Emotional EATING

Turning to food for comfort is common - here's why we do it

- MADSION BOGISCH

When you eat to make yourself feel better and avoid feeling difficult emotions, this is called emotional eating. If you’re an emotional eater, you’ve probably stressed yourself out more by thinking that you must fix your emotional eating problem. Well, the good news is that this so-called problem is not your fault either. I repeat: emotional eating is not your fault. Read on to understand why.

EARLY CONDITIONING

Many of us have been conditioned from infancy to respond to discomfort or feelings of pain through food. When babies cry, they get sweet, fatty milk and they are happy again. When we fall and scrape our knees, our mums give us ice-cream or a lollipop to comfort us. When we go to Grandma’s house, she makes our favourite foods for us.

From an early age, we have learnt that when we are feeling down or sad, food can make us feel better. As adults, we want to go back to that feeling of being cradled in our mother’s arms, feeling loved, safe and secure. So we reach for foods that mimic that early biochemical desire to bond with Mum and other early childhood experiences.