Breaking Cycles of Emotional Eating

Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and oftentimes we put an emphasis on our outward appearance rather than working on our inward. But it’s very important that we work from the inside out because whatever is not dealt with in a healthy way internally can start to manifest in unhealthy physical ways like emotional eating. 

Emotional eating happens when you use food to comfort you in times of stress, anxiety or any emotion you could be feeling. When you do not regulate your emotions, this can lead to emotional eating which is also a lack of self-control. 

Now, you might be thinking “Well. . . it's food. There is nothing wrong with food. There is nothing bad about food. God created food. There is nothing wrong with eating”. This is true. Food is not bad and neither is eating. But it is the lack of self-control that is the problem. Many times emotional eating is minimized or viewed as okay because it is familiar. Everyone eats. But the question is why are you eating? 

Getting to the root with why you’re eating is very important. For example, understanding why you’re specifically reaching for cake versus fruit will help you learn about what might have triggered that response. There’s nothing wrong with eating cake, but why do you want the cake at that moment?

Many times we use food to fix or deal with trauma and/or things that we did not learn to deal with in healthy ways. So, understanding your emotional triggers and responses to food is necessary for you to grow, receive deliverance in this area and build a healthier relationship with food. 

Although this is something not often talked about, emotional eating can be a sign of demonic influence in the area of food and self-control. But there are many opportunities for growth and deliverance in this area. Once the spiritual roots are dealt with, it becomes easier to build healthier habits and routines for your life. So, partner with the Holy Spirit to allow Him to help you address the areas and roots behind your emotional eating triggers.

For more strategic spiritual warfare advice on learning how to break cycles of emotional eating habits, heal from spiritual trauma, and understand Christ in mental health then be sure to check out some of the other episodes on the Flawed & Free podcast!