Emotional eating is eating to relieve stress, grief, boredom, or anxiety, not hunger. Emotional eating may cause belly obesity due to psychological issues.
Here are several ways emotional eating and psychology might cause belly fat:
Stress hormone cortisol can be released by chronic stress. High cortisol levels increase belly fat. Emotional eating as a stress coping method may lead to high-calorie comfort foods that cause belly weight gain.
Comfort foods high in sweets, fats, and carbohydrates are commonly eaten for emotional eating. These meals stimulate the brain's reward system, causing brief pleasure.
Depression sufferers may use food to cope. Depression-related emotional eating can cause weight gain and abdominal obesity by overeating calorie-dense meals.
Binge eating disorder involves eating enormous amounts of food quickly and to discomfort. Emotions can cause binge eating, which can contribute to weight gain and stomach fat.
Low self-esteem and body image might cause emotional eating. People may use food to cope with bad body image, leading to unhealthy eating habits and abdominal weight gain.
Develop healthier coping methods, emotional control skills, and a positive relationship with food to address emotional eating.