How to overcome emotional eating

For many of us, food is always the solution.

Tired? Chocolate is there for you. Stressed? Cake has your back. Upset? Pizza will never let you down.

We know we’re not hungry, the craving just feels too strong to resist.

But this, sadly, is not necessarily the healthiest way to live.

Of course, occasionally indulging in delicious food despite not actually being hungry isn’t a problem, but it’s when you find yourself bingeing repeatedly that you can start to put your health at risk.

So what can you do to try and develop a healthier relationship with food?

According to health and eating psychology coach Mel Wells, the key is to think about what you’re actually craving aside from food?

“If you’ve ever been on a diet then you might have thought it was a smart move to try and ignore your hunger – or try and push away your cravings by distracting them – but instead of ignoring your cravings, hating them or trying to distract yourself from them, you need to start embracing them, respecting them and carefully observing them,” Wells explained to The Independent.

It’s when we do this that we can work on no longer feeling like a slave to cravings. “Your cravings are here to help guide you towards your most authentic self, and your most purpose-driven life,” Well says.