The Power of Comfort Foods

Food is a powerful coping mechanism in our society. Approximately 75% of overeating is triggered by by our emotions... joy, sadness, anger, fear, etc. We celebrate good times and happy events with food and we use food to comfort ourselves through sadness and hurt.

At one office I worked in we used to half-seriously joke about needing chocolates or cookies after particularly stressful encounters.  Some of us kept chocolates or other "pick me up" treats in candy jars or desk drawers. We happily celebrated birthdays and other life events of our colleagues with healthy group lunches (salad, anyone?!) followed by some decadent dessert treat. The concept of responding to even mild stress (whether it's good or bad) with a sweet treat or junk food of some sort has become institutionalized in our daily work culture. No wonder food holds such emotional appeal for us.

Many people who binge eat are eating in response to emotional stress, not physical hunger.  They are unable to differentiate emotion-driven hunger from healthy, physical hunger. In this weekly blog I will explore the concept of Mindful Eating as one way for emotional eaters to address the issue of bingeing on food as a coping mechanism. See the New York Times article,  "Mindful Eating as a Way to Fight Bingeing" for a good overview of what mindful eating is and is not.

This blog will encourage readers to explore the social and emotional stressors that contribute to their use of food as a coping mechanism; additionally, it will suggest to readers some healthy ways to regulate their emotions without bingeing on food. Although the function of good nutrition on emotional well-being will be discussed, this is not a dieting blog or a blog about eating disorders. 

Next week's posting: The Mystery of Emotional Eating 

Beverly Chevalier, MSW, LCSW, CCTP is a skilled and experienced clinical social worker whose practice focuses on chronically traumatized youth, teens, adults and families.  Beverly facilitates the FOCUS on M.E. support group for emotional eaters at her office: Monarch Therapeutic Services, 2661 Whitney Avenue, Hamden. Contact Beverly at monarchpsychotherapy@gmail.com.