Depression is one of the leading reasons people resort to emotional eating. The reasons behind getting depressed vary from person to person but it is true that one of the most common ways people react to the depressive states of their lives is by eating. Research has found out some of the ways emotional eating relates to depression.

1. Food drowns out the depressive thoughts.

• Depressive thoughts commonly strike when a person is alone or not preoccupied with other things.
• Stuffing the face with food is such an easy thing to do to be preoccupied enough not to think.
• Eating makes people think of other things like the flavour of food rather than the feelings they have.
• Also, dining with other people is a common practice to avoid boredom.

2. Food gives an instant level of comfort and satisfaction.

• Depression lessens the levels of serotonin, dopamine and endorphins which are body chemicals that trigger the feeling of happiness.
• With less happy hormones and elevated levels of cortisol (or the stress hormone), eating high-calorie cravings gives depressed people a feeling of instant gratification and comfort which does not really last long.
• Also, stress and depression heightens the craving for sweets and junk food which are bad for the body when taken in large quantities.
• Food cravings that are associated with childhood are preferred by some because of it brings them back to the good old times when life was not so sad and depressing.

3. Food is easier to get to.

• Anti-depressants may cause anxiety, insomnia, headaches, tremors, nausea and fatigue which are some of the reasons why some people resort to emotional eating rather than grabbing medication.
• Food is always available (almost everywhere) compared to prescription medicines.
• To add to that, various munchies are more pleasurable too.
• Food offers greater variety compared to anti-depression drugs and they may cost less too.
• Food may be shared with others, meds can’t.
• Eating seems like a better idea than popping meds because there is no risk of getting overdose, just overweight.

4. Food is a non-reactive solution.

• No matter how temporary the gratification that emotional eating presents to depressive people, it is still a preferred way to cope because eating food seems better than talking to someone.
• Eating is a one way action, people eat and that’s that. There does not need to be any communication involved because food does not require talking to for it to useful.
• In other words, some depressed people may think that food can better ‘friend’ because it does not judge, does not talk back or argue, does not demand, etc. Emotional eating might be seen by some as a good escape.

Tips

• Experts say that diagnosing depression is the easier part. The more difficult step is to find a way to address depression.
• Depression coupled with emotional eating is a harder condition to deal with.
• CBT is one of the treatments that are seen to be quite effective with both depression and emotional eating.

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