From my upcoming book

– Emotional Eating

“Food is not your remedy for problems. Food is not going to change your life. If you are lonely, food is not going to be your company. If you are sad, food is not going to give you solace.” – Jean Nidetch

I DO love eating food.  But I must confess, I often indulge to avoid feelings or to fill a gaping hole of loneliness. And sometimes, I have snacked on junk, overeaten or enjoyed more dessert than necessary to greedily satisfy my taste buds. I swear I think better with a jar of crunchy peanut butter, a teaspoon and blueberry jelly by my side.

Jan Chozen Bays, MD., a pediatrician and Zen master, describes food emotional triggers in her life changing book, Mindful Eating: A Guide to Rediscovering a Healthy and Joyful Relationship with Food. Dr. Bays explains how being consciously aware of our food and its origins, opens us to prayerful, grateful dining. Similarly, pausing to say grace reminds us of how our meal came to our table. In her work, over years of research, she also determined that slowing down and paying attention while eating, had a positive impact, notably with disorders such as overeating, anorexia, and bulimia. She cites seven kinds of hungers we try to quench with food that have nothing to do with an empty stomach. Instead, we soothe our emotions, react from our five senses and unconsciously graze out of boredom.