4 Tips To Overcome Emotional Eating
Eating food without feeling hungry is a bigger problem than it may seem. This process is known as emotional eating and is produced by an excess of palatability in many of the edibles that are offered in the market.
The addition of added sugars, trans fats and additives causes people to continue eating despite having satisfied their appetite.
This situation is associated with being overweight, since they end up consuming more calories than the body expends on a daily basis. For this reason, general health worsens, favoring the development of chronic pathologies. However, emotional eating is a condition that can be overcome.
What is emotional eating and why does it harm you?
As we have mentioned, emotional eating is the act of eating without hunger, just because a food is rich. The main problem with this is that nutritional needs are exceeded, in addition to abusing substances that are not beneficial for health.
It must be taken into account that both simple sugars and trans fats have been shown to have a negative impact on the body, altering the functioning of the systems and metabolism.
Emotional eating is related to the ingestion of ultra-processed industrial products, which is dangerous. There is evidence that this kind of food can increase the risk of getting sick.
In fact, it is recommended that the diet be based on fresh food, leaving industrial products for specific moments. However, these have in their favor that they are more palatable.
How to overcome emotional eating?
We are going to explain a series of tips that you can put into practice in order to overcome emotional hunger, thus improving health.
1. Go to the supermarket on a full stomach
When we go to the supermarket hungry, there is a greater risk of purchasing sweet products of poor nutritional quality. The simple fact of buying them is already a detriment, because the moment we start to feel an appetite at home we will resort to them. Due to their good taste, it will be difficult to stop eating them, even if satiety appears.
2. Increase the intake of fiber in the diet
Another of the key tips has to do with the contribution of fiber in the diet. This indigestible substance has the ability to increase the feeling of satiety, according to a study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition .
In this way, the risk of snacking between meals and starting to consume sweet or rich products, but with little nutritional value, is reduced.
3. Avoid distractions during meals
It is important not to eat while watching television or using electronic devices. Otherwise, the notion about the quantities consumed is lost.
This can lead to eating more than necessary of a certain food, just because it satisfies the taste. But this is not because there is a real physiological hunger that indicates a nutritional need.
When the act of eating is performed, it is important to put all the senses in it, being aware of the products that are consumed.
4. Do not consume soft drinks
Regular consumption of sugar can lead to some addiction. This process is linked to emotional eating. In this sense, soft drinks are characterized by having a large amount of simple carbohydrates, administered through a liquid.
The impact of these on the body will be greater in the negative sense, so it is possible that the body will demand a constant contribution in the future. Always above what is really needed.
Emotional eating can be defeated
Although it is sometimes quite difficult, it is possible to overcome emotional eating. The first thing is to be aware of the problem, since otherwise you will not be able to start your solution.
From here we recommend that you put the aforementioned advice into practice, as they will be effective in the medium term.
Remember that we are talking about an act that has a lot to do with psychological behavior, so sometimes it can be useful to carry out a nutritional coaching or therapy session . The important thing is that this type of behavior does not become a constant at the dietary level.
It is essential to always bear in mind that hunger is a sensation that works as a sign of need. At the moment in which this process disappears, it is optimal to suppress food intake, since the body has understood that the essential requirements are covered.
