In the mood for food?
Emotions and food often go together. We eat to celebrate, we enjoy dining with friends – and sometimes we eat in response to bad feelings. This is called “emotional eating.” It’s not a problem to comfort yourself with a tasty treat when you’re feeling down sometimes, as long as food doesn’t replace coping with your emotions more directly. Keep in mind that the problem or emotion you’re experiencing isn’t solved by eating, so it will still be there after you’ve satisfied your craving. Emotional eating can actually make some people feel worse if they experience guilt after eating. This Food-Mood Log will help you track your moods and the food you eat in response to those moods.
For at least three consecutive days or more, write down everything that you eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, including snacks and beverages. Also keep track of how you’re feeling before you eat. Unhappy? Lonely? Nervous? Calm? Excitable? This may not be easy to do but can be really helpful. You may notice some patterns to your eating, become more aware of what triggers cravings, and get an idea about the type of food you eat when you’re feeling certain ways. You can download a Food and Mood worksheet here or use the journal feature in My Page along with the Mood Cloud.
Use the log to keep track of:
- Meals: Record what you ate, and approximately how much. Don’t forget to include toppings like sour cream, or extras, like packs of sugar.
- Time: Write down the time of day when you ate.
- Where: What room did you eat in, or what fast-food restaurant, park, etc.?
- People: Make a note of whether you were alone when you ate, with family, or friends.
- Hunger Level: Are you hungry, or are you just craving an emotional blanket?
- Mood and Thoughts: How were you feeling when you ate? Tired? Bored? Excited?
See if you can find patterns or emotional triggers. Do certain moods trigger cravings for different foods? For example, maybe you always want a late night snack of chocolate. Use this diary as a tool to help you make small changes in lifestyle like adding in some stress management or healthier food options in the snack drawer at home. Or you may find that you'd like to talk with a health expert about the connections you are making among your eating patterns and mood. You decide!
This article has been reviewed by Debra Franko, PhD.
Kids eat nearly twice as many calories at restaurants (770) as they do during a meal at home (420).
