Emotional Eating

A lot of people have the problem of eating their emotions. When a person feels stress, love, or even depression, food can become a factor. In the book Food and Emotions, Mary Turk talks about these things. She first mentions how food and love can often be connected. She explains that "Food can become a symbol of love and care. Later food may fill emotional needs,too"(35). Mary Turk also talks about depression and how it correlates with food. She talked about how when some people suffer from depression, that they basically eat their sorrows. Another interesting topic she mentioned in her book was stress and food. Often times it is known to be unconsious and that the person really doesn't think about what they're eating they just eat anyway. The final correlation she makes is crowds and food. She talks about how when someone is in a big crowd they are influenced by the eating habits around them even if it's not healthy for them. Most people feel the emotional pressure to participate in the food that is at that specific event.
I thought this chapter was very interesting and I learned some very attention-grabbing information. I didn't even realize that all of these things can effect eating patterns. I thought that Mary Turk's book was very informative.
Turk, Mary. Food and Emotions. Minnesota: Capstone Press, 2001. 34-41. Print.