Mood and Unhealthy Foods

Although some disregulated eaters head toward food when they’re in a good mood, most emotional eating is done when we feel crummy. If you think that eating unhealthy food makes you feel better, think again. Research says it ain’t necessarily so. Penn State researchers did a small study on 131 women to assess their moods before and after eating unhealthy foods, those high in salt, sugar, and saturated fat (Tufts Health and Nutrition Newsletter, 6/13, v. 31 #4). Their results: “If the women were in a bad mood” before they ate unhealthy food, eating made them feel even worse. Those who were in a good mood before eating bad food (“bad” is the study’s word, not mine), however, reported little change in their emotional state.  Okay, this is one small experiment that leaves us with lots of questions, too many for generalizing. The subjects were only 131 random women who did not necessarily have eating problems. Maybe the outcome would have been different if the women self-reported as disregulated eaters; men might have reacted totally differently as well. Perhaps women with ongoing eating problems, as opposed to study participants, would have eaten unhealthy foods and had their bad moods lifted. More research needs to be done on this subject to understand it better and get a more complete picture.  However, for the purposes of this blog and your recovery, my question is, Do you really feel better emotionally after eating foods that are high in...
Source: Normal Eating - Category: Eating Disorders Authors: Source Type: blogs