Eating our Emotions

Food and Emotions: 90 percent overlook key to weight loss, survey finds

Expert says diets fail because people don't address the emotional aspects of food

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/12/151201093606.htm

Article Summary: 

This article investigates the correlation between our emotions and our food. With New Years just around the corner, only about 8% of those who make a New Year's resolution will actually keep it. Additionally, studies show that 2 out of 3 people who lose 5% of their total body fat gain it back, and the more weight you lose, the less you chances are of keeping it off. 

Diane Robinson, PhD, a neuropsychologist and Program Director of Integrative Medicine at Orlando Health explains that while people focus almost solely on the physical aspects of weight loss, dieting and exercising, they neglect to focus on the emotional aspects. 

She explains that many of us relate food to our emotions from an early age. We are given food to calm or reward us when we were children. Many holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are remember for their food. We also sometimes even relate smells to our memories of our grandmother in the kitchen, or other memory evoking smells. This memory causes the release of dopamine, the feel good process. Because of this, long into our adulthood, we can seek food for comfort. For example, coming home from a stressful day of work can lead us straight to our refrigerator. 

 Shekyra DeCree has lost over 100 pounds by addressing her emotional connection with food. As a result she claims the best way to fight the fat is to: 

"-Keep a daily diary logging your food and your mood, and look for unhealthy patterns.

-Identify foods that make you feel good and write down why you eat them. Do they evoke a memory or are you craving those foods out of stress

-Before you have any snack or meal ask yourself: Am I eating this because I'm hungry? If the answer is no, look for the root of your motive."

Personal Reflection: 

I think I have this problem without question. It is easy to see that when I am stressed or under pressure, I turn to the only thing that always makes me feel better. Because of this I have definitely formed habits of going to get food to calm me or make me feel less stressed. I also relate comfort of my dad with his cooking and therefore relate certain smells to being home. I can see how this is not good for my habits and can cause issues in the future. 

Correlation: 

We have talked about dopamine in class and its effects in relation to stress. It can help calm you during the stress of school work and can be released when hanging with friends, playing with pets, exercising, and apparently eating. Therefore, while eating may lower your stress, its effects could be worse than being stressed out. I think that this shows you have to make sure you are lowering your stress through beneficial outlets. For example, going for a run to calm down would be much better than going to the kitchen,