"Emotional eating is not a malfunction", said Leah Alster, a clinical dietitian at the obesity clinic in the Endocrine Institute at Meir Medical Center of the Clalit Group. "Many times it is our way of trying to soothe something inside and comfort ourselves. Real change does not come from control and discipline, but from listening, presence, and connecting to the body – the moment we stop fighting ourselves and start listening, something in our relationship with food changes".
Alster leads a "Mind-Food-Ness" workshop at Meir Medical Center, which was born out of connecting the world of awareness and mindfulness to the highly overwhelming coping experiences we have been facing, especially in recent years.
"Food is actually a gateway to understanding ourselves", she explained. "When I meet a patient and we talk about their choice of meal and its composition, whether it is crackers and cottage cheese, flakes and industrial salad, or a plate of vegetables, this choice usually reflects the way we treat ourselves – through control, compensation, avoidance, or listening. Through observing eating habits, it is possible to identify common patterns such as automatic eating, seeking comfort in food, or difficulty stopping and listening to the body's real needs".
After a long period of stress, uncertainty, disrupted routines, and emotional overload, more and more people feel that their relationship with food has changed. For many, food has long ceased to be just a matter of hunger. "Snacking and endless cravings for sweets, eating in front of the screen, or simply a constant feeling of 'noise' around food – all of these have become almost the norm", explained Alster, emphasizing that the connection between emotional state and eating is much deeper than commonly thought.
According to her, what truly makes it difficult for us is what is known as Food Noise: Constant thoughts around food. What is allowed? What is forbidden? Why did I eat that? How much have I already eaten today? "This noise creates a detachment from the body", she said. "Instead of feeling hunger or fullness, we are constantly occupied with thoughts and self-judgment".
In addition, according to her, prohibitions can exacerbate the problem. "The more something is forbidden, the more it becomes charged with emotional power, leading to increased cravings and a loss of control. When there is no forbidden–allowed, and instead there is curiosity, listening, and legitimizing eating, it enables freedom and conscious choice. There is a place for boundaries, but attentive and flexible boundaries, not those based on fear".
Instead, she suggested returning to basic habits of mindful eating: To stop for a moment before eating and ask whether it is hunger, emotion, or simply a habit, to eat without screens and distractions, and to pay attention to the flavors, the pace of eating, and the feeling of fullness. This listening is even more vital during the difficult period we have gone through, as prolonged stress affects the body and increases automatic eating, comfort-seeking, and mental fatigue. According to her, short mindfulness practices of breathing, connecting to the body, and grounding can create a small space before eating, restoring a sense of stability and choice even amidst the overload.
"Mindfulness does not try to silence the food noise by force, but rather to change the relationship with it. The practice teaches us to identify thoughts about food without identifying with them, and to return attention to the body, hunger, fullness, and sensations. When the mind calms down and presence returns, eating ceases to be an automatic reaction and becomes a conscious choice", she concluded.