As we end this month, we’d like to go over a topic that can show how your emotions can influence your food intake. We’ll be going over tips on how to stop having food control you. We’ll be discussing ways you can prevent or manage emotional eating. In today’s blog, you can look forward to things you can put into action so you can have a better and healthier relationship with food.
Our Stop Emotional Eating Easily blog mentions some great starting points including understanding the cause, keeping track of your eating habits, focusing on your goals, making healthy choices more often, and asking yourself, “am I really hungry?” A particular point that should be emphasized is keeping track of your eating habits. As mentioned in our Ways to Refrain from Comfort Eating blog, tracking your emotions and meals allows you to see if there are any consistencies, which makes it easier to identify potential problems with emotional triggers. With this knowledge, you’ll be enabled to make better choices for yourself. For example, if you see that you typically eat chocolate or candy when you feel bored, you can consciously make a different and healthier decision when you start feeling that emotion or state.
Here are some things to consider:
- The “right food” in the “right amount.” Eating healthy doesn’t mean starving yourself but eating the right things in the right portion. Now, be mindful that this differs per person based on dietary restrictions, food accessibility, culture, etc. Thus, it’s important to focus on yourself and find what works for you. This can help save you the frustration from wondering why one diet helps someone else lose weight while it doesn’t work for you. As such, you should consult your primary care physician or a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist as they can help you create a more personalized menu.
- Have a healthy food environment. Store healthy foods/snacks in your fridge, freezer, cabinets, shelves, etc. Sometimes, no matter how much self-control you have, it can be easy to make less healthy choices if it’s constantly surrounding you. If there are certain foods you are trying to avoid, and if circumstances allow, try not to purchase them or only buy them in small quantities. If that proves difficult, try slowly lowering the amount of whatever snack/food it is that you eat (e.g. instead of eating four cookies, try eating only three, then move down to two, and maybe even reach only one).
Be forgiving of yourself. Make allowances for yourself. Remember that it’s human to make mistakes and slip back into old eating habits you wanted to leave behind. This doesn’t mean that you’re a failure. Should this happen, understand that you are not alone! It’s a common occurrence and you can still make progress. The important thing is to first acknowledge what happened, then see how you can improve next time. That way, the same sequence won’t repeat itself.- Give yourself credit. Try giving yourself a pep talk. Speak aloud and proudly state the achievements you’ve made during the day. Congratulate yourself! Do what you feel is needed (within reason) in order to celebrate your accomplishments. Making these acknowledgements can help encourage you to keep moving forward step-by-step. Plus, it can let you know how far you’ve come!
Remember that the goal is to develop a healthier relationship with food. Part of this means getting to know more about the food you eat and why. For more assistance, you can always consult a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who can lead you in the right direction.
- Click here to watch the Latest Sweet Life Wellness Podcast Episode on How to Enjoy Mindful Eating.
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Kay Loughrey, MPH, RDN, LDN
Transformational Speaker, Breakthrough Coach, Nutritionist-Dietitian
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