Can Emotional Factors Cause Overeating?

• Eating in order to suppress feeling of
  • loneliness
  • grief
  • sadness 
  • depression

  is the emotional psychological cause of overeating.

• Because of hard work
  •  specially physical labor,

  some people need to eat a large amount of food to replenish the body.

  • In such individuals over eating may occasionally occur.
  But most overeating take place because of
  • emotional factors

  and that is what we will be considering here.

• Food nourishes the body and love nourishes the soul.
  • When you are with
    •  loving friend or
    • close family member

    you can become so happy that you forget to eat.

• You feel no need for food at that time
  • because you receive a higher food-love.
  But
  • when a person doesn't receive
    • love
    • happiness

    he or she becomes

    •  lonely
    • feels rejection
    Food may become the substitute for love.

• Eating in order to suppress
  • feeling of loneliness
  • grief
  • sadness
  • depression

  is the emotional psychological cause of overeating.

Statistics shows overeating happens more in women than in men.

• From in ayurvedic perspective
  • due to emotional factors and stress
    • stimulus jatharagni, the gastric fire

    and this stimulation activates the stomach.

    • The stimulation is translated for experienced as hunger

    and this is the reason people may eat more food.

How can you stop Overeating?

Express your feelings

• First
  • you have to let go of your feeling of
    • loneliness and
    • not being loved.
  • Write about your feelings.
  • Express them.
  That way
  • the energy that is blocked in the solar plexus
    •  start releasing

    and emotional hunger will begin to subside.

Meditate and Breathe

• Whenever you feel emotionally hungry
  • sit quietly and
    • pay attention to your breath.
  • Do 10 to 15 minutes of
    • So-hum meditation

.

• Shitali pranayam
  • make a tube of the tongue and
    • inhale through the tube
    • into the belly
  OR
  • take 12 deep breath and
  • drink a cup of warm water.

  This will help dissolved emotional hunger and overeating can be avoided.

Yoga

• Yoga exercise such as
  • moon salutation
  • camel pose
  • cobra pose and
  • spinal twist

  will help you control over eating due to emotional factors.

• Walk off the craving
  • whenever you have emotional craving for food,
    • take a brisk walk
    • for 20 minutes
    • in fresh air

    that will help reduce the cravings.

Eat Lightly

• If you feel you must eat
  •  then eat some light food
    • light crackers
    • serial
    • grains such as millet
    • drink some fruit juice
• Follow low fat diet.
  • That way you won't have to deny yourself when you feel like eating,

  but the light food wont put on weight or fat.

   

Eat Bananas

• Eating one ripe banana chopped off with
  • one teaspoon ghee
  • pinch of cardamom

  is effective for pacifying emotional, obsessive eating habits.

Test Your Hunger

•  here is one way to find out whether it is an
  • emotional craving or real biological need.
    • Drink some mint tea.
      • If it was emotional hunger the warm smoothing tea will take care of it and you will feel better.
      • If you are really hungry and need some food, the tea wont diminish your appetite.

If you have already eaten too much

• Roast 1 teaspoon coriander seed
  • add 1 teaspoon fennel seed
    • on a heavy iron pan without any oil. (Stir constantly to avoid burning.)
  •  Add a pinch of salt,

   let the mixture cool and eat it. It will help with indigestion.