The connection between feelings and food is a simple one. We were indulged as children and we indulge our children. It’s called emotional eating and while we may want to think we don’t do it – have you ever offered your child a cookie to stop their tears? A bit of chocolate to soothe some hurt feelings?
Thinking about it, I know I’ve done it. I’ve used food for comfort for my daughter and for myself. Emotional eating is very common, especially during the holidays when stress and anxiety run high. My family marks get togethers with feasts. Christmas dinner, Thanksgiving dinner, weekend barbecues, picnics and more. We celebrate with food and we comfort with food.
Food sells as much as sex and in some places it sells more. We are baited by food everywhere we go: on television, in restaurants, in the movie theaters and even at the mall. It’s not uncommon to ease loneliness or depression with a bowl of ice cream, a hot salty, pretzel or just a bar of chocolate.
When we reward our children with food, we are perpetuating a cycle we ourselves are in. Overusing food as a reward is not uncommon, but there are ways to use healthy practices to overcome the problem for you and for your kids.
Instead of offering a cookie – offer fruit. Instead of reaching for a tootsie roll when you’re looking for some comfort, drink a glass of water or fruit juice. Eat regular meals and make sure your child does too. Get lots of sleep at night, you need sleep to restore the body. So do your kids.
Include some work on some behavioral changes for you and your kids when it comes to avoiding food for comfort. When you’re stressed out, get up and go out for a walk. Don’t offer food to distract your child from a disappointment, give them a new task – something they can accomplish and improve their mood with. If you’re tired, take a nap. A 20-minute nap can restore you in a way that a chocolate bar cannot compete with. Look for positive solutions and leave food out of the equation. Food should be enjoyed and never dreaded.
Does this mean you’ll never eat a candy bar again when you’re on the run? Nope. You can forgive yourself those moments too – just make them the exception instead of the rule.