How many times have you eaten out of a carton of ice cream when you were depressed or raided your pantry looking for chips, cookies or candy because you had nothing to do around the house? The urge to reach for food - often fatty food - when our emotions are off whack gets even the best of us. But if you allow this behavior to become common, you could be doing your body and your health harm. Learn how to turn this behavior around and break those bad habits.

It’s normal for us as human beings to associate food with our emotions. This condition is often referred to as “emotional hunger.” This type of eating habit is dictated by the way you are feeling at the moment. Whenever you experience pain, frustration, depression, or boredom, you turn to food to fill the void and satisfy your emotional hunger. While you feel fulfilled during the process, afterwards you’re often left feeling worse than before. Emotional hunger has been tied to many eating disorders such as bulimia and binge eating.

The next time you’re going through an emotional phase instead of reaching for snack food, stop and evaluate your feelings. Take time out to write in a diary or call a friend you trust to talk about what is bothering you. Even if you need to cry, do so. Whatever it takes to get your mind focused and off the thought of using food to fill the void.

To break this bad habit, you’ll need to turn to coping techniques that will train you to avoid eating based on your emotions. If you find yourself stressed out, skip the kitchen and instead take up a calming exercise like yoga or practice meditation to keep your mind off of your troubles. When you’re able to strengthen your mind, you’ll have a better sense of self-control. Or relieve any stress related woes by doing something you enjoy like watching your favorite movie. If you’re eating out of boredom then do something to keep yourself from being bored! Make a list of physical activities you can do that will keep you occupied, such as jogging, swimming, going to the gym, meeting up with a friend, going shopping, etc. Eating out of loneliness simply requires getting together with a friend, family member or even joining a local organization or community group.

Dealing with anger or frustration? Food won’t be the answer. Your solution lies in finding the root of your anger or frustration and dealing with it in a positive manner. This also goes for those who eat when they are feeling anxious, or sad and depressed. For extreme cases of depression, professional help may need to be sought out.

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