How to beat comfort eating

2 mins to read

It's 10pm on a Friday night. You're home alone, slouched on the couch with a tub of double choc chip ice-cream, watching the latest soppy flick. Why? Olivia Richardson hunts for the answers.

Weight management

What triggers comfort eating?

Typically it's feelings of sadness, or even boredom. Food, as most would agree, can be consoling. Eating also gives us something to do when ‘lost'.

Ah, but there's a problem. Apart from the obvious health drawbacks, the guilt which can accompany comfort eating often sinks our mood even lower.

Though according to eating behaviour specialist Dr Rick Kausman, a staunch advocate of healthy (rather than diet-driven) weight loss, perhaps we should listen to our cravings after all.

"When people think of food as being bad, the natural progression is that they think they're bad for having that food. That often leads people to eat more than what they really feel like," Kausman says.

"For example, people will often say, ‘Oh, I've had a Tim Tam, I was bad for doing that, oh stuff it, I might as well have another three or four. I'll start being ‘good' tomorrow."

"Some comfort eating is okay and normal," he adds. But it can become an issue if we end up doing it every time we have a problem."

"We need to widen our repertoire of ways of dealing with different situations that arise, so that eating is not the only choice."

Mind matters

Consider the way we talk and think about food. We tend to be drawn to the ‘forbidden', so if we think we aren't allowed to have a food, then we usually want it even more.

"If you know it's okay to have it, it's much easier to eat more slowly – you usually enjoy your food more and you end up eating less," Kausman says. "If we can practice feeling less guilty about eating our favourite comfort food, it doesn't mean we will eat more of that type of food. What happens is that if we can start to listen to what we really feel like, it turns out we don't really want to eat hamburgers, or whatever else, all the time. "

Eating awareness exercise

Put this theory to the test:

Take a bite size of chocolate (the slightly more healthy option is 70 per cent plus cocoa-rich dark chocolate)
Notice how it smells and looks
How does it feel on the back of your mouth and in your stomach?
Savour every moment

All going well, you'll be blown away at how rich and sweet a tiny bit of chocolate is and realise you don't need to eat a whole block to feel satisfied.

The bottom line

Everyone has their own way of dealing with sorrow. If eating ‘comfort' food works for you, allow yourself to have a small amount but ensure it's not the only way you respond to the problem. ‘Band-aiding' the issue with high-fat and high-sugar food isn't likely to solve anything.

Besides, eating a lot of unhealthy food (presuming your comfort food isn't something like a salad) will obviously affect your health.

Comfort eating busters

Go for a walk
Visit or ring a friend
Do something good for someone. It makes them feel good and also helps you forget about your problems
Exercise – it help our bodies release endorphins, natural feel-good chemicals
Eat healthily – a balanced diet better equips our body and mind to get through the day
Crank the music up and dance like crazy
If you've just broken up with someone, think about changing rooms (if this is feasible). A new setting can create a sense of a new beginning