Do you reward your kids for a job well done with a big candy bar? Well you may not know it now but this can lead to emotional eating in your child’s future. When your child falls and gets hurt do you give them ice cream to stop the crying? Well this also may lead to emotional eating as children start to link certain emotions with food to comfort them. As you see emotional eating doesn’t link to just negative emotions but can also link to positive emotions as well. If you or someone you know has fallen into this pattern than it is time to to unlearn it by becoming aware of the problem. It is important to help our children see the differences between physical and emotional hunger. To break this cycle we need to start being aware of our feelings and using healthier distractions. Call a friend or family member, get out of the house, or better yet take those emotions to the gym!
