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Overcoming Emotional Eating of Junk Food

If you struggle with emotional eating and junk food cravings, here's how to recognize your triggers and break the cycle with healthier coping strategi
emotional eating of junk food
 We all know junk food isn't the most nutritious choice. Yet somehow, after a stressful day when all you want to do is collapse on the couch with Netflix, that family bag of Doritos starts calling your name. You promise yourself "just a few chips". Two servings later, you’re fishing crumbs out of the bag wondering what happened. 

If this scenario sounds familiar, you may be an emotional eater prone to junk food temptation. The good news? With some simple strategies, you can break the emotional eating cycle and stop using junk food as a crutch. This article will give you the tools to recognize your triggers, control your environment, practice mindful eating, and find other ways to express emotions besides stuffing your face with potato chips.

Recognizing Your Emotional Eating Triggers  

Lorna Vanderhaeghe once said, “you do not drown by falling in water, you only drown if you stay there.” Similarly with emotional eating, recognizing what drives you to reach for the Oreos allows you to address the source instead of endlessly battling the same triggers. 
So what motivates you to emotionally eat? Ask yourself these questions: 

Do I overeat when I feel (circle all apply)...
  • Stressed
  • Overwhelmed  
  • Bored
  • Lonely  
  • Frustrated
  • Sad or depressed
Do I binge at specific times like... 
  • Late at night
  • After work 
  • On weekends
  • When I’m home alone
Pro tip: Use a food diary to uncover patterns over a week or two. Track what emotions preceded eating and what foods you reached for. This awareness alone can massively help in changing habits. 

Strategies to Curb Emotional Eating

Once you’ve pinpointed your emotional eating triggers, half the battle is won. Now you can proactively choose healthier strategies to manage difficult feelings instead of falling face first into a bag of M&Ms.  

Identify Healthy Coping Strategies

Write down a customized list of activities that make you feel better when you’re stressed or upset. Ideas might include:
  • Calling a supportive friend 
  • Taking a relaxing bubble bath
  • Listening to uplifting music
  • Playing with your pet
  • Going for a walk around the block
  • Doing 10 minutes of yoga or meditation 
Having your list handy allows you to quickly shift gears the moment an emotional trigger arises. “I’m feeling lonely and want cookies” can become “I’m going to call my mom to chat instead.”

Control Your Environment 

The old saying “out of sight, out of mind” rings especially true for emotional eating. Here are some tips to control junk food temptation in your surroundings:
  • Remove trigger foods from your home so they aren't constantly calling your name whenever you get a craving. This might include chips, cookies, ice cream, fast food, etc. 
  • Shop with a list so you don't impulsively toss temptation foods in the cart on autopilot. Stick to wholesome nourishing foods like fruits, vegetables, lean protein, yogurt, nuts and seeds.
  • When eating out or getting takeout, ask for dressing and high-calorie sauces on the side. And request Vegetable sides over fries (this alone can save 200+ calories!)

Practice Mindful Eating

Ever polished off a whole bag of chips or a pint of ice cream without really tasting or enjoying it? This mindless eating often occurs when attention wanders to TV, computers, smartphones or books. 

Instead, practice mindful eating by tuning into the experience. Notice flavors, aromas, textures and even the sounds different foods make as you chew. Does the chocolate melt creamily on your tongue? Do potato chips crunch satisfyingly? When you eat slowly and intentionally, you may find you enjoy treats even more while consuming less overall.

Some tips to eat more mindfully include:

  • Eliminate distractions like electronics or reading during snacktime or meals
  • Pause between bites and truly taste each one  
  • Put down your fork/spoon between mouthfuls  
  • Follow your hunger signals and stop when satisfied rather than overstuffed

Find Other Ways to Treat Yourself

Junk food essentially offers a quick fix of pleasure. When you’re already feeling down, it’s an easy route to comfort. While eliminating emotional eating is the goal, it’s still important to nurture yourself through difficult times. 

Make a list of non-food rewards that lift your mood. Think massages, buying fresh flowers, getting a manicure, enjoying a bath by candlelight. Plan specific self-care activities you can engage in when stressed instead of reaching for a candy bar.  

You can also plan non-food treats to celebrate personal wins like completing an important project. Enjoying a concert, nature hike or museum exhibit may offer longer-lasting satisfaction than a hot fudge sundae.

Conclusion

Changing lifelong eating habits requires commitment and conscious effort. But just by recognizing your emotional eating triggers, you’re already well on your way to success. With the right strategies firmly in place, you’ll navigate difficult emotions without turning to junk food as a crutch.

The journey to better health through mindful eating has its challenges. But nourishing your body with wholesome enjoyable foods provide energy, mental clarity and all-around glow your former snack habits may have lacked.

With some perseverance through tempting times, you can create new habits that serve you better. Soon you may notice an uptick not just in your physical wellbeing but overall mood and self confidence. Doesn’t that sound better than a temporary sugar high from an entire row of Oreos?

You hold the power to overcome emotional eating one day at a time. Reward yourself with compassion, self belief, and lots of delicious nourishing foods along the way. This will serve your body infinitely better than empty junk food calories ever could.