Three Tips to Stop Emotional Eating In Its Tracks

Three Tips to Stop Emotional Eating In Its TracksDo you eat to feed your feelings? You are not alone. The American Psychological Association reports that 38% of adults have engaged in unhealthy eating behaviors like overeating or reaching for high calorie and high fat food items due to stress. Over time, this destructive attitude towards food increases the risk for several ailments including hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer.If you want to conquer emotional eating once and for all, here are three tips to follow:1.Ask yourself this: What are you really compensating for?While most people who eat emotionally are usually dealing with high stress situations and are turning to food for comfort, in some cases, food becomes the dangerous panacea for deeper problems. It pays to ask yourself what is it that you are really compensating for. What is it that you seek to fulfill internally that you can't get, which makes you turn to food to console yourself?Is it a job that you hate? Is there something that you cannot express to family and friends? Facing the problem is the first step to solving it and this is something that poor food choices will not achieve2.Relax in other ways.Instead of turning to food for stress relief, consider other forms of relaxing activity to release tension and anxiety. What do you enjoy doing? Give yourself time to work on your hobbies. Light exercises like walking can also help. If you are at work, being aware of your breathing, getting up to stretch, or taking a whiff of vanilla or lavender scents are simple but effective ways to calm the mind3.Seek help.Find someone you can talk with to understand and overcome the issues causing your emotional eating. Whether you confide in a friend, talk with a therapist, or join a support group, talking through things will help to give you the necessary motivation to make changes.