How Turning to God Can Help with Emotional Eating

We all crave something. For some people, it is fame and acknowledgment. For others, it is money and material possessions. Still, other people find that they crave food to fill them through emotional eating. But at the root of these wants, these cravings are a deep need only God can satisfy.

Emotional eating is turning to food for comfort when we feel overwhelming emotions. We desperately want to drown out these feelings and thoughts, so we eat foods that give us temporary pleasure.

Our brain recognizes that when we consume specific foods like simple carbs and sugar, we do it to relax. In response, the brain’s reward system floods us with chemicals that do just that – help us relax and feel good.

But emotional eating cannot replace God in our hearts, nor can it bury unresolved hurts for long without consequences.

The hole in your heart needs to be filled by God, not by food.

In the Bible, God warns us about overeating. There are several passages about the sin of gluttony, or uncontrollable eating. The Book of Proverbs also points out how overeating something sweet that God gave us to enjoy can make us ill. “If you find honey, eat just enough – too much of it, and you will vomit.” (Proverbs 25:16, NIV).

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! – Psalm 119:103, NIV

The writer of Psalm 119 recognizes that honey is a good food as he refers to Scripture as honey, but he also knows that overeating for any reason can make a person sick. What hole in your heart are you trying to fill with food? We often eat to avoid feeling our negative emotions, yet in some cases, we must confront these sensations to begin the process of healing.

When you need to turn to food, step away for a moment to pray. Ask God to remove the urge to eat. He may give you ideas on how to distract yourself from the cravings or solve the problem that makes you upset or frustrated. If you have a supportive friend or family member who understands your struggle, call and ask them to pray with you.

To gain a clearer understanding of God and nurture your relationship with Jesus Christ, take the time to read and study the Bible. Set aside ten to fifteen minutes in the morning or at night with a cup of relaxing herbal tea and open His word. The tea will help fight off the urge to eat while you fill your heart and mind with what God says.

Make reading the Bible and studying devotionals a part of your daily routine. Then, as you grow closer to Him in prayer, pour your heart out about your emotional eating. There is no habit, behavior, craving, or thought that God cannot help you defeat.

Do you struggle with emotional eating?

Emotional eating can result from harmful thoughts, limiting beliefs, negative emotions, and self-destructive behaviors. Counseling addresses emotional eating in all these areas and gets to the root cause of the behavior.

By choosing a Christian counselor in Rowlett, Texas, you will receive evidence-based psychotherapy with faith-based principles. You’ll learn how to approach your emotional eating as a behavior God wants you to overcome. He will help you. Reach out to us today at Rowlett Christian Counseling in Texas to get started.