We often experience the biggest cravings when we feel emotionally weakened or exuberant. Whether consciously or unconsciously, when we are faced with a challenging, stressful or exciting situation, we often reach for something to eat or snack on to help us calm down. This is because eating is a behaviour that is naturally satisfying. This is known as ‘emotional eating’.
Some examples are the large colored cake at birthday parties, the caramelized popcorn at the cinema, the chocolate during a woman's period or the large packet of crisps in the kitchen cupboard when you have nothing to do. Emotional eating’ often involves an excessive or uncontrolled intake of calories, which can also have a negative impact on our physical and mental health.
Do you reach for a high-calorie snacks to cope with negative feelings?
The main purpose of emotional eating is to relieve or alleviate negative feelings such as stress, anger, anxiety, boredom, sadness and loneliness. We quickly consume food or snacks that are convenient or easily available without really enjoying them. Our emotions can even be so strongly linked to our eating habits that we automatically reach for unhealthy snacks when we are angry or stressed without thinking about what we are doing.
How can we limit or avoid unconscious emotional eating?
Swap out the unhealthy snacks: When stress, anger or sadness trigger a craving for sweets, we should remember: the sugar high comes with a low afterwards. This low can later lead to increased cravings. This is often triggered by many unhealthy snacks.
As an alternative, fruit or dates or minimally processed snacks are a great way to enjoy your sweet cravings with a clear conscience. Water Lily Pops are also minimally processed by roasting. We recommend Water Lily Pops Pink Salt - lightly salted and completely sugar-free or the lightly sweetened variant Coconut & Cacao - sweetened only with coconut blossom sugar.
Question your diet and lifestyle at regular intervals: ask yourself the simplest questions: how do we eat regularly at set times and in standardised portions? Do we get enough sleep? Can you just let your mind wander? Do you exercise regularly? All these questions help you to come to terms with yourself and give you the opportunity to consciously step out of your habits.
Use the simplest ways to quickly calm your feelings and switch gears: The best distractions from emotional eating are activities that only take about five minutes, just long enough to help shift gears.
- take a five-minute walk,
- have a compassionate conversation with yourself,
- put on your favourite music and dance,
- call a close friend, family or relative and talk to them briefly,
- take out your diary and write a short text or
- find a quiet corner and simply take a deep breath or meditate
All of these can help you to recognise and process your emotions without resorting to food. At Just Nosh, we feel it is important to address this issue as we have been affected by this behaviour ourselves in one way or another and know how important it is for good health. With our snacks we want to offer support to enjoy a snack with a clear conscience. You can find our Water Lily Pops range here - 100% natural, crunchy & light.
Water Lily Pops: The healthier snack, even for emotional cravings
Water Lily Pops are more than just a new snack - they are a statement in favor of a healthier and more sustainable diet. With their impressive nutritional balance, delicious flavor and versatility, they are the perfect choice for anyone looking for an innovative snack alternative.
Whether you enjoy them on their own, share them with friends or incorporate them into creative recipes, Water Lily Pops fit into every situation. Available from us in the varieties Pink Salt (salty with 0% sugar), Smoked Chili (spicy, no added sugar) and Coconut & Cacao (lightly sweetened). Try them out and be inspired by this extraordinary snack! We also have a Discovery Box with all three flavors for you to get to know.
Order your favourite variety here: to the shop