Emotional Eating Disorders
Eating Disorders
Emotional eating is a phenomenon where individuals use food as a way to cope with and manage their emotions, especially negative emotions such as stress, sadness, boredom, or loneliness. Instead of eating in response to physical hunger, emotional eaters consume food in an attempt to soothe or numb their emotions. Emotional eating is often triggered by specific emotions rather than hunger. Stress, sadness, anxiety, or even positive emotions like happiness can lead to the desire to eat.
People don't always eat to satisfy their hunger. They also eat for stress relief and rewards. Emotional eating is when people eat food to deal with their feelings as well as emotions. Emotional eating can happen with certain patterns - a child getting candy for an achievement link with reward and a child getting candy to stop crying link with comfort. Also when food becomes your primary coping mechanisms whenever you are upset, stressed or angry, eventually you may stuck in unhealthy cycle.
Emotional hunger is a sudden feeling where you want a particular particular food other than vegetables, this may include cheesecake or pizza. Even when you eat that food you may not feel satisfied. You may eat more.
The majority of children with psychological or behavioural disorders go undiagnosed or untreated and this is more prevalent in developing countries. Anxiety disorders, depression, autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders are examples of behavioural diseases that need further investigation. These illnesses can have a significant impact on the child’s overall development if left untreated.
Reason for Emotioal eating
The common cause of emotional eating is stress. When you are having chronic stress your body produces a hormone called cortisol which triggers you to have sweet, salty and fried foods. Also you feel emptiness and boredom, in order to occupy the time you may start eating. Childhood habits influence a lot in emotional eating. Giving sweets when the child is sad also leads to emotional eating when they become adults.
Treatment
The first thing to stop this behaviour is identifying your triggers. What situations , feelings or places made you crave this particular food. Also taking proper psychotherapy in order to deal with the triggers helps you to deal your emotions.