Deepa Gandhi

I am a dietician by education but a multitasker. I am a blogger on various topics as I love writing. Read my blogs here- www.kreativemommy.com and http://www.mycity4kids.com/parenting/my-thoughts-and-ideas

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27 Aug,15

Are You An Emotional Eater?

Emotional eating is eating to feel better, not to fill your stomach. Emotional eating can lead to overeating as you will eat as you are feeling low and not because you are hungry. Everyone eats emotionally from time to time but it should not turn into a condition called "BINGE EATING DISORDER". Take control of your eating before it reaches this stage.

It is OK to indulge in your favourite food or occasionally eat for comfort or to celebrate but it is a problem when it becomes frequent. Often people don't realise what they are doing until it is too late. And if you are gaining weight because of it, or you can’t stop eating certain foods, it’s a sign that something is wrong.

I remember during my internship days of dietitian, there were many cases of people who used to consult for overweight and the main reason for most of them used to be overeating due to some or the other problem at home or work front. I remember one such case where a lady used to overeat without realising it and she used to blame her husband that you don't care how I look. She had to blame someone and later her husband only helped her to overcome it.

You eat as you are unhappy and you are unhappy as you eat. So it kind of becomes a loop.

Sometimes parents think that we can comfort our child with food. You might give them a cookie or chocolate when they fall or reward them with ice cream for winning. it is not a right thing to do as when they get older they will link food to emotions.

Tips to distract yourself from overeating when stressed or bored-

1. Listen to music

2. Try reading a book

3. Cook for your family

4. Take deep breath and try to think when you are reaching for that food, "Am I really hungry?"

5. Exercise- Go for a walk outside or go to gym. It actually boosts your mood as it releases endomorphine which is like a feel good hormone.

Emotional eating is like a pattern and it needs to be broken. If you feel lonely, stressed or bored, try lots of different things like calling an old friend, playing with kids or your pet, start a new hobby like dancing, running, painting etc.

You might not be successful every time but try to distract yourself as much as possible.

I am M.sc Mphil in Foods and nutrition. I am a blogger, freelance nutritionist, choreographer and an event manager. I love writing and dancing. I run my own dance school just to follow my passion. My second passion is writing. I started writing blogs to follow this passion. You can follow me on www.kreativemommy.com and http://www.mycity4kids.com/parenting/my-thoughts-and-ideas for my blogs on everything.