Eat Your Feelings.

I have always been an emotional eater. And considering I'm a very emotional person, this has proven to be a challenge. The cycle goes:
1.) Get all the feels,
2.) Eat all the things,
3.) Shame amplifies the feels.
After a few cycles, I find myself to be a chubby bunny with a lot of feelings and an unhealthy relationship with food.  

​SO. I know that eating well and exercising makes a significant positive impact on my mental state. When angst or frustration (or any feeling really) hits, I still want to turn to food. I fight that tendency, but still lose more than I win. Which is ok...baby steps. As my Mom will tell you, I am an irrationally panicked b*&ch when I'm hungry. Hangry doesn't quite cover it. Do you feel panicked or more reactive to being hungry than others? Quick neuroscience lesson!

The amygdala in your (emotional) limbic system is responsible for your basic instincts: fight or flight, hunger, sex drive, and fear. As a highly sensitive person (HSP) my amygdala is much more reactive than those less or non-highly sensitive. So when I'm hungry, I've learned it's my ancient brain warning me that if I don't find food soon, I'm going to starve and die (despite the fact that I'm sure my fat reserves could sustain me for a while). MUST SURVIVE. EAT ALL THE THINGS!

I then need to soothe my limbic system by transitioning to my (rational) pre-frontal cortex and remind myself that I am not going to starve, and am extremely lucky to have food as a readily available fuel. However, instead of pretending like I'm not going to continue losing to my extremely strong limbic system, I now look for minimally damaging foods to eat my feelings knowing I can forgive myself after. No, this will not be an article recommending you chomp on celery or carrot sticks as though it's never dawned on you. Who has ever binged on a bag of carrots in the throws of an emotional breakdown?!? Anyway, here are a couple of my favorites. Comment and let me know what your guilt free(ish) binge or "cheat"  foods are when you need to eat your feelings. 

Kale does not make my list. Kale is gross. I'd rather be fat than eat kale. ​

Holy Halo Top! 

I am very wary of anybody who only eats the recommended quarter of a pint of ice cream at a time. Luckily, I have discovered Halo Top. Even the packaging of Halo Tops pints say that I only need to "stop when I hit the bottom". Another one says "save the bowl", which is fine with me because it is one less dish I'll probably leave in my sink for days. 

Is it good for you? No. It's still ice cream, BUT, for an example, the chocolate chip cookie dough flavor that I shamelessly ate the other night cost me 360 calories, but "rewarded" me 20 grams of protein. I'll take it.  

Yes, I Still Love Bananas. No, I'm Not Two. 

I  came across these chocolate covered bananas after googling which healthy foods I should buy at Trader Joe's. They are delicious! If it's a super stressful occasion, you can throw on some peanut butter for a good time (and some more protein...and fat...but lets focus on the protein). They also have chocolate covered strawberries.

For the rest of the items on that list, check out the Ambition Kitchen post I read HERE. 

Turkey Jerk. 

If I'm craving something salty, I go for jerky. I didn't try jerky at all until I was in my twenties when skinny women in magazines told me I needed to pack as much protein into my diet as possible. However, be warned that gnawing on jerky whilst crying is not a good look, but in the privacy of your own home, who cares. Any jerky will do, but just be careful to avoid brands with lots of added sugar and sodium. Turkey jerky tends to have less fat than beef alternatives. ​

​Once again, these are just a couple of my go to items I somewhat guiltlessly enjoy whether I'm eating my feelings or simply in a snacky mood. Once again, I would love to hear what your top healthy snacks are. Comment below or email me at [email protected]!