{"id":17941,"date":"2022-04-21T10:00:05","date_gmt":"2022-04-21T14:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=17941"},"modified":"2022-04-19T08:14:48","modified_gmt":"2022-04-19T12:14:48","slug":"4-ways-to-stop-your-childs-emotional-eating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2022\/04\/4-ways-to-stop-your-childs-emotional-eating.html","title":{"rendered":"4 Ways to Stop Your Child’s Emotional Eating"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Jenna is six-years-old and dealing with the recent divorce of her parents. Every time Jenna returns from visitation with her dad, she overeats. Jenna\u2019s mom has noticed the pattern and is concerned because Jenna has not adjusted well to the divorce. Since the initial separation, Jenna has been anxious and fearful. Jenna\u2019s mom is worried that Jenna is becoming an emotional eater.<\/p>\n

Both kids and adults eat in response to emotional needs. I\u2019ve worked with a number of children who eat because of marital tension or the threat of divorce in their homes. Many kids eat to cope with stress and anxiety over performance and perfection issues; some eat because of insecurities in peer relationships; or they feel rejected by friends; or they eat in response to any number of emotions (happy, sad, frustrated, etc.).<\/p>\n

Because food is so easily available, it can become a way to soothe and comfort a child. Food doesn\u2019t talk back. It makes you feel good and requires nothing but your enjoyment. It doesn\u2019t leave or abandon you. Like other addictions, food can be used to numb out pain and life stress. For example, indulging in a hot fudge sundae can make a child temporarily forget that his parents are fighting and provide a needed escape from emotional pain.<\/p>\n

Consequently, overeating can become a way to react to emotional stress and pain. If that is the case with your child, you will need to change this pattern and teach your child to cope with life in different and healthier ways. In order to break an emotional eating habit, the child has to substitute another behavior for the food. This doesn\u2019t mean that the substituted behavior will be as pleasurable as eating, as easy to do as eat, or as rewarding as food. But it does mean that if a child continues to substitute another behavior for emotional eating, he or she will eventually break the habit of reaching for food to soothe themselves.<\/p>\n

Here are four strategies that will help prevent emotional eating:<\/p>\n