Are You An Emotional Eater?

When something upsets you or makes you mad is your first inclination to head for the kitchen or the nearest fast food joint?

If so, you are what is known as an Emotional Eater.

Females have a greater tendency to be Emotional Eaters. Non-Emotional Eaters also eat when they get upset, but the Emotional Eaters, particularly the female variant, tend to indulge in high fat/high calorie food.

Researchers set up a study where dozens of Emotional Eaters were split in to two groups. One group was put in a stressful situation, the other no stress. Both groups were presented with a luncheon buffet with a variety of high fat/low fat, sweet and healthy foods.

The stressed Emotional Eaters took after the fatty, sweet, energy-dense food. While that non-stressed Emotional Eaters ate way less and ate way healthier.

Researchers think this may be a conditioned response, with the stressed Emotional Eaters going after the carbo heavy foods that can trigger a feeling of happiness and calmness due to the mood regulating amino acid known as tryptophan.

I don't think the morbidly obese individuals who's feeding habits I have observed up close were Emotional Eaters. Unless they were in a constant state of stress that I was not aware of, causing the constant over-eating.