Emotional Eating or Eating Affecting Emotions?
In my practice, emotional eating comes up often. Emotional eating can be used to address boredom, depression, stress and even celebratory feasting. It doesn’t mean any of these occasions are bad. However, it depends on how the food is being used and how it affects your health. On the other hand, food or lack thereof can affect your emotions leading to anxiety, depression and anger (ever heard of “hangry”?). Let’s delve into this further.
Eating to Address Emotions
Face it, most of us eat to address emotional needs. Our lives are based on eating for social occasions - it’s a friend and family bonding experience. But sometimes we eat because we’re bored, stressed or depressed, or all of the above. Ask yourself a few questions - are you eating to suppress, avoid or treat an emotional situation? Is this something that could be addressed with counseling or therapy? Does it lead to unhealthy weight gain/loss or makes you feel ill or guilty? If it is affecting your physical and/or mental health, this is the time to contact a professional for guidance. In some cases, finding a distraction besides food can help. But if you’re struggling, seek professional advice, especially if there a potential for disordered eating.
How Food Affects Emotions
Low blood sugar can be a leading cause of poor emotions for some people. If it’s been a while since you’ve eaten or had a high carbohydrate or high sugar meal/snack, those low blood sugar events can follow. Depression, anxiety, anger can manifest from your brain’s lack of fuel (low blood sugar). Having regular meals and snacks throughout the day, may be necessary to normalize blood sugar, and a path to manage these emotions. Also make sure you’re well hydrated, as dehydration often leads to symptoms such as poor focus and lethargy. Additionally, a food sensitivity or intolerance could lead to emotional symptoms, those can be investigated and addressed with a professional.
FITNESS/NUTRITION in the NEWSDonate to Food Assistance Programs
Instead of the latest news this month, I would like to address the government funding cuts to many food assistance programs and recommend some organizations that would greatly benefit from donations. Whether food, time or money, please do what you can to support these great organizations: our local food banks, Ballard Food Bank, Northwest Harvest, Feeding America and many others.
Sheri is a Certified
Nutritionist
with a master's degree in nutrition, with over 15 years of clinical counseling
experience, an ACE-certified Personal
Trainer with advanced certifications in medical exercise, senior fitness and health coaching. All nutrition consultations include exercise guidance, dietary
analysis and meal plans to meet your individual lifestyle, calorie and nutritional needs.
Free introductory 15-minute appointments are also
available.
To schedule an appointment with Sheri Mar, email:
info@EatWellBeFit.com or call or text: 206.789.6440
Do you have a nutrition topic for the month?
Email your suggestions to info@eatwellbefit.com
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