Emotional hunger is an eating behavior disorder as important as Blumia Nervosa or Anorexia Nervosa. When you are stressed, angry, sad, or lonely even though your stomach is full, there is an urge to eat. In this case, you start to eat for your feelings, not for your body. In a healthy diet, hunger begins physically. Emotional Hunger and Physical Hunger must be differentiated adequately.
Physical Hunger
It occurs gradually, it does not come all at once.
You will definitely feel that you can manage in this state for a while until you eat.
You stop taking food when your stomach is full.
You don’t feel guilty after eating.
Emotional Hunger
It occurs in an instant.
When you feel emotional hunger, you think you need to eat quickly.
You start your food intake when your stomach is full and continue without feeling full.
After this hunger, you feel guilty for the foods you consume.
How to Cope?
The basic step in dealing with emotional hunger; When the feeling of hunger comes, it is to analyze whether you are really hungry. If you think that this hunger is not physical, you should pass it with 1 glass of water or 1 cup of green tea. If you think that the hunger you feel is physical, you should compare your hunger level with the last time you ate. If 3-4 hours have passed since your last meal, this hunger is indeed physical hunger and it is time to consume healthy food.
Another way to beat emotional hunger is to divert your mind to different things. For example, you can go for a walk, watch a movie or read a book. These activities allow you to get rid of the feeling of “boredom” that causes emotional hunger.
For example, in order not to experience eating behavior disorders, you should always make sure that you make healthy choices. By consuming 3 main 2-3 medium meals a day, you can prevent your blood sugar from falling too low and turning to calorie foods. You should include whole grain foods, seasonal fresh vegetables and fruits, low-fat protein sources and dairy products in your diet. In addition to these, making a habit of systematic training in the pure air will help you get rid of the emotional crisis.
If you succumb to your emotional hunger after a tense day and consume wasteful foods, you should remind yourself that you can make a fresh start the next day and never blame yourself.
