Emotional Eating – How to Transform It Positively

Let's start with a personal story, though many are likely to relate to it: A particularly frustrating day at work, filled with anger, nerves, and restlessness. It ends with a stop at the supermarket, but instead of buying something healthy, comfort is found in sweets or salty snacks like bourekas, croissants, or pizza. Initially, it feels better, thanks to the immediate energy the food provides, but afterward, guilt, regret, and even self-anger may arise post-eating. This scenario is familiar to most of us...

The big challenge is how to successfully manage emotional eating. Let's start by understanding the root of emotional eating.

It's important to understand that nutrition comes from the root word for nourishment. There is positive nourishment and negative nourishment:

Positive nourishment - Healthy food like fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains (such as whole wheat, rye, spelt, etc.), and varied legumes (lentils, beans, chickpeas – not canned or frozen). All these contain vitamins, minerals, and dietary fibers essential for the proper functioning of all body systems.

Negative nourishment - Unhealthy food that includes high levels of sugar, fat, and salt. Processed and industrial food, such as frozen foods or canned goods, snacks, and baked goods considered "empty carbohydrates" (carbohydrates with low nutritional value, such as low levels, if any, of vitamins and minerals).

When identifying an almost uncontrollable urge for food, if possible, choose food that provides positive nourishment, as detailed. For example: a banana, date, mango, or another sweet fruit can satisfy the craving for sweetness. It is true that the first impulse is for the negative, but as it is said "the inclination of man's heart is evil from his youth," and according to the creation story in Genesis, darkness preceded light. The challenge is to channel this urge toward a more positive direction and at least enjoy the many benefits of fruits. Particularly from the darkness, the challenge is to choose positivity and the more wholesome possibility of positive nourishment. Diabetics or pre-diabetics must consult their caregiver according to the daily amount of fruits they consume.

Emotional nourishment - It can also be divided into positive or negative nourishment. Positive nourishment includes positive emotions such as joy, happiness, love, self-acceptance, and self-confidence. Negative nourishment includes negative emotions such as anger, frustration, nerves, bitterness, sadness, despair, and even depression.

Pause and think for a moment what type of emotional nourishment characterizes you: Is most of the day filled with joy, satisfaction, and self-confidence, or rather with sadness, self-blame, or self-criticism? If negativity is more characteristic, it's time to decide that it's time for positive change in our thoughts and worldview. This is the root. Thoughts influence speech, and speech influences actions. Rabbi Zamir Cohen and many Kabbalists talk about this extensively. You can find plenty of articles and effective ways to help you also increase positive emotional nourishment.

Compensation - Emotional eating can result from compensation. For example: fatigue, heaviness, and exhaustion are states where there isn't enough internal energy and not enough desire and will to act. The easy solution is to get energy from an external source like food, and sometimes the more accessible food is the less healthy one. It’s important to remember the words of the Rambam, who said that the soul and body are one. Physical fatigue and exhaustion often indicate fatigue and exhaustion of the soul. It may be the result of intense work, great investment at home and with children, accumulated weariness, and more. It's time to stop and identify the source of the fatigue. Is the fatigue physical or does the soul really want to say something? Is there something in life that's unbalanced and then the delicate balance disruption causes emotional eating? If so, how can this be addressed in the best way possible, with Hashem's help?

Knowing how to receive and give – Giving is an important value in Judaism, but it's important to do it wisely. There are people who only know how to give but don't know how to receive or feel they aren't receiving for various reasons. As a result, they are empty. They are an example of negative giving: giving until the vessel is empty, until there is no more energy and strength, and then they might turn to negative nourishment that provides comfort, balm, and fulfillment – but only momentarily. Baal HaSulam speaks about receiving in order to give. It's important to know how to receive because then there is something to give. If the vessel is empty – what can be given? Therefore, it's important to know how to receive, but receive in order to give and pass on the abundance of the Creator, with Hashem's help. Knowing how to receive can also mean receiving a compliment, a good word, enjoying a smile, or help and generosity from others. Yes, it is okay to receive. It's not a shame. After all, it's all the abundance of the Creator, who chooses to grant us through various ways, and we are all messengers of the Creator, with Hashem's help. But here too, it is important not to remain in negative receiving, that is: acting selfishly and only thinking about myself, but to transform it into positive receiving and influence for good: see how I can direct some of the spiritual and physical abundance the Creator has given me and dedicate it to tithing, donating, volunteering, and helping others. You don't always need to go far. Sometimes even our household members would appreciate our help: a listening ear, a shoulder to lean on, or words of wisdom and taste. When we receive and also give, it is the ideal balance. We are happy, our surroundings are happy, and thus the chances of systematic emotional eating are reduced. And even when it does appear, we can deal with it more easily, with Hashem's help.

Best of luck! I believe in you!

Noa Roll is a naturopath specializing in healthy nutrition and positive thinking