Resources To Conquer Emotional Eating

At Sassy Cooking, we're all about finding a balance between enjoying delicious, flavorful meals while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. A key part of that balance involves addressing emotional eating habits. Emotional eating can be a significant obstacle on your wellness journey, but with the right resources and strategies, you can conquer it and make lasting changes. In this blog post, we'll share valuable resources and practical tips to help you overcome emotional eating and create a healthier relationship with food.

Top Resources To Conquer Emotional Eating

From the time I was young, I struggled with learning to conquer emotional eating. Now that I am in my thirties (yikes!) I'm just starting to understand the triggers that prompt the late-night snack attacks, the urge to reach for a bag of chips when I'm stressed or the feeling of being way too full after a huge meal with my family. If this sounds a little too familiar, then you may want to stick around and bookmark this post. I'm going to walk you through some great resources to conquer emotional eating.

How and When Emotional Eating Starts

It starts when we're young, the association between food and comfort. In my experiences growing up, food was a way of connecting with the people in our life that we cared about. When life threw tragedies at our family, trays of sandwiches, crock pots of soup and pans of casserole dishes were promptly delivered. In celebration and happy times, our family gathered around a dining room table to indulge in over the top meals, and when your plate was empty, second and third helpings were automatically placed there. From the time I was little, it was always encouraged to eat everything placed in front of me because we didn't want to “waste food.” Sound familiar?

The Science Behind Emotional Eating: A Closer Look

Emotional eating can be explained through science. Foods high in sugar, carbs, or protein boost dopamine levels in our brains. Dopamine, a neurotransmitter, produces feelings of pleasure. One therapy often employed to address emotional eating is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). DBT is commonly used to help people with specific mental health diagnoses by rewiring their responses to certain stimuli. Altering how you react to food or replacing soda with flavored water as a reward can contribute to a healthier lifestyle.

Emotional Eating Resources for Dialectical Behavior Therapy:

Understanding the Connection Between Emotions and Eating

It's essential to recognize that emotional eating is not about hunger. Instead, it's a way for us to cope with feelings of stress, sadness, anger, or even boredom. Emotional eating can temporarily provide relief from these emotions, but ultimately, it can lead to feelings of guilt or shame, perpetuating the cycle.

To break the emotional eating cycle, it's crucial to develop a deeper understanding of the connection between our emotions and eating habits. This includes identifying your emotional triggers and finding alternative ways to cope with them, such as journaling, meditating, or engaging in physical activity.

Essential Emotional Eating Books for Your Wellness Journey

To gain further insight and equip yourself with tools to conquer emotional eating, consider exploring the following books:

1. “Breaking Free from Emotional Eating” by Geneen Roth: This book offers a practical guide to understanding the emotional triggers behind overeating and provides exercises to help you develop a healthier relationship with food.
2. “Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program That Works” by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch: This groundbreaking book introduces the concept of intuitive eating, a non-diet approach to food that encourages listening to your body's hunger and fullness cues.
3. “Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat” by Michelle May, MD: Dr. May's book teaches you how to develop a mindful eating approach that allows you to enjoy your favorite foods without guilt or deprivation.
4. “50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food” by Susan Albers: This resource offers practical strategies for coping with emotions without turning to food, including mindfulness techniques and self-care practices.

Reading emotional eating books will provide valuable guidance on understanding the psychology behind emotional eating and offer practical strategies to help you regain control over your eating habits.

Using An Online Support Group

Social media is a great tool to keep us connected, especially with today's world being what it is. Make sure you are a part of our Sassy Cooking Community so we can support you! If you like being in more than one group or if you would rather not see a focus on Weight Watchers, a simple search on Facebook will show you that there are a ton of community groups filled with people who are going through similar struggles. Find a community you feel comfortable with and join in on the conversations! Connecting with others who share your struggles can provide motivation, accountability, and encouragement as you work toward overcoming emotional eating.

Embrace Healthy Cooking to Overcome Emotional Eating Triggers

Instead of clinging to unhealthy foods associated with emotional eating, explore new options! I offer an array of delicious recipes to try, and you can also check out Smiley's Points, CookEatGo, SkinnyTaste, FoodNService or Emily Bites for more inspiration. Incorporating healthier recipes into your routine can help shift your focus from emotional eating to a more balanced approach.

Experiment with different ingredients, flavors, and cooking techniques to create nutritious and satisfying meals. By enjoying the process of cooking and discovering new recipes, you'll develop a healthier relationship with food and learn to view it as nourishment rather than a means of coping with emotions.

Some tips for practicing mindful eating include:

1. Eating slowly and deliberately, taking time to savor each bite.
2. Removing distractions, such as screens, while eating.
3. Paying attention to your body's hunger and fullness signals.
4. Practicing gratitude for the food you are consuming.

Understanding and overcoming emotional eating requires time, self-awareness, and a willingness to make changes. By exploring the science behind emotional eating, reading emotional eating books, connecting with support groups, discovering healthier recipes, and practicing mindful eating, you'll be well-equipped to conquer emotional eating and embrace a healthier, happier relationship with food. Remember, you're not alone in this journey, and there's a wealth of resources and support available to help you succeed.

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