Our relationship with food is one of our oldest relationships in life. Like in any relationship it has the element of habit, and sometimes it may be more emotion based than we think. Anytime you eat when you are not feeling any hunger, you might be eating either out of emotion or habit.

Stressful situations may trigger a variety of emotions like worry, fear or anxiety. When you are experiencing any of these emotions you may rely on your existing relationship with food. If you have an on/off relationship, you may find yourself indulging in a chocolate cake then promising yourself you won’t do that again but then end up eating it anyway. Or if food is your partner in crime then you might escape stress for a while by eating a snack (or a number of them!).

These habitual relationships may be comfortable but how healthy are they? Difficulties in losing weight or changing your diet may be due to your existing relationship with food and emotions connected to it. So are you an emotional eater?