Emotional Eating

Per Ayurveda, all eating is emotional. Eating provides physical and emotional nourishment, and is inherently grounding to the body. When you eat, you feel like you’re receiving a warm hug. When we run around, stressed out for any number of reasons, we increase vata in the body; vata has qualities of dry, cold, subtle, light, and mobile. Our bodies are intelligent and want to counteract this by grounding. Therefore, we may reach for food (this can also result in overeating, especially if we don’t stop and sit down to eat). 

There is also another perspective that cravings for certain foods can result from not cultivating enough of that feeling in our lives. For example, we may crave sweet tasting foods if we are lacking sweetness or pleasure in our lives. We also may eat instead of sitting with an uncomfortable feeling to numb ourselves. 

When you find yourself wanting to eat from an emotional state, see if you can take a breath and ask yourself: am I really hungry? What am I feeling in my body? Is there something underneath this that I don’t want to address? Is there something else I can do that would give me the same feeling (e.g., lay on the floor for a few minutes, take a walk alone, take a bath, do some self oil massage, etc.)?

If you are hungry, eat. Most importantly, make sure to sit down and pay attention to whatever you have chosen to eat, so your body can feel the full satisfaction from the food physically and emotionally.

If you eat and are not hungry, see if you can stay with yourself, notice your choice and stay out of judgment— again, sit and let yourself fully enjoy it.