Do current events trigger a gut feeling of uneasiness causing you to have food cravings or to seek comfort by binging on unhealthy snacks? Do you find yourself lacking an appetite when the fate of the future is foggy, resulting in food restriction? Either way you are not alone. It is natural to desire control when times are uncertain. Many people experience emotional eating in response to fear, stress, grief, anxiety, and any number of other emotions. Food is one aspect of our lives that we can control when other aspects feel uncontrollable. We can control what we eat, how much we eat, where we eat, and how much we purchase.

 

Emotional eating is not inherently bad.  It is the relationship of food to your feelings that needs to be explored to find the reasons why we might eat, besides true hunger. You have the power to establish a more positive association with food. Start with understanding what is triggering you to seek comfort from food. Triggers could arise from worrying how your family will manage if schools do not open in the fall, feeling extra stress from working from home, or losing a friend or loved one. These thoughts, emotions, and fears are connected to past experiences or an imagined future. Here are some suggestions to assist you in overcoming your emotional eating triggers:

 

 

• Practice being mindful by focusing on what is going on now, in the present. Don’t worry about poor food choices made yesterday and don’t worry about events that aren’t happening for another month from now.
• Stick with a reliable eating routine that works for you, which may include two to three meals and snacks each day.
• Healthier foods lift our mood, so incorporate a rainbow of fruits, veggies, and other nutrient dense foods in your diet.
• Notice when you are deviating from your eating routine and ask yourself why. A simple acronym, HALTS, can assist you in identifying if you are having an emotional eating response. Ask yourself: Am I Hungry? Am I Angry? Am I Lonely? Am I Tired? Am I Stressed? Am I Sad?
• Honor your feelings away from food by identifying other sources of comfort. For example, try listening to uplifting music, going for a walk, painting a picture, or calling or having a socially distant meet-up with a close friend or family.
• Most people may also benefit from simultaneously exploring their difficult feelings with a therapist.
• Sometimes we want to soothe with food, and that’s okay.

 

We may feel out of control when thinking about an unknown future, but we are free to control how we act on these uneasy feelings.  We are all in this together and will get through it together.  But seeking professional help can also help you manage your feelings and emotional eating in a healthy way.

 

 

If you need help in improving your diet, set up an appointment with a Montefiore registered dietitian nutritionist by calling 929-263-9519. To reach out to Montefiore psychiatry services, call 718-430-2290 or visit covid19.montefiore.org/anxiety-and-covid19 for resources specific to COVID-19 and anxiety.

 

Jessica Shapiro MS, RD, CDN, CDCES is the Associate Wellness and Nutrition Manager at Montefiore Health System