Stress & Emotional Eating in Teens: Causes and Healthy Coping
We’ve all seen a TV episode where a major break-up is followed by one ex sobbing into the bottom of a tub of chocolate ice cream and the other ex sleeping the day away in an apartment covered in fast food wrappers and empty soda cans. But while it may be entertaining on the big screen, eating large amounts of junk food to get through unpleasant feelings like sadness and stress is a real thing. It’s called emotional eating, and it can have many harmful effects.
If you have a tendency to eat when you’re upset, even if you don’t feel hungry, you may be experiencing emotional eating. An episode of emotional eating may leave you feeling ashamed or out of control. But there is hope. Early interventions can help you regain control. In this article, you’ll find out:
- What is emotional eating?
- What are the signs of emotional eating in adolescents?
- What are common causes and triggers for teen stress eating?
- What early interventions can lead to healthy coping strategies for teens
What Is Emotional Eating and What Are Some Common Signs?
Emotional eating, stress eating, comfort eating. These terms describe the same behavior: Eating when you feel sad, stressed, nervous, bored, or angry, in an effort to feel better.1 Emotional eating involves eating even though your body is not physically hungry, or eating past the point of feeling “full,” to mask unpleasant emotions.
Teen stress eating is common. Approximately one in four teens says they sometimes eat to cope with stress or negative feelings.2 But what are the signs?
Common Signs of Emotional Eating in Teens
Sudden cravings or a sudden desire to eat. Whereas physical hunger typically builds up gradually, emotional eating in adolescents often involves an intense craving or desire to eat that comes on suddenly. Emotional eating can feel urgent: I have to eat XYZ, and I have to eat it right now.
Those sudden food cravings are triggered by negative feelings. Negative feelings like stress, anxiety, sadness, anger, or even boredom are common causes of overeating in teens. Do you frequently have cravings right after a big fight with a friend or parent? Do you feel an intense urge to get fast food after you lose a big football game? When you have nothing to do, do you raid the pantry and the freezer? If you tend to turn to food to dull uncomfortable emotions, you may be comfort eating.
You crave specific (junk) foods. When you feel cool, calm, and collected – when you’re in control of your eating – you may stop and think about what you’d like to have for your next meal and take the time and effort to make it happen. Perhaps you pack your lunch with intention, or make plans to meet a friend at a favorite restaurant. You might even take a moment to think about what would make it a balanced and satisfying meal.
Stress-eating, on the other hand, can be very impulsive. And it tends to involve specific foods that are high in calories and low in nutritional value. You experience a trigger and suddenly have an intense desire to eat a tub of double chocolate chunk ice cream or to go out for a greasy bacon cheeseburger and fries. Craving very specific, non-nutritive foods can be a sign that you’re stress eating.
You often eat until you’re overfull. When we eat because we feel hunger pains in our stomach, we may stop eating after a single plateful of food or when our stomach begins to feel satisfied or just a bit full.
But with emotional eating, it can feel like once you start, you can’t stop. You may notice you’re getting full, but you feel compelled to keep eating. You may feel unable to stop eating until you’re so full you’re physically uncomfortable.
You feel guilty after eating. Many people feel regret and remorse after stress-eating. This can include guilt for behaving in a way that felt “out of control,” concerns that they’ll gain weight from what they’ve eaten, or fear that they’ve ruined their “diet”, among other things. If you often feel bad about yourself after eating, it may be a red flag that you’re comfort eating.
Feeling sluggish after you eat. Since comfort eating in teens often involves eating unhealthy foods and/or eating when not hungry, many adolescents feel sluggish after a bout of emotional eating. After a calm, balanced meal, you might feel content or even refreshed and energized. But after stress eating, teens tend to report feeling sluggish and tired.
Causes and Triggers of Emotional Eating
Did you know that chemicals in your body may be largely responsible for your intense urge to eat when faced with negative emotions like stress and sadness?
Stress is one of the biggest triggers for emotional eating in adolescents. When you are exposed to stress, your body naturally produces a specific hormone called “cortisol.”6 Cortisol drives you to increase your food intake; specifically, it leads to cravings for sugary or fatty foods.6
This is because your ancestors, when exposed to a threat, needed an extra energy boost to fight off their enemy.6 The next time you find yourself feeling ashamed after an episode of emotional eating, it may be helpful to remind yourself that biology may be partly to blame.
Here are some common triggers of emotional eating in teens:
- Stress: Stress is one of the best-known triggers of emotional eating in teens.5 Whether it’s pressure to complete a college application by the deadline, preparing for the upcoming SAT, or worrying that your friend group is leaving you out of weekend plans.
- Negative emotions: Sadness, frustration, anger, and disappointment can feel uncomfortable. Many teens reach for a sweet, salty, or fatty treat to distract themselves from those negative and unpleasant emotions.
- Boredom: Boredom is unpleasant. It can be tempting to pass the time or liven things up with something flavorful.
- Dieting or skipping meals:6 Studies have shown that when a person goes longer between meals, they tend to eat more calories at the next meal.4 Additionally, the next meal is likely to be of lower quality.
- Availability of food 24/7:6 Many of us have constant access to convenience foods, making it easier than ever to eat even if we’re not hungry.
Risks and Complications of Emotional Eating
When comfort eating becomes a habit, it can lead to a range of health risks. Here are some complications that can come with emotional eating in teens:
1. Excessive weight gain or weight regain
Episodes of emotional eating are associated with overeating. They’re also linked to intake of high-calorie, sugary, and/or fatty foods with little nutritional value. Additionally, stress produces hormones that can cause the body to store energy as excess fat, so the extra food intake is not easily metabolized.4 This can cause teens to gain weight or to regain weight after weight loss.
2. May become a lifelong habit
Behavior patterns developed during childhood and adolescence can persist into adulthood.1 Reaching for junk food when we experience negative emotions can become a routine and create a lifelong struggle with healthy eating.
3. May be linked to mental health conditions
Sometimes, emotional eating may be a sign of something deeper going on, such as a mental health condition. Research has found that untreated emotional eating is linked to binge eating disorder, depression, and anxiety.3
4. Feelings of shame and guilt
Research shows that around 41% of teens feel bad about their bodies after emotional eating, and around 40% feel disappointed in themselves, while 39% feel physically lousy after the episode.5
Early Intervention for Emotional Eating in Teens
1. Take steps to learn about teen wellness and self-care
Did you know that experts have identified many things teens can do to feel their best? Here are a few top tips that are based on scientific research.- Get enough sleep each night. Teens need eight to ten hours per night. If you struggle with sleep, check out our article on treating teen insomnia.
- Avoid excessive use of screens.
- Stay hydrated.
- Exercise regularly.
- Eat breakfast every day. Skipping breakfast is linked to emotional eating, poor concentration, and obesity.2
2. Learn healthy stress management techniques
A professional can help you identify more effective ways to cope than managing anxiety through food. The next time you feel stressed, consider trying one of these tips:
- Go for a brisk walk or a jog.
- Turn on music and dance until you feel less jittery.
- Take a hot shower or bath with your favorite scents.
- Practice yoga.
- Call a supportive friend.
- Limit caffeine.
- Spend time with a pet.
3. Therapy for emotional eating
Did you know that there are effective, science-backed therapy options for teens experiencing emotional eating?
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been proven “effective for changing eating patterns such as emotional eating.”3
- Mindful eating for teens is an add-on therapy that is shown to be more effective for emotional eating than typical therapies without this add-on.3
- Mindfulness-based therapy and acceptance-based therapy are effective for changing eating behaviors and also effectively improve anxiety and depression, according to recent research.3
Mission Prep: Therapy for Emotional Eating in Teens
Emotional eating in adolescents is treatable with early intervention. But it can be difficult to change routine behaviors on your own. At Mission Prep, we have a team of compassionate, nonjudgmental therapists who can help you regain control of your eating patterns.
At Mission Prep, we also offer science-backed therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Mindfulness-Based CBT, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to treat underlying stress and anxiety. We can assist with recognizing eating behavior triggers, improving emotional regulation for adolescents, and promoting healthy nutrition in teens. We can also offer advice on parental support for stress eating in teenagers.
Reach out to us at Mission Prep so we can help you find healthy ways to cope with negative emotions. We’re here to support you.
References
- Shriver, L. H., Dollar, J. M., Calkins, S. D., Keane, S. P., Shanahan, L., & Wideman, L. (2020). Emotional eating in adolescence: effects of emotion regulation, weight status, and negative body image. Nutrients, 13(1), 79. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13010079
- American Psychological Association. (2013). Stress and Eating. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2013/eating
- Morillo‐Sarto, H., López‐del‐Hoyo, Y., Pérez‐Aranda, A., Modrego‐Alarcón, M., Barceló‐Soler, A., Borao, L., Puebla‐Guedea, M., Demarzo, M., García‐Campayo, J., & Montero‐Marin, J. (2022). ‘Mindful eating’ for reducing emotional eating in patients with overweight or obesity in primary care settings: A randomized controlled trial. European Eating Disorders Review, 31(2), 303–319. https://doi.org/10.1002/erv.2958
- Zeballos, E., & Todd, J. E. (2020). The effects of skipping a meal on daily energy intake and diet quality. Public Health Nutrition, 23(18), 3346–3355. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1368980020000683
- American Psychological Association. (2013). Stress and Eating. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2013/eating
- Clinic, C. (2021, November 12). What is emotional eating? Cleveland Clinic. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/emotional-eating
