Don't eat your emotions

Have you ever find yourself in the middle of having a bar of chocolates or a bag of crisps and suddenly wonder how you got there? Do you still go to the kitchen and take the habit of opening the fridge even after you've already had your dinner? Or do you tend to crave for more food that you've already had a while ago? Oh no..this is serious!

"Emotional eating is eating to make ourselves feel better," says an expert.

Many of us eat not only when we're hungry but also when we're bored, restless, guilty, hopeless or lonely and we eat even more whenever we're stress and moody. We smother our feelings with food and believing that eating comforts us. Somehow it helps to take the mind off our feelings. True! I too sometimes indulge in the binge-eating when I feel so stressful. hohoh. Anyway, I believe all of us sometimes eat for emotional reasons. So now it made me think; are we really eat to live or we live to eat then.

Still looking for some more food, honey?

*dok ita food lagihh..hehe =P

who can't resist such delicious food?? I'll crave for more for sure..

Indeed, food is very easy to get these days, it's always there and instant! But..the downside of emotional eating will eventually triggers guilt because it usually involves too much quantity, bad food choices and feel lack of self-control leading to ill health, weight gain and thus generates more guilt and stress, and so the vicious cycle continues.

There are few tips to conquer emotional eating, here goes:

• Identify your triggers; is it really hunger or just anger? Emotional hunger usually comes suddenly and strongly whereas physical hunger appears slowly and increases gradually. (note to myself: emotional hunger can strike at anytime even just after a full meal, so please stop the habit of opening the fridge and looking for what's next to eat!)
• Be alert when you eat to prevent munching without realising (that's why don't eat in front of the telly/lappy dear me!)
• Seek out food which require longer chewing time (note: chewing can release tension while exploiting those mastication muscles and make your jaw stronger! haha the latter part is just for fun).
• Pick up a healthy snacking habit! (eg fruits, yogurt, cereals, peanuts etc)
• Brush your teeth once you're done eating (especially before going to bed) to signal to your mind that your stomach is full. It works for me really! =)

Oh yes, another important point is we must slowly train ourselves to differentiate between the emotional hunger and physical hunger. Hence, the awareness is crucial and should be the first step to change. So the journey towards better health begins! ^_^

Love your body and starts eating healthily!