Don’t eat to cure sadness

Grammy award winner Sam Smith who has been been in the news for noticeably losing pounds recently opened up about the intense struggle he’s had all these years, admitting that food “controlled” him.

In a recent interview, the 22-year-old singer admitted that food controlled him from a very young age, and emotional eating was very much responsible for his weight gain.

He was quoted as saying, “When I was at school and wasn’t having a great time or when music wasn’t going very well, I would eat. Eating would make me feel better, when I felt lonely I would eat.” He added that if someone calls him fat even today, it affects him deeply.

Emotional eaters tend to eat when they find themselves too overwhelmed and unable to deal with their emotions in a healthy way. Life coaches and nutritionists tell us that emotional distress often leads to binge eating or worse, emotional eating.

In fact, emotions may be so tied up to emotional eating, that it could get difficult to distinguish the two. Emotional eating helps in easing the emotional hardship for a brief moment.

Life coach and psychotherapist Khyati Birla observes, “Food is connected to our emotions. That is why terms like the ‘happy meals’ or ‘happy hours’ exist. Indulging in fast food, which is rich in sauces/greasy, releases happy hormones. Thus eating as one wishes becomes an unhealthy life coping strategy for some; just because of the short-term happiness that eating brings.”

It is important to understand that emotional eating doesn’t solve emotional problems. Very often, it may make you feel worse.

Learning to recognise signs of emotional eating and making a conscious effort to change the habit is the first step. Nutritionist Karishma Chawla of Eat Rite 24x7 says, “Understand that everything is a mind game. You succumb to unhealthy foods when things don’t go the way you would have liked, it is a lack of acceptance and confidence in oneself. Such behaviour will soon translate into addiction and reflect in blood chemistry and can lead to obesity and metabolic syndrome diseases.”

She shares a quick tip: “Before you consume any food or beverage, ask yourself, is it going to help me achieve my health, fitness, and performance goals or detract from them. Eat decisively and not foolishly!”

It is possible that your sleep patterns are responsible for your reasons to binge. If you  find it difficult to fall into a deep slumber, then this could be a reason for overeating. Life coach Chetna Mehrotra says, “Your sleeping pattern is directly linked to a stressful mind and a good 6-8 hours of sound sleep cuts down on stress, anxiety and wavering emotions. One needs to take a pause before giving into the craving for unhealthy food; that brief pause can change decisions and make a difference.”

Life coach and author of The Mind Spa: Ignite Your Inner Life Coach, Malti Bhojwani adds that with a few simple steps, emotional eating can be kept at bay.

She says, “Food is supposed to be fuel. Shop, select and pre-plan what you want your days’ nutrition to include. Make sure there are lots of greens to reduce acidity and the chlorophyll will improve blood circulation and thus metabolism. Include enough protein as they are the building blocks for lean muscle and quality low-GI carbohydrates. Increase your intake of water as well.”