23/03/2026
🌼 What do we know about emotional eating?
Just thinking about this while I am on holidays.. Sometimes we need a reminder on how everything started. For me, I grew up in a family where food was used to nourish, celebrate, socialise. My parents were very careful and did their best with what they could to provide nourishment, so all foods were included, and food portions weren't a thing: I had to finish everything from the plate!
Growing up, I started to make my own choices as being an adolescent who struggles with a normal body weight wasn't easy, which is something my parents wouldn't understand. And no, it wasn't just physical appearance, but more importantly general health and wellbeing. So when I graduated high school, I started making better foods choices, went to study nutrition and dietetics and learnt new eating habits.
As an adult, I experienced a thought period once, with ups and downs, and my relationship with food wasn't great during that time. Due to increased stress, anger, anxiety, frustration food was a comfort response rather than physical hunger.
How did I overcome this? First, I stayed in discomfort and allowed myself to feel it all, and grieve the past. I found a great therapist who supported my healing and got my power back, slowly, by accepting the past and do the work. I discovered my passions again and start developing new healthy habits, such as stop reckless dieting and adopt regular meal patterns, eat more fruits and vegetables and keep hydrated.
So what can we do:
🌱 Get to know each other as individuals, on a deep personal level: likes, dislikes, boundaries, and heal past trauma.
🌱 Focus on mindfulness, emotional regulation, and self-compassion rather than yoyo dieting with no long term results.
🌱 Seek for specialist personalised advice. There is not a shame in asking for help.
P. S: There is difference between occasional emotional eating and binge eating disorder. Eating disorders are not just "simply “overeating" or "undereating". Seek professional support from Eating disorder Dietitians that can make all the difference.