ustrong and sudden, nervous hunger comes overwhelmingly and then passes. However, often leaving behind a sense of guilt and frustration, little satisfaction. Food becomes an outlet in times of great stress or anxiety, binding strongly to negative emotions. Although it is not a pathology, it can however be kept under control and get out of the vicious circle.
Nervous hunger, overeating and negative emotions
In jargon it is also called emotional eating and it’s just thebinge eating when you are in an unsettled emotional state. It is not a pathology nor does it represent the identity of a person, it is a behavior that can be changed or, at least, mitigated: «We don’t always eat to satisfy our hunger. Many use food to relieve stress, anxiety, sadness, loneliness or boredom, giving in to what is called “nervous or emotional hunger”. It is a sensation of overwhelming appetite that does not depend on a physiological need, or on the simple act of eating, but it is unleashed when discomfort occurs: one feels the need to fill a void and manage unpleasant emotions that make you feel bad at that moment» explains the doctor Costanza Fontani, emotional-behavioral coach which, through its CO.CO method, builds coaching courses to “teach” how to train emotional skills and provide the necessary tools to better understand how emotions influence the actions that are taken and the decisions that are made they take.
Emotional eating is not exactly new nor is it that rare, on the contrary: as the expert explains, nervous hunger is widespread all over the world, involving above all women. Numerous researches have shown that about the 70% have weight problems related to this phenomenon: «It is necessary to make a clarification: even if it is not a condition that causes excessive concern, one can recognize the signs and run for cover, it must not be underestimated or ignored in any case».
Nervous hunger: how the relationship with food changes
But what does it mean to suffer from nervous hunger? It means that one’s relationship with food and with oneself changes. At the basis of nervous hunger there is in fact the urgency of having to eat to compensate for a momentary sense of discomfort. This type of hunger is sudden, insistent, almost urgent and must be satisfied immediately because by eating you relieve your discomfort, for example by lowering the level of stress, anxiety or frustration. Not surprisingly, with nervous hunger increase the consumption of “junk food” which, however, increases the level of endorphins, the hormone of happiness, as well as being a food that gives greater “satisfaction”.
The sense of relief, however, is only momentary. Very often nervous hunger is also accompanied by a sense of inadequacy and a sense of guilt which occurs immediately afterwards. In fact, nervous hunger is not physical hunger, the need to eat because it is the body that requires it, but it is emotional. This implies that there is feels addicted to food and his own emotions, increasing the sense of frustration also due to weight gain.
Get out of nervous hunger
Food therefore cannot be a temporary relief. When it comes to this point, it’s time to stop and figure out what’s not working anymore. Not only that, you need to learn to eat again consciously and not compulsively.
Seven strategies to get out of the vicious emotion-food cycle
1. Keep a food diary
It is important because it allows you to keep an eye on what you eat, when and your emotional state: “Put on paper everything that is right or wrong in your life it helps to be aware of it» explains the expert.
2. Five meals a day, and that’s it
It is a rule applied by all dietitians and nutritionists: eat five times a day so as to «better modulate the sense of hunger and arrive at the table with an appetite but not hungry». Do not forget that “food must be chewed slowly to aid digestion and give the brain time to receive the stomach satiety signal».
3. Herbal teas, teas and aromatic waters help a lot
«One of the most effective ways to induce a sense of satiety without eating is to drink plenty of water throughout the day, or indulge in relaxing herbal teas: by doing so you will fill your stomach and keep yourself properly hydrated while at the same time indulging in a cuddle capable of relieving anxiety and tension».
4. Eat quietly
That is to say, no external stimuli, no emails and messages from the office. You eat peacefully, on a well-prepared table. Why? «This gives a sense not only of satiety but also of contentment: the lunch break must be spent with yourself, avoiding being distracted by looking at the cell phone or TV».
5. Healthy food even in the office
«A valid strategy is that, especially if you spend your lunch break in the office, of rCut yourself a quiet and secluded corner – and away from your PC – by consuming healthy food perhaps brought from home to avoid stocking up on the vending machines that distribute packaged food».
6. No shopping if you are angry or under stress
«Because the choice would inevitably fall on tempting foods such as chocolate, pizzas, creams, biscuits and desserts in general. Better then go to the supermarket when you are calm and therefore inclined to choose healthy and seasonal products».
7. Clear your mind
«Anxiety and stress can be kept at bay by engaging in rewarding behaviors which they will keep away from the pantry. Seeing friends, listening to music, practicing sports by following courses in the gym or outdoors, or even a simple walk or bike ride: all activities that help clear the mind. Yoga, meditation, body relaxation techniques are also very useful which allow, through the positions of the body and the breath, to mitigate states of anxiety, free your head from worries and negative thoughts, living only in the present momentand, letting go and accepting the loss of control»
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