Carol Cottrill, a certified nutritional consultant, says emotional eating is when one eats for reasons other than actual hunger.
"Emotions dictate eating instead of the internal cues designed to guide us to eating when we're hungry and stopping when we're full," Cottrill says.
And this is so scary because mindless and emotional eating can result in excess weight and a host of health-related issues such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and high cholesterol. Beyond the physical health risks, overweight individuals can also suffer from depression and isolation, only perpetuating the cycle of emotional eating.
