When it comes to eating habits, our relationships with food can look very different. This blog breaks down the different types of eating habits, starting with emotional eating and finishing with mindless eating. It’s important to understand your relationship with food in order to start to improve it and work towards meeting your health goals.
These eating habits are kind of like a scale and you may sit within one of these habits or across more than one, but it’s helpful to know what your starting point is.
I want to point out that we may all find ourselves in one of these categories sometimes; we can all use food as a comfort sometimes and we can all eat mindlessly. There is nothing wrong with this and it does not need to be something that you need to work on. However, where any of these eating habits interfere with your happiness and prevent you from following through on your health goals, that’s when we need to step in.
So, let’s get started:
1. Emotional Eating - Emotional eating is driven by emotions – joy, stress, sadness, fear, anger or any other emotions – and food becomes the soothing companion. Emotions are the connecting thread between all of these habits, but emotional eating stands out as it's directly linked to using food as a comfort for emotional turbulence. And while we all can sometimes turn to food for comfort, when it is the only tool in your coping box, it can have a real impact on your wellbeing.
2. Binge Eating - Binge eating is a marathon eating session. Similar to emotional eating, it's emotion-driven but characterised by episodes of consuming large quantities of food in a short time, often with a loss of control and to the point that you are both physically and mentally extremely uncomfortable. The difference? Binge eating feels like a food rollercoaster you just can't get off and it frequently leads to a binge-restrict cycle that only compounds the issue and is extremely difficult to live with.
3. Disordered Eating - Disordered eating encompasses a spectrum of eating behaviours that deviate from a "normal" eating pattern. It's like a puzzle with missing pieces, and no two disordered eaters are exactly alike. What sets it apart is that it's not a specific disorder but rather an umbrella term that includes various irregular eating habits.
4. Impulsive Eating - Impulsive eating is the last-minute decision to devour that chocolate cake. It's the close cousin of emotional eating in terms of triggers, but it's more about acting on spur-of-the-moment cravings. Impulsive eaters also often eat very quickly and are unable to delay the gratification that comes with eating.
5. Compulsive Eating - Compulsive eating is eating even when you're not hungry, and it often involves specific foods. This habit can overlap with binge eating, as both can involve a sense of compulsion. The key difference? Compulsive eating is marked by repetitive, ritualistic behaviours.
6. Mindless Eating - Mindless eating is like an episode of autopilot. It's not always driven by emotions; it's often due to inattention to what, when, and how much you're eating. The common thread here is a lack of mindfulness, which can lead to overeating or making unhealthy choices.
Why Does Knowing Matter? Understanding your relationship with food is crucial for reaching your health goals. Here's why:
Tailored Solutions: Knowing your unique eating habits helps you tailor solutions that work for you. What works for an emotional eater might not be the best approach for a compulsive eater.
Effective Strategies: Different habits require different strategies. Recognising your relationship with food allows you to apply the right tools for change.
Targeted Support: Seeking support from health coaches or professionals becomes more effective when they understand your specific challenges.
Avoiding Triggers: Awareness of your eating habits helps you identify and avoid triggers that lead to overindulgence.
Promoting Mindfulness: Recognizing your eating habits encourages mindfulness, which can prevent automatic or impulsive eating. It’s also important to become mindful of the emotional states that trigger these behaviours.
Places to start. It’s so hard to know where to start and sometimes it can feel like we will never be able to change our relationship with food. But I’m here to tell you that you absolutely can. You need to start small. Here are a few steps:
1. Just notice your habits. If you can, write down what they are with descriptions not judgements.
2. Make a note of any emotions that come up when these habits hit.
3. Be mindful of the food choices you are making.
4. Simply accept where you are and know that you can work to change it.
In summary, for those who struggle with their relationship with food, the journey to better health and happiness starts with understanding this relationship. Whether you're an emotional eater, a compulsive eater, or somewhere in between, knowing your habits is the first step toward transformative change.
I can help you on every step of this journey so head on over to my ‘work with me page’ for more information!