Natural Ways to Stop Emotional Overeating

One of the toughest battles in weight loss that has caused many people to binge is emotional eating. Emotional eating has been often equated to a trigger to eat when you are under stress. I have found that there are many other reasons for emotional eating. The one I hear most often is the scenario where you are up late watching television and a picture of delicious food pops up on the screen. The next thing you know you are in the fridge and you have already started eating before you close the door.

Problems in a romantic relationship, or the lack of a relationship, have triggered many a lonely heart to eat food for comfort. With the current state of the economy, I have found that more people are reporting that they over eat due to financial stress. Family problems and medical worries can also play a role in over eating. The one common link with emotional eating is unhappiness. Emotional eaters find that their challenges in life are too painful to face in that moment. Most people who smoke, fear giving up smoking because they will turn to food and gain weight.

Mainstream diet experts recommend asking yourself questions such as, "Am I really hungry?" or recommend keeping a food journal. Most experts doling out this advice do not understand that when you emotionally crave food, nine times out of ten, you are not going to stop and ask questions. You won't look for a scrap of paper to write down what you are about to eat. Mainstream experts also recommend talking about your problems instead of eating. I can agree with that to a certain extent.

The purpose of this article is to discuss natural alternatives to anticipate, battle, and conquer emotional eating. My clients have found it more effective to acknowledge that they may at any unexpected time eat and binge for emotional reasons. We create a strategy in advance to help balance mind and body to help you diminish your cravings and avert emotional eating.

Natural flower essences can help you deal with certain stressors and anxiety to help you feel calm. A great flower essence for all ages is Bach Rescue Remedy. A couple of drops in water or under the tongue can help you feel naturally calm and relaxed. Bach flower essences are labeled where you can read specifically what each bottle can address on the emotional spectrum. Wild Rose is great for emotional eaters who feel stuck in your situation. Gorse is great when you feel there is no hope left. Rock Water is for those who are tired of feeling stuck in rigid habits and situations and cannot enjoy life. All flower essence remedies are designed for those who want to fend off nervous tension. They are safe and can be combined or taken separately. I recommend at first taking each remedy separately and spaced an hour apart so you can see if you have relief from one. You may need just one at times.

Sugar, salt and fried food cravings are related to specific nutritional deficiencies. Calcium carbonate, Chromium, and Gymnema Sylvestre can help balance and reduce the craving feeling. These ingredients can be purchased separately or I often give clients a bottle of Snack Defense (by Herbalife) which has the proper dosage of each ingredient combined. You can take these supplements twice a day. They are also helpful in balancing blood sugar. When you take them I do recommend eating within an hour. If you wait too long to eat, your blood sugar can also drop.

Taking a proper multi-vitamin each day can help provide proper supplementation to also reduce cravings. Women who are menstrual often have cravings for extreme sweet or salty foods up to two weeks before their cycle. These cravings occur for several reasons that involve vitamin and mineral deficiencies as well as low serotonin. Taking Evening Primrose Oil, Femal (made by Flora), can help diminish cravings for certain foods and help you feel more control over what you are eating.

I have previously written two articles on digestive enzymes and their importance in helping carry the nutrition of food that you eat into your cells. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2783548/digestive_enzymes_can_influence_weight.html?cat=68 Taking digestive enzymes when you eat can help you feel more full and satisfied because your body is absorbing the food nutrients instead of speeding it to the colon.

Complex carbohydrates can also help in the battle of emotional eating. Turkey and salmon are high in tryptophan and protein. The tryptophan can help you feel happy and relaxed.

Artificial sweeteners (Equal, Nutrasweet) that contain phenylalanine contain the chemical phenol. Many dieters have allergies to phenol and one of the symptoms is feeling depressed.

Caffeine highs and lows can also contribute to emotional eating. Some studies show that most people feel appetite suppression when consuming caffeine. Most diet products contain herbs that are high in caffeine. The problem is when the caffeine wears off, a hunger rage can develop. Most caffeine drinkers often binge at night. Switching to decaf can help get you off the roller coaster. Supplementing with selenium can help elevate mood and decrease anxiety.

There are many reasons why emotional overeating occurs. Most reasons can be traced back to a nutritional deficiency or a poor choice of food or food combinations we consume that can trigger cravings. Take a look at what you eat on a day to day basis and notice where you can implement supplementation and prepare yourself to avert emotional eating.