The psychology of eating: how to build a healthy relationship with food

When under chronic stress and pressure from food «rules», people lose touch with hunger and satiety and begin to regulate their emotions through food — with prohibitions, breakdowns, shame, and guilt. How can healthy habits be restored?

UNBA held a thematic webinar dedicated to the relationship between psychological state, eating behavior, and overall human well-being. The speaker was psychologist and eating disorder therapist Lyudmila Kuzmenko.

She distinguished between the physiological and psychological significance of food. From a physiological point of view, food is a resource that provides energy, provides «building material» for organs, and supports regulatory processes. Energy deficiency can manifest itself in fatigue, irritability, and increased anxiety.

From a psychological point of view, food can serve as a means of self-regulation, associated with care, a sense of security, and social interaction. The speaker gave examples of how food is used to calm down, lift the mood, or as a tool for support in stressful situations. At the same time, L. Kuzmenko emphasized that the problem arises when emotional needs are satisfied mainly by food, and there are almost no other means of support.

Typical manifestations of unhealthy eating behavior include emotional eating, compulsive overeating (when control returns after overeating), anorexia (conscious restrictions due to fear of weight gain and distorted body image), bulimia (episodes of overeating followed by compensatory actions), as well as «diet swings» — alternating restrictions and breakdowns with shame and guilt.

That is why it is important to learn to distinguish between physical hunger and emotional hunger: physical hunger arises gradually and disappears after eating, while emotional hunger can appear suddenly and does not go away even after satiety. In this context, she explained the role of the nervous system and chronic stress: in a state of tension, food (especially sweet, fatty, warm) can be used as a quick way to achieve short-term «calm». In this case, the work should begin not with food control, but with expanding ways of self-calming without it. This can be slow breathing, physical presence, a feeling of support, warmth, some kind of rhythm, safe contact with other people.

Another principle is to reject dietary thinking and strict restrictions that trigger a vicious cycle of «diet - breakdown - guilt - new diet». It is important to understand that this is not a rejection of caring for one's health, but a rejection of violence against one's body under the guise of useful recommendations.

The participants also discussed the principle of «legalizing» food. The idea is to remove restrictions on foods that a person loves but does not allow themselves to eat, and to regain choice and control through mindful consumption.

The speaker described the algorithm: identify a «forbidden» food, eat it after your main meal, choose exactly what you want, eat slowly, focusing on the taste, aroma, and texture, and track your feelings of fullness without self-judgment.

The event was held with the support of the International Bar Association (IBA) as part of the project «Supporting the mental health of Ukrainian advocates during the war».