Emotional Eating: Why We Do It, and What to Do About It...

The concept of "eating your feelings" is not new... But have you ever wondered why we associate food with feeling good?  In a poll on the eating habits of American families, more than a quarter of the families cited food as a way to show affection, and around half of the families said they treat celebrations as a time to drop concerns about indulging! In studies of chimps and other primates, researchers observed tendencies to use food as a way to strengthen alliances and make new friends. Very interesting! Of course, another side of emotional eating is mindlessly chowing down when we feel sad, bored, stressed, or tired. While it's best to avoid eating in response to feelings other than hunger (and overeating, in general), there are some things you can do to minimize the damage to your diet when you do give in. Be prepared with lightened-up foods to feed common cravings, and always keep an eye on your portions.