Emotional eating

Emotional eating refers to eating in response to stressful and difficult situations even in the absence of physical hunger. Emotional eaters generally crave junk or calorie dense food with minimal nutritional value. 

The exact cause behind emotional eating is not known but hormonal fluctuations during emotional surge is thought to play a role. Dieting, stress, lack of sleep, obesity, and emotional abuse increases the risk of emotional eating.

Emotional eating can have distressing immediate effects such as feeling of guilt. In the long run, it can lead to obesity. 

Emotional eating can be prevented by developing healthy responses against stress such as talking with a friend, exercising, meditating, and journaling. Management of the condition includes Interventions like psychotherapy which can help a person identify his/her emotions, thoughts, and behaviors.