Emotional eating is a complex behavior that involves easing negative emotions by eating, often unhealthy foods, which can affect both physical health and emotional well-being.
Discover common triggers of emotional eating and learn practical strategies to regain control and cultivate a healthier, more balanced relationship with food.
What is emotional eating?
Emotional eating is a behavior that attempts to soothe negative emotions with foods that are typically high in added sugars, refined carbohydrates, or salt.
According to research published in the International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science, the most commonly chosen comfort foods include chips, chocolate, pizza, pasta, and ice cream.1
While emotional eating may appear as an effective coping mechanism, it only provides temporary comfort and often leads to overeating of processed foods that offer little to no nutritional value.
Although generally linked to distressing feelings, positive emotions can also evoke food cravings and trigger the urge to eat comfort foods as a celebration or reward. This can reinforce the habit and make it challenging to maintain a balanced relationship with food.
Emotional eating isn’t classified as disordered behavior. However, individuals with more severe emotional attachments to certain foods appear to have an increased risk of developing eating disorders such as binge eating or bulimia nervosa.
Watch the video below to learn about simple and effective tips to manage emotional eating.
Common triggers for emotional eating
Emotional eating can be sparked by a variety of emotional, social, and environmental factors that trigger those who are emotional eating types to use food as a way to cope or find comfort.
Here are common factors that can trigger emotional eating:
- Feeling stressed or anxious
- Overwhelming of difficult emotions
- Emotional distress
- Boredom
- Loneliness or isolation
- Social anxiety
Emotional eating can also be triggered by social situations involving food, food advertising, or social media posts, as well as accessibility of comfort foods at home or work.
“Physiological factors such as poor sleep habits, nutritional deficiencies, and hormonal fluctuations during menstrual cycles have also been associated with heightened cravings for high-sugar or deep-fried fatty foods,” explains Dr. Berg.
Blood sugar imbalances, typically linked to a diet high in carbohydrates, sugars, and processed foods, are a well-established trigger for intense food cravings as rapid spikes and crashes in glucose levels signal the body to seek quick sources of energy.
These fluctuations can significantly contribute to emotional eating, particularly in individuals who rely on food as a way to manage stress, boredom, or other strong emotions.
How emotions affect hunger and cravings
Emotions can significantly influence hormonal patterns, which affect various aspects of metabolic processes, including energy production and hunger regulation.
This can alter appetite and drive cravings, especially for energy-dense processed foods, sugars, and carbohydrates.
For example, anxiousness, isolation, and other stress-related feelings can trigger the release of cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone, which increases appetite and promotes cravings for high-calorie comfort foods.
A study published in Clinical Nutrition ESPEN summarizes, “Stress is associated with emotional eating. Dietary intake that responds to emotions and not to physiological hunger may have long-term problems related to an unhealthy diet.”2
Emotional eating often creates an unhealthy cycle of overeating and further negative emotions, such as guilt or low self-esteem. This can intensify cravings, making it more difficult to maintain both metabolic and emotional balance.
Over time, this cycle can impact weight management, physical appearance, and overall health, with obese individuals being particularly susceptible.
Signs you may be emotionally eating
Emotional eating can manifest in a wide range of food-related behaviors and significantly vary in intensity.
Emotional eaters often report that eating helps fill a void or suppress uncomfortable emotions, usually accompanied by feelings of guilt, shame, or regret.
Here are common signs of emotional eating behaviors:
- Eating in response to stress, anxiety, or tension rather than hunger
- Consuming food to cope with sadness, loneliness, or boredom
- Mindless or impulsive eating, such as snacking while watching TV
- Regularly using food as a reward
- Feeling unable to stop eating even when full
Strategies to manage emotional eating
Emotional eating is often deeply rooted in psychological, emotional, and environmental patterns. However, there are practical strategies that can help manage cravings and build a better relationship with food.
Here are six steps you can take to manage emotional eating.
1. Practice effective stress management
Stress is a major trigger for emotional eating, and adopting coping skills and relaxation practices can help reduce emotional eating.
This has been confirmed by research published in the Journal of Eating Disorders, stating that stress reduction can significantly mitigate maladaptive eating patterns.3
While helpful stress management strategies may vary from person to person, relaxing and calming the mind can help decrease the urge to turn to comfort foods in response to emotions.
Effective stress reduction strategies include:
- Schedule enough downtime
- Regular physical activity
- Connect with loved ones
- Spend time in nature
- Deep breathing practices
- Prioritize quality sleep
2. Follow a low-carb diet
Because a high-carb diet can trigger blood sugar fluctuations linked to powerful cravings, limiting carbohydrates and sugars by following a ketogenic diet is an effective strategy to minimize emotional eating.
Stabilizing blood sugar levels not only helps reduce cravings but also supports weight loss, which can improve metabolic and emotional health, further minimizing the urge to eat in response to stress or other strong emotions.
The Healthy Keto® plan is an advanced ketogenic diet approach that, in addition to limiting carbohydrates, avoids processed foods and emphasizes nutrient-dense whole foods.
By providing essential nutrients to support overall health, Healthy Keto promotes long-term weight management while helping reduce cravings and emotional reliance on food.
3. Incorporate vitamin B1-rich foods
Vitamin B1, also known as thiamine, plays a crucial role in energy metabolism by helping the body convert carbohydrates into glucose, which fuels the brain and muscles.
A vitamin B1 deficiency can lead to low energy levels and irritability, which may increase food cravings and contribute to emotional eating behaviors.
Furthermore, vitamin B1 helps regulate brain functions and nervous system health, which is vital for maintaining stress resilience and supporting emotional balance, reducing the likelihood of turning to food as a coping mechanism.
Some of the best sources of vitamin B1 include pork, eggs, nuts, sunflower seeds, organ meats, and oily fish.
4. Focus on quality sleep
Restful, adequate sleep plays a vital role in emotional regulation, hormonal balance, and metabolic health–all of which are essential for managing emotional eating.
Poor sleep increases stress hormones, such as cortisol, and disrupts appetite-regulating hormones, potentially intensifying cravings and making it harder to resist comfort foods.
Prioritizing restorative sleep not only supports emotional stability but also makes it easier to lose weight and maintain healthy eating habits.
Effective sleep-supportive strategies include:
- Keep the bedroom cool, quiet, and free of clutter
- Create a relaxing bedtime routine
- Maintain a consistent sleep schedule
- Limit caffeine and alcohol intake, especially in the evening
- Avoid heavy meals or late-night snacking before bed
5. Keep a food and mental health diary
Keeping a food diary that also tracks mental health, lifestyle habits, and emotional eating triggers can provide valuable insight into the connection between how you feel and what you eat.
Identifying emotional eating patterns can help you recognize when feelings may drive your food choices and develop healthier coping strategies to manage those moments more effectively.
6. Create a meal plan
Creating a structured meal plan helps reduce impulsive food choices and emotionally driven eating behaviors.
In addition, if your favorite comfort foods are processed or high in sugar, try finding healthier foods that offer similar satisfaction, such as dark chocolate instead of candy or homemade low-carb pasta or pizza options.
When to seek extra support
If you suspect you are an emotional eater or have noticed that food has become a primary coping mechanism, it may be time to seek professional help.
Persistent struggles with emotional or disordered eating, or signs of binge eating disorder, can signal the benefit of therapy or other forms of behavioral guidance, including support groups.
A licensed therapist or counselor can help identify the unique psychological factors underlying emotional eating and develop effective treatment programs.
The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) offers valuable information for individuals with maladaptive eating patterns, emphasizing the importance of self-compassion in fostering a healthier relationship with food.4
Key takeaways
Emotional eating is a complex psychological behavior in which both negative and positive feelings can trigger overeating of often unhealthy foods that isn’t driven by physical hunger.
Strategies such as effective stress reduction, following a low-carb diet, keeping a food diary to identify triggers, and prioritizing quality sleep can help promote a healthier relationship with food.
FAQ
1. What causes emotional eating?
Common causes of emotional eating include stress, anxiety, loneliness, or boredom. While often related to emotional distress, positive feelings can also trigger emotional eating by using food as a reward or a way to celebrate.
2. How can I tell if I’m eating out of emotion or hunger?
Eating because of hunger generally occurs at predictable times and is satisfied once the body receives enough food.
In contrast, emotional eating is often sudden, triggered by feelings and emotions rather than hunger cues, and typically involves cravings for specific comfort foods even when you’re full.
3. What foods do people crave most when emotionally eating?
Eating driven by emotions is often linked to comfort foods that are high in sugar, carbohydrates, or salt, such as chocolate, chips, pizza, pasta, and ice cream.
Finding healthier alternatives to your favorite foods, especially those high in sugar, unhealthy fats, or refined carbohydrates, allows you to enjoy comfort food without compromising your health.
4. How can I stop emotional eating?
Strategies such as effective stress management, limiting carbohydrates and sugars, prioritizing sleep, and creating structured eating habits can help manage emotional eating. Keeping a food diary can help identify potential triggers and guide more effective coping skills and food choices.
5. Does stress really affect appetite?
Yes, stress directly affects hormones that can increase appetite, often driving powerful cravings for high-calorie, comfort foods as the body responds to emotional changes.
