How to deal with emotional eating through Mindful Eating?

Emotional Eating and Mindful Eating

Eating is not just a physiological need, but also a reflection of the inner mosaic of emotions we experience daily, including those that are harder to digest or have been ignored. We may find ourselves eating due to stressWhat is stress? From a clinical perspective, stress is a phy... More, anxietyAnxiety is an emotional response characterized by feelings o... More, boredom, sadness, or simply seeking comfort. It could be a consoling sweet or a snack to release tension during work hours. However, emotional eating rarely truly satisfies hunger with food. Instead, it may risk becoming a regular substitute for what we actually need. Mindful Eating helps us recognize the four main types of hunger, understand our real desires, and regain harmony in eating—a key ingredient for overall health and even for our work productivity.

What is the relationship between stress and food?

Sometimes, when faced with stressful events, especially if prolonged, adjusting eating behavior can seem like a quick or easier copingCoping is the ability to face and manage stress, challenges,... More strategy. During an episode of emotional eating, food tends to temporarily reduce feelings of restlessness or anxiety through the release of dopamineA neurotransmitter found in the brain and central nervous sy... More. However, these benefits are short-lived; after a binge, mood often worsens and stress resurfaces. This increases cortisolThe adrenal glands, small pyramid-shaped glands above the ki... More release, which stimulates appetite, feeding a vicious cycle.

One may then regularly consume more food than the body truly needs in an attempt to restore emotional balance, threatened by internal or external factors. On the other hand, chronic stress can also lead to eating less than necessary, affecting the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and suppressing the feeling of hunger.

This dysfunctional strategy of responding to stress by distorting eating habits can lead to the development of actual eating disorders, such as anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, or contribute to obesity and body image–related issues, such as body dysmorphia, fueling fears of social rejection or experiences of body shaming or stigmaStigma towards mental health can be defined as prejudice and... More.

What is Mindful Eating?

The first step to restoring harmony with food is learningIl termine apprendimento - con i sinonimi imparare, assimila... More to listen to our emotional state and observe our eating behaviors. This is the essence of Mindful Eating, according to which it’s not just what we eat that matters, but how we eat.

Even eating can become a true meditative act, allowing us to be fully present in the moment, honoring the daily act of nourishment, giving it meaning and a conscious place in our life. Mindful Eating recognizes food as having a multifaceted and complex nature that goes beyond simple biological sustenance, intertwined with emotions, family history, traditions, culture, and relationships.

Mindful Eating, which combines mindfulness and nutritionLife does not take breaks: in every living being, bodily fun... More, helps us protect our health through nourishment, maintain a proper weight, and achieve a body that feels like ours, in which we can joyfully reflect ourselves.

What are the four types of hunger?

Mindful Eating teaches us to distinguish emotional hunger from other types of hunger. By doing so, we become aware of the real reason we are eating, rather than consuming food impulsively. There are at least four types of hunger, and none is inherently wrong. Awareness and balanced behavior are the keys to fully experiencing all dimensions of physical and emotional nourishment.

Physical hunger

This is the classic hunger, usually signaled by a rumbling stomach, weakness, or loss of concentrationWhat concentration really is and why it’s so hard to maint... More. It tends to intensify over time and decrease during the meal.

Emotional hunger

Emotional hunger is the inner urge to restore emotional balance through food. It is not necessarily negative, as it can help manage or “digest” emotions in the short term. The key is that eating for comfort should not be the only or main coping strategy we use for daily challenges.

Craving hunger

This type arises from appetite, triggered by an unexpected aroma, thought, or sight of a particularly desirable food. It can occur even without physical hunger and is the desire to satisfy a small craving through all senses: sight, smell, taste, touch, and even hearing. Gratification is fine, but it should remain aligned with physical cues and the body’s satiety signals.

Practical hunger

Practical hunger represents the strategy of eating, even when not hungry, because we know we may not have access to food for a period. Learning to have breakfast, even without hunger, is one way to start the day with proper nutrients and energy, preventing workplace cravings or unhealthy, hasty snacks.