NOTE: This article only touches on disordered and emotional eating and the forms it can enter a person's life, and is not to be taken as medical advice, or to replace a doctors advice.
In my Holistic Counselling practice, I help many women work through their emotional/disordered eating, and unhealthy connections to food. There is a misconception in society that to have an "eating disorder" a person either has to either starve themselves to a dangerously low weight (Anorexia), or force themselves to purge (vomit) after a binge eating episode (Bulimia). For some, this is the case, or they go back and forth between the two extremes. In others, disordered eating can look like binge eating episodes (without vomiting) -to the point of feeling sick -every day after work, or after a stressful event, and they then might deprive themselves of the next meal or snack as a form of self punishment.
Another, less commonly known, eating disorder coined "Orthorexia" manifests itself in an obsession with eating only pure, healthy, clean, organic foods to the extreme a person will not eat unless these foods are available. (There are books written on this subject, so please research further if you think this might be posing a problem in your life.)
This leads to my topic for this article..Emotional Eating. When the root cause of disordered eating is targeted, there is always a deep emotional component that must be addresses for true healing to occur. Working with a professional Counsellor is one way to work through these issues, as is reading books and attending support groups. The key to remember, it is your relationship with food that determines disordered eating. Emotional eating (eating when not hungry for various reasons essentially) is a more commonly known problem that I will offer tips on in this article
Tips to Heal and Curb Emotional Eating:
1) Pay attention to your hunger signals and eat regularly throughout the day:
Eat only when you are truly hungry (your tummy is growling) but do not wait until you are famished to the point you are lightheaded, as this can lead to overeating. A general guideline I recommend is to eat every 3 hours. Do not go longer than that between snacks/meals as it can lead to low blood sugar, and urges to reach for sugar or unhealthy refines carbs.
Have 3 meals, and 3 small power snacks a day. All containing protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats. For example: A typical day might look like this:
Breakfast at 7a.m
Power snack at 10am,
Lunch 12:00,
Power snack at 3pm
Dinner at 5 or 6 pm.
To clarify, I am not suggesting to ignore your hunger. Instead, listen to your body, and if you are truly hungry, have something nutritious to sustain you until your next eating time. The idea is to fuel your body regularly throughout the day to keep your blood-sugar steady. But do not fixate too much on a certain schedule. This is only a suggested guideline.
2) Make a list of Healthful foods you enjoy eating and that make you feel good.
Post this list on your fridge to refer to when you are stressed and off balance, and are unsure of what to eat.
3) Be mindful and tune in
Before you reach for something to eat, tune in and ask yourself first "Am I truly hungry, or just bored, stressed, lonely, sad, anxious? "What am I feeling right now?" If you are truly hungry reach for something from your list, if it is one of the above have a drink of water, make tea, go for a walk, work out, call a friend, read a book, write in a journal, or anything self nurturing that moves you into a healthier direction.
4) Let go of the need to control
Decide today, to let go of the struggle with food. Underlying disordered eating of any kind, is the underlying need for control. There is much more to life than what we eat; however we need food to sustain and fuel our bodies efficiently. Make the best, healthful food choices you can in each moment. If you fall away from this and have treats and less that nutritious food sometimes- IT'S OK! Yes, that's right..it is OK to allow for indulgences. It's what you do most of the time that counts.
Try this formula:
80% of the time eat "Real food" closest to how nature makes it: Fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes, eggs, nuts, seeds, lean meats.
10% I know it's not the best but it won't kill me (processed foods for example)
10% Indulgences (a glass of wine with dinner, a small dessert, a few squares of dark chocolate)
If you fall off your goal plan for a day or two, and have too many "indulgences" don't beat yourself up! Tomorrow is a new day, you can begin again. Remember change is a process. Learning new ways to make yourself feel better without food is not easy if you have an emotional connection to eating, but it is doable. You have the power within you to make these changes. Never give up! Surround yourself with supportive people who share similar goals and want to live a healthy lifestyle.
This is one of my favorite quotes on this topic:
"Eat to Live, Don't Live to Eat"
Here is an interview with Dr. Roger Gould, author of "Shrink Yourself" discussing emotional eating.
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=2766217n
Until next time, live life fully and choose happiness!
~Leanne Oaten
http://soulworkcounselling.com/
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