How to manage emotional eating

If you reach for large, comforting meals when you feel sad, angry, or stressed, you're not alone. While some people avoid food when they’re overwhelmed, many others tend to eat more under pressure. This is called emotional eating, and it’s a common response to mental strain.

In fact, in a 2021 study, about 1 in 5 adults said they ate often or very often when they were feeling emotional. Many emotional eaters turned to fast food, and many had a greater risk of obesity. They were more likely to be younger, female, white, and hold a college degree, according to the study, published in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

“To answer why food is so comforting, we have to look at infancy. When an infant cries, they usually need one of three things: food, a diaper change, or sleep,” says Sydney Elggren, a crisis social worker in Utah. When you feed a young child, they are comforted. As children grow older, lollipops, ice cream, and other favorite snacks become rewards for things like good behavior at a doctor’s appointment or bringing home a good report card.

“I think it’s the culture we’ve grown up in. We learn that food can be comforting, gratifying, and a quick way to change our mood chemistry,” says Elggren.

And that’s not always a bad or negative thing, she adds. It’s okay to treat yourself, to occasionally celebrate or to mourn with food. But if becomes a primary coping skill, it may cause health problems down the road. Emotional eating is linked to obesity, depression, and stress, all of which can raise the risk of chronic illnesses like heart disease and diabetes.

With that in mind, here are five ways to help manage emotional eating.

Determine your triggers

Emotional eating is characterized by sudden, intense urges to eat foods you crave. These cravings are often triggered by situations, people, or feelings. These triggers can include:

• Relationship or family issues
• Problems at work
• Money troubles
• Boredom
• Fatigue
• Holidays or very busy times

Think about the first thing you want to do when you’re triggered by a hardship, says Elggren. If your response to these situations is often or always food-related, you may have an issue with emotional eating, and that’s something that needs to be addressed, she continues.

To find your triggers, try keeping a diary or journal of when you’re most likely to turn to food for comfort. When you identify a pattern, you can start creating a plan to change your response.

Decide whether you’re actually hungry

Before you open the fridge, consider your appetite. Think about when you ate last, if your stomach is grumbling, or if you’re feeling low on energy. Then rate your hunger on a scale from 1 to 10. If you’re in the 6 to 10 range, you probably are physically hungry, but anything else is most likely stress related, says Susan Albers, PsyD, a clinical psychologist who specializes in eating issues and mindfulness at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

Make an activity list

If you’re not hungry, do something else to distract yourself from emotional eating. It may help to write down activities you really want to try, recommends Elggren.

“I tell my patients to make a list of 10 things that they want to do, and I have them put the list in an area where they typically go to eat food like the pantry, closet, or refrigerator,” says Elggren. “You can look at your list and ask yourself if you want to do something on the list instead.” Consider placing the list in your car and wallet, as well.

As for activities, you may want to try:

• Taking a walk or going to the gym
• Engaging in a hobby, like gardening, listening to music, or reading
• Calling or meeting with a friend
• Experimenting with relaxation practices like deep breathing or mindfulness meditation

Remember, too, that it’s okay to choose mindless eating on occasion. Depriving yourself of the foods you love can lead to additional problems. We can’t be perfect all the time, says Elggren.

Snack on healthy foods

When a person is stressed out, their body produces a hormone called cortisol. Over time, elevated amounts of cortisol can lead to cravings for foods high in carbohydrates, sugar, and saturated fat. As a result, the person tends to reach for comfort foods like chips, pizza, and chocolate.

“I think the reason we tend to choose these types of foods is because they have a mind-altering effect in the moment. Sugar tends to alter our brain. It makes us feel a little better for the time being and gives us some energy,” says Elggren. But over time, eating too many of these foods can lead to weight gain and health issues.

So, instead of stocking your kitchen with comfort foods, try to keep it full of healthy snacks like carrots and hummus, air-popped popcorn, and fruit. Focus on fresh foods or foods that aren’t heavily processed.

Be kind to yourself

While consistent overeating can lead to health problems down the road, give yourself some grace if you overeat on occasion. Beating yourself up may make you more likely to start the emotional eating cycle all over again. Stay positive and focus on the progress you are making. Start each new day with a fresh outlook.

If you’re having a hard time managing emotional eating, see a mental health professional. They can help guide you through a therapy treatment plan that works for you.