Curb emotional EATING

We're physiologically built to get pleasure from eating food. And yet all too easily, our desire to self-soothe can tip into something that's not good for us at all, writes Brooke Le Poer Trench

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Lately, I've developed a habit of eating dessert in bed. I watch a show on my phone and I scoff my treat. “This is self-care,” I tell myself, but I know better. Of course, I recognise this is quite different to a more self-destructive sort of secret eating that is the hallmark of a disordered relationship with food. Still, it’s a small red flag because I know there are better ways to cope. Often, I'll look down and the ice cream is not there in the bowl any more. This is mindless eating and is just one of the ways I use food to bring comfort.

We've all been there. At least that’s what statistics tell me. Emotional eating affects 83 percent of people who struggle with their weight, studies have found. Interestingly, female mice are more likely than male mice to eat junk food when they experience negative emotions. And for once, it’s not our hormones at play. Researchers from The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health believe the female brain is more susceptible to emotional triggers that lead to overeating.

Pleasure principle

Of course, there's a reason I reach for ice cream or chocolate - not the healthier foods I love, like spinach, kale and quinoa - when the chips are down.