Concerned about "emotional eating?" Do this first...

You probably already know I have strong feelings about the vilification of "emotional eating," as if the goal of Intuitive Eating should be to eradicate any emotions about food, eating, and our bodies.

At the same time, the words "emotional eating" have come to represent for a lot of us the type of eating we do when we are hurting, looking to fill a void, reaching for some form of comfort when we are truly in pain.

When we notice the desire to work with emotional eating, perhaps it's also a good idea to consult your intentions - do you want to stop emotional eating because you feel there's something morally weak or undisciplined or because you want to be able to meet your true needs more precisely?

Once you figure out your true intention, there's another thing to do before actually digging in: make sure you're eating enough!When you're not eating enough to meet your basic needs, you might be experiencing the primal hunger described by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch in Intuitive Eating that serves as a strong motivator to EAT.

Primal hunger, if you're not familiar with it, can feel a lot like "emotional eating." It's damn emotional to be starving. It's terrifying physically and emotionally to not have enough, no matter why.

So please please please, if you would like to delve deeper into what you consider "emotional eating," ask yourself why AND make sure you are feeding your human body adequately.