Food for Thought

Why do we comfort eat? Regardless of whether we feel stressed, sad or celebrating our happiest of moments we reach for the food.

Why do we comfort eat?

We aren't all born to comfort eat; it is a learned behaviour from early on in life which eventually becomes a habit. As children, we may have received candy for a job well done or a trip to the cool fast food place if we had a bad day at school.

For many of us, these patterns and associations with food and emotion may have continued on into adulthood. This subconscious programming can make it feel quite natural to find ourselves in the kitchen after a stressful day, or consuming a bag of those chips you were saving for movie night.

The link between food and stress also has evolutionary links. During moments of stress, our cortisol levels increase, which then prompts us to seek out easily digestible carbohydrates and sugars. These foods provide that burst of energy needed to help us fight off a predator or run away (fight or flight). A necessary thing for our hunter-gatherer ancestors, however in today's world of heavy, fat laden foods and a sedentary lifestyle, it has become crucial that we learn more about our triggers and how to manage our stress.

Physical versus Emotional hunger:

Let's ask the question. How do you know if you're satisfying your physical needs or simply fulfilling an emotional one? A great first sign for emotional hunger is the type of food you may find yourself reaching for. People will often crave foods high in fats, carbohydrates and sugars. Pizza and chips ring a bell? These foods help boost serotonin and dopamine levels which, in turn, increase feelings of pleasure in the brain. The craving for these foods comes on suddenly with an intense need to satisfy immediately. The act of eating is quick, without much attention paid to what you're eating and the taste. Feeling full and content is very rarely achieved, resulting in consuming more foods that just aren't good for and so the cycle continues.

Physical hunger is a little more subtle. You will need to pay attention to the signs your body gives you, but they might sound like the rumbling of your stomach, feeling light-headed or weak. You don't tend to worry about what you're eating, and the feeling of satisfaction can be achieved, you stop eating when you're full and don't feel bad afterwards.

Managing comfort eating:

How do I combat comfort eating?, you may ask. The easiest way is to start a food and mood journal. By writing everything down, you are better able to recognize any patterns that may emerge between what you feel and what you consume. Once you get comfortable with writing things down, try out these next three steps to help hone in one what's happening in your mind:

1. Comfort eating generally happens when we are not fully aware of what is happening. The next time you find yourself on the way to the kitchen, take a moment to pause, reflect and ask yourself "Am I truly hungry or bored, sad etc?"

2. Try ranking your hunger on a scale from zero to ten where zero means intense hunger and zero means beyond satisfied/stuffed to the point of not feeling well. If you find yourself in the upper half of the scale, you may be feeling emotionally hungry.

3. If you find yourself on the emotionally hungry side of the scale, think about an activity that brings you joy. A phone call with friends, nature walks or watching your favourite TV show. After a few minutes, check in with your hunger and see how you're feeling.

#mindfuleating #satuppada #mindfulness