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Emotional Eating: 16 Ways to Stop it

Record your food intake, portion sizes, meal times, emotional state, and hunger levels; patterns may unveil links between mood and eating habits.

Combat stress eating with mindful meditation techniques.

If stress plays a role in your emotional eating, explore stress management practices like yoga.

Effective exercise prompts the release of endorphins, which interact with your brain to induce feelings of calm and relaxation.

If you ate recently and your stomach isn't growling, it's probably not physical hunger; let the craving pass.

Having a strong support network from family, friends, or a support group can help reduce the likelihood of succumbing to emotional eating.

Instead of snacking without hunger, engage in a healthier activity like playing with your pet, walking, watching a movie, listening to music, reading, or calling a friend.

Don't keep tempting comfort foods at home and delay grocery shopping when feeling emotional until you're in control.

When trying to lose weight, avoid extreme calorie restrictions and food repetition, as these can heighten emotional cravings.

For a between-meal snack, choose fresh fruit, veggies with low-fat dip, nuts, or plain popcorn, and consider lower-calorie versions of your favorites to curb cravings.

When stressed, start with a glass of water; dehydration may mimic hunger or stress.

Tea can be a helpful tool for curbing appetite and reducing hunger between meals.

Avoid skipping meals to prevent stress-induced eating.

Maintain a diverse, colorful diet provides a wide range of essential nutrients for overall health to deter emotional eating.

Forgive yourself for emotional eating, learn from it, plan to prevent future episodes, and focus on positive eating changes for better health.

Discuss eating habits with a healthcare professional for therapy, stress identification, improved food choices, and healthy goal attainment.