well as getting professional help from a therapist or counselor.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Identifying the Causes of Your Emotional Eating

1
Differentiate between physical hunger and emotional hunger. To recognize the causes of your emotional eating, it may be useful to first understand when you are feeling physically hungry and when you are feeling emotionally hungry. Usually, emotional hunger comes on suddenly and feels urgent. You may be able to only think about eating and satisfying your craving right away. This is different than physical hunger, which usually comes on gradually, unless you haven’t eaten in a long time.^{[2]
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- When you are emotionally hungry, you may also crave specific comfort foods, such as fatty foods, foods high in carbs, or foods high in sugar. You may also find yourself eating without thinking, where you eat a whole bag of chips or several pieces of cake without paying attention to what you are doing.
- After an episode of emotional eating, you may not feel satisfied or even full. You may try to eat more and more until you are uncomfortably full. You may also feel a sense of regret, guilt, or shame after you have eaten. This may be because you realize you are eating for emotional reasons, rather than nutritional reasons.
2
Be aware of the difference between binge eating and emotional eating. Though emotions come into play with binge eating, binge eating usually involves eating unusually large amounts of food within a specific amount of time. Individuals with a binge eating disorder often feel they cannot control their behavior and eat even when they are full or not hungry. They may also eat rapidly during binge episodes and eat alone or in secret. They may have feelings of shame or guilt while they are eating or after they have eaten.^{[3]
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- Many people with a binge eating disorder are overweight or obese, though you can also be at a normal weight and have this disorder. Individuals who binge eat may try dieting and weight loss programs frequently but have a hard time maintaining a healthy weight due to their disorder.
- Unlike bulimia, individuals who binge eat do not vomit up their food, use laxatives, or exercise excessively to get rid of the food they just consumed. Often, binge eating occurs due to certain triggers and a binge eating episode can last several hours, depending on the severity of the episode.
3
Recognize your possible causes or triggers. To stop your emotional eating, you first need to determine the root causes or triggers of your eating. Identifying possible causes will then help you to better manage them and prevent you from eating emotionally in the future. Common causes of emotional eating include:^{[4]
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- Stress: Stress can be a big trigger for emotional eating, as high levels of stress leads to a spike in your hormones and your cortisol levels. Chronic stress can make you crave salty, sweet, and high-fat foods to give you a burst of energy and relief.
- Intense feelings and thoughts: Feelings like anger, fear, sadness, anxiety, loneliness, resentment and shame can all lead to emotional eating. You may use eating as a way to numb yourself from these emotions or to avoid processing these emotions.
- Boredom: Being bored and unoccupied can lead to emotional eating, especially if you also feel unfulfilled and empty. You may try to fill this void with eating.
- Childhood eating habits: You may have memories of food from when you were a child that are attached to negative feelings or from being taught to view food as a reward. Maybe your parents always gave you ice cream or sweets when you behaved properly or took you out for pizza when you did well academically or needed a pick me up.
- Social pressures: If you tend to use food as a way to connect with others socially, you may have an emotional relationship with food. Though getting together with friends for a meal is a good stress reliever and often a good way to enjoy food, it can also lead to overeating. You may overeat in social situations due to nervousness or as an attempt to blend in with everyone else who is eating. Your family and friends may also pressure you into overeating or indulging in unhealthy foods during your meals together.
4
Start a food diary. To get a better understanding of your emotional eating triggers, you may want to keep a food diary. Write down your meals for the day as well as how much you eat, when you eat, how you feel when you eat, and how hungry you felt. Be specific and consistent about keeping the diary as this may allow you to recognize patterns in your eating. These patterns can help you better understand how your mood affects how much you eat and what you eat.^{[5]
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- For example, you may notice that every time you come home from work after a long day, you eat a whole bag of chips or a pint of ice cream. This could point to a pattern of emotional eating that is triggered by the stress in your workplace.
5
Talk to friends and family about your issues around eating. Sometimes it can help to talk to those close to you about your eating habits as a way to understand your habits better. It can be hard to recognize your own emotional habits, especially around food. Do not be afraid to talk to your close friends and family about your struggles with eating. Ask them if they think you may eat based on emotion and if they notice any triggers or patterns in your behavior.^{[6]
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- You should also see your family and friends as support systems for you to lean on as you work to stop your emotional eating. Rather than feel ashamed or embarrassed by your eating, you should try to be honest about your struggles and talk openly about them to those you trust around you. This will help you feel less guilty about your eating and help you feel supported.
- It may also help to eat in front of your friends and family, especially if they have healthy eating habits. Choose healthy options when you eat with family and friends and try to model your behavior after their healthy eating habits.
6
Get professional guidance from a therapist or a counselor. Though you may be able to recognize your triggers on your own through self analysis and through talking to those close to you, you may also want to reach out for a professional opinion on your eating. You can talk to your family doctor about your emotional eating and get a referral for a therapist. You can also talk to a counselor at school or in the workplace.^{[7]
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- You may need to be assessed by a mental health professional before you can enter therapy or counseling. The therapist may also give you diet suggestions to help you stay healthy as you work through your food triggers and the causes of your emotional eating.
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Adjusting Your Eating Habits

1
Make a grocery list before you go food shopping. To get a better handle on your diet, you should sit down and write out a grocery list before you head to the grocery store. Consider choosing four to five healthy meals for the week and writing down the ingredients for these meals so you know exactly what you are getting and do not impulse buy when you are at the store. Think about the nutritional value of the items on your list. Go for more fruits, vegetables, healthy sources of protein, and healthy sources of dairy.
- Bring the list with you when you go shopping and stick to the getting only the items on your list. Stay in the outer areas of the grocery store, such as the produce and fresh food sections. Try not to spend time in the center or middle aisles, as they are often stocked with processed and prepackaged foods. You should also avoid picking up any of the unhealthy snacks at the check-out counter.
2
Plan out your meals for the week, including snacks. Make a meal plan where you account for the majority of your meals for the week. Include any snacks you will eat throughout the day and try to limit yourself to only the foods noted in your meal plan.^{[8]
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- Keep in mind it is important that your meal plan is reasonable and healthy. Rather than deprive yourself of all your favorite foods, see if you can integrate it into your meal plan in healthier ways. For example, if you love fried chicken, maybe you can include chicken in your meal plan and prepare it in healthier ways, such as baking or broiling it. This way, you can still enjoy this food without overindulging.
- Avoid skipping meals, as this can lead to more intense hunger and overeating when you do sit down to eat. Keep your meal plan consistent and have at least three meals a day at the same times every day.^{[9]
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- You should also let yourself enjoy a treat once and awhile, as cutting yourself off entirely can lead to even more feelings of guilt, shame, and anxiety. You may have on small treat once a week as a way to keep your diet healthy but also enjoyable and reasonable.
3
Do the broccoli test before you give into a craving. Another way to determine if you are eating based on emotion is to do the broccoli test, where you ask yourself when you are feeling hungry, “Am I so hungry I would eat broccoli right now?” If the answer is yes, you are likely physically hungry. If you answer no to this question, you are likely eating emotionally.^{[10]
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- This test is one way of taking a moment to consider your craving before you act on it. You can also take a few deep breaths and acknowledge your food craving, rather than act on it right away. Try to take five minutes to consider why you are craving a certain food and whether or not you are acting on emotion instead of actual hunger.
4
Focus on your food when you eat. Make your meals an occasion and savor every bite. Start with a small portion of food on a plate of nine inches or less. Pause for one to two minutes before you begin eating to contemplate your food and show appreciation for it. Then, take small bites and chew slowly. Try to taste the food completely before you swallow it.^{[11]
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- Eating mindfully will help you avoid emotional eating because you end up focusing on the experience of the food and the act of eating it. Bringing all your senses to the table when you eat will also allow you to appreciate the flavors, textures, smells, and appearance of the food.
5
Replace unhealthy foods with healthy alternatives. Rather than cut out snacking completely, you should replace unhealthy foods in your pantry with healthy alternatives. Go for unseasoned nuts and unsalted popcorn instead of potato chips. Cut up fruits and vegetables and place them on a platter with healthy, fat-free dip. This way, when you feel a food craving coming on, you can reach for healthy snacks.^{[12]
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- You should also remove any tempting foods from your home, such as bags of chips, cookies, candy, or any processed or prepackaged foods. Taking these foods out of your space means that when you do feel a craving coming on, it is that much harder to satisfy the craving with unhealthy snacks.
6
Have stress reducing foods. Stress reducing foods like herbals teas or fresh fruits can be a good alternative to unhealthy snacks. If you notice your emotional eating is triggered by stress, go for foods that will help you feel calm and relaxed.^{[13]
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- If you tend to get late night food cravings due to stress, you should try snacking on dark cherries. They can increase the levels of melatonin in your body, allowing you to relax and get a better sleep.
- You can also add fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, like salmon, to your diet to help you combat feelings of depression and anxiety.
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Doing Healthy Daily Activities

1
Go for a walk or a run. Doing physical activities like walking or running can help you to release any stress or anxiety you may be feeling.^{[14]
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Expert Source

Mindy Lu, LMHC, CN
Certified Nutritionist & Licensed Counselor

Expert Interview. 21 October 2020.} This can then help you to avoid emotional eating, as your energy will be focused on burning calories and increasing your endorphin levels. Try to do cardio activity at least once a day for 30 minutes to 1 hour, as this will help you stay healthy mentally and physically.^{[15]
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- Doing physical activity where you work up a sweat has also been shown to help with depression and insomnia, which can be triggers for emotional eating.
Stress can be a big trigger for emotional eating. Rather than let stress overtake you and cause you to overeat, you may want to try a relaxing activity like yoga or Tai Chi. Sign up for a weekly yoga class with a friend, where you can breathe and stretch out any tension or stress you may be feeling. Doing this can help you to maintain a balanced mood and feel less of a need to reach for food as a way to stress release.^{[16]
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Another way you can relax is to do self caring actions at home. You can also focus on self care when you feel a food craving come on, such as taking a bath, reading a book, going for a walk, or meditating. Channeling your energy into a healthy, caring act for yourself, rather than emotional eating, will likely make you feel better in the long run.^{[17]
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Research source}^{[18]
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Expert Source

Mindy Lu, LMHC, CN
Certified Nutritionist & Licensed Counselor

Expert Interview. 21 October 2020.}
If you decide to talk to a therapist or a counselor about your emotional eating, you should schedule weekly sessions where you reflect on your eating habits for the week and any coping mechanisms shown to you by the therapist. Maintaining constant communication with your therapist as you work through your food issues will allow you to feel supported and safe.^{[19]
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