How to Avoid Emotional Eating

Many people reach for food as comfort when they feel stressful. Not only stress but anxiety, sadness, boredom, anger, loneliness, relationship problems, or poor self-esteem also could be reason why people eat more for quick relief. Try to reduce and break this bad habits, since it will give you weight problem. Here are some useful health tips from Joy Bauer, M.S., R.D. to avoid emotional eating.

Learn to recognize your hunger
Rate your hunger on a scale of 1 to 5 – 1 being ravenous and 5 being full. Try to avoid eating when your hunger is a 4 or a 5.

Keep a food journal
Logging your food will help to identify your toughest timeframes. It also will make you accountable and may be could prevent you from reach for unnecessary food.

Find alternatives to eating
Make a personal list of activities you can do instead of eating. Perhaps go for a walk, call a friend, polish your nails, listen to music, take a hot shower/bath, exercise, clean your house, surf the Internet, schedule outstanding appointments, watch television, look through a photo album, etc.

Three-food interference
Try to eat three specific healthy foods (i.e., an apple, handful of baby carrots and a yogurt) first before starting on caloric comfort foods. Most of the time, the three foods are enough to stop you from moving on. But if you still want to continue with your comfort foods, give yourself permission.

Get enough sleep
Sleep deprivation can increase hunger by decreasing Leptin levels, the appetite regulating hormone that signals fullness (Research found). With adequate sleep, you’ll also be less tired and have more resolve to fight off the urge to grab foods for comfort.

Exercise regularly
Daily exercise relieves stress and puts you in a positive mindset, which provides greater strength to pass on the unhealthy fare.