Tips for learning to control emotional eating

How to learn to control it

Mindful eating is a practice that invites you to eat paying full attention to the experience: to the food, your body and your emotions.  It involves stopping, observing how we feel before eating and paying attention to feelings of hunger and satiety.

What is emotional hunger and how to identify it

Emotional hunger is the need to eat to calm emotions, not to satisfy physical hunger. It usually appears suddenly, associated with stress, anxiety, sadness, boredom or even celebration. Unlike real hunger, which arises gradually and is related to body signals such as an empty stomach or lack of energy, emotional hunger causes an intense desire for specific foods – often sweets or snacks – and is accompanied by impulsivity. 

Signs for recognising emotional hunger:

• It appears immediately, without prior notice.
• It does not come from the  stomach: it comes from an emotional state.
• We seek out “specific” foods, which are usually very palatable (due to taste, aroma, textura and appearance, which stimulate the desire to consume them).
• We eat without paying attention to quantities or physical sensations.
• After eating, guilt, frustration, or a feeling of loss of control appears.

Mindful eating: eating conscientiously to control emotions

Mindful eating is a practice that invites you to eat paying full attention to the experience: to the food, your body and your emotions. It involves stopping, observing how we feel before eating and paying attention to feelings of hunger and satiety.

Applying it helps distinguish between real hunger and emotional hunger, reduces food anxiety and promotes a more balanced and positive relationship with diet.

Keys to mindful eating:

• Eat without distractions: no mobile phone, TV or laptop.
• Observe the dish: colours, textures, aromas.
• Listen to your body: am I really hungry or am I looking to calm something down?
• Eat more slowly, savouring every bite.
• Accept without judging the experience of eating.

How to manage and overcome emotional hunger

Overcoming emotional hunger is not just about stopping eating when it arises, but about understanding what emotions are behind it and responding to them more appropriately.

Strategies for managing it:

• Name the emotion: sadness, fatigue, stress, loneliness, etc.
• Let yourself feel: emotion is not dangerous, it is a message.
• Look for regulatory alternatives: breathing, walking, talking to someone, resting for a few minutes.
• Stick to your routines: sleeping well, maintain a regular schedule and avoiding long periods without eating helps stabilise physical hunger.
• Make a list of “non-edible resources”: activities that connect with you and bring you calm.

Three practical exercises for managing emotional hunger

1. 3-minute pause

Before you eat, stop. Take a deep breath, observe your emotion and ask yourself:
Am I physically hungry?
What do I really need now?

2. The traffic light of food

• Green: real hunger. Eat consciously.
• Yellow: doubt. Wait 10 minutes, breathe and feel your body.
• Red: intense emotion. Choose an alternative NOT related to food.

3. Food and emotions diary

Write down what you feel, what you eat, and how you feel. This will help you identify patterns.