Maga Woman Magazine - issue #1

Here are some ways to distinguish what is
driving your hunger:
Emotional Hunger
Is impulsive
Comes on suddenly
Is a craving in the head
Involves cravings for specific foods, especially
those that produce a rush feeling
Often eating until “stuffed”
Satisfaction is usually short lived and is
followed by feelings of guilt
Physical Hunger:
Is a physiological drive for nutrients in
food
Usually felt as a growling in the stomach
Comes on gradually
Feeling fatigues in response to not having
eaten sufficiently
Leads to satisfaction, regain in energy and
mood
Usually leads to mindful eating
The three 3 essential steps to being a happy,
emotion-free eater are:
Good Nutrition and Intuitive Eating
Learning to eat intuitively to suit your unique
body type is the ultimate goal.
Good nutrition builds a ‘cleaner’ body, and
that sets you up to tune into the healthy signals
your body is giving you.Then, you can learn to
eat intuitively in a way that suits your specific
body type and experiment, so you know exactly
what works best for you.
So instead of asking, “What should I be eating?”
or “should I go on this new diet?” – you will
know exactly how to fuel your body for steady
energy, a healthy weight, a clear head and mental
focus.
Being an emotional eater, you probably also
have a lot of food-related rituals in your life,
as a coping mechanism for difficult situations.
Re-writing these rituals is the key to your longterm
emotional freedom.
It starts by understanding what triggers you,
and rewiring that automatic response with a
healthier response.The science of neuroplasticity
shows that it’s possible to change your
brain and the way to respond to life.Rewiring
your brain requires a dedicated approach to
understanding the things that trip you up, and
some repetition of a better, healthier behaviour.
Most people struggle to do this on their
own, and working with a professional coach can
be an effective strategy to take control.
Building a Healthy Mindset
Your emotional eating and cravings are a window
into your inner landscape.
You may be avoiding looking beneath the
surface as it feels vulnerable and you may feel
exposed. This fear will very quickly disappear as
you experience the joy found in knowing
yourself. Awareness allows you to work
out where you are right now, where you
would rather be, and the steps to get
there.
Self-awareness, being honest
with yourself and self-compassion
will help you move in
the right direction.
Limiting beliefs are
common in emotional
eaters (e.g. “I need a
chocolate to make me
feel good”), and need
to be dealt with, too.
Structures and Rituals
Part of healthy eating is making sure your environment
is set up to support you.This means
a bit of meal planning and preparation, so you
always have healthy food on hand.
20
Maga Women Magazine