Good reasons to comfort eat.

So the title of the blog might seem a little bit like clickbait but the truth of the matter is that we don't comfort eat 'just because', there is always a reason.  The simple reason is that we are addressing a need or emotional requirement with a coping strategy.  Is it the healthiest one in the world? Probably not, no.  Does it work in the short term to comfort us and reduce stress?  Most likely, yes.

So, in a nutshell, comfort eating is a short term answer to a chronic issue - stress of one sort or another.  This might be physical stress as a result of an injury, work stress resulting from a boss breathing down your neck about finishing that report, emotional stress following a fight with a friend or loved one or really any other form of stress you can think of. We don't have a healthy strategy to cope with the demanding situation we are put in, so as a result, we turn to an unhealthy coping mechanism - food, usually the saltier, fattier, sugarier the better.

Ok, so there's the reason why we use food as a coping mechanism.  Or one of them anyway, there may be others, but it's a common one.  What do we do about it?

Well, the first thing to do is to realise that it is happening.  And how do we do that you ask?  Well, we need to be aware of our emotions around eating.  I know, it sounds very new age and happy-clappy, but until we have some awareness around when we stress eat, we can't really tackle the next steps down the list.  

So ask yourself some questions throughout the day as you reach for the lunchbox or open the fridge, are you eating because you are truly hungry, or are you stressed, upset, are you bored, or are you tired?  All common reasons why we reach for food.  You don't need to judge these feelings, just be aware of them.  Even better, make a note of them in a notebook or in an app.  Once you have been doing this for a week or two, then you can move towards the next step - recognising the patterns in your behaviour.

Take a look back at the notes you have taken.  What do you notice about the hunger or stress cues before you ate?  Are there particular days, or even times of day when you were eating because of stress?  What about when you were in certain situations?  Did that tough client meeting make you reach for the Doritos?  Was the thought of seeing an ex-partner at a joint friend's birthday party a trigger for you to grab an extra piece of cake?  

Look through these with a learning eye rather than a critical one - after all, you've taken the time to make these notes and to try and improve your situation, cut yourself some slack!  Once you know what sort of events trigger your less than ideal eating habits you can look at adding in some more positive habits in place of the comfort eating type ones.

These can be simple things such as mindful breathing for a few minutes - giving yourself time to realise that you are stressed and ask yourself if eating the cake will make you feel better or just mask the stress in the short term.  Go for a short walk - not always possible in that stressful performance appraisal, but perhaps beforehand you could do so to get your head in a good place.  Have healthier versions of your favourite snacks on hand just in case.  One of my favourites is the thinly coated chocolate almonds from Graze.  They taste great and are a little more healthy than smashing through a couple of chocolate bars, just don't eat the whole bag!

So there you go, a rough step by step guide to why comfort eating isn't completely a mindless exercise in self-sabotage.  We do it for a reason, it serves a purpose - not always the best purpose for us in the long-term, but a purpose nonetheless.  So now you know the why and how to stop it, give it a go for yourself.  Just remember to be kind to yourself, be patient with the process, and understand that changing habits is something that takes time.  Enjoy the process and look at setbacks as lessons not failures.