Are You A Food Empath? 6 Ways To Overcome Food Addictions

Written By:

Written By:

are you a food empath 1

Have you ever felt addicted to food, or drawn to bingeing carbohydrates and sugary foods whenever you feel emotionally overwhelmed? Then maybe chances are that you are a food empath.

Food is medicine. It can stabilize your sensitive system, but it can also throw it off.

I’ve observed in my psychiatric practice that overeating and food addictions are common among empaths. Food addiction is an uncontrollable craving for excess food for which many diets and weight loss programs often don’t succeed. Frequently, the specific addiction is to sugar or carbohydrates.

Excess weight can be a way of armoring yourself to stop absorbing other people’s stress or disturbing behavior. Putting on added pounds can make you feel more grounded, and it can act as a buffer against negativity. But reaching for sugar, carbohydrates, or junk foods for a quick fix, is a short-lived and unhealthy solution that gets addictively repeated.

Diets often fail for sensitive people because they are unaware that they are eating (and overeating) unhealthy foods to protect themselves from overwhelming or negative energy.

Related: What Is Your Level of Empathy?

When I point this out to my empath patients who are struggling with overeating, it’s a life-changing insight for them.

Take this quiz to determine if you’re a Food Empath (from The Empath’s Survival Guide).

Are You a Food Empath?

  • Do you overeat when you are emotionally overwhelmed?
  • Do you turn to sugar, carbs, and junk food to self-soothe discomfort?
  • Are you highly sensitive to the effect food has on your body?
  • Do you get mood swings, brain fog, or feel toxic from sugar, caffeine, sodas, or junk food?
  • Do you have food allergies and intolerances such as to gluten or soy (empath food sensitivity)?
  • Do you feel more protected from stress when you are heavy?
  • Do you feel energized by healthy, clean food?
  • Are you sensitive to preservatives or gluten in food?
  • Do you feel more vulnerable to stress when you are thin?

Here’s how to interpret this self-assessment:

  • Answering yes to 1-3 statements indicates that have some tendencies toward being a food empath.
  • Answering 4-6 yeses indicates you have moderate tendencies to be a food empath.
  • Answering more than 6 indicates you are definitely a food empath and use food to self-medicate stress and discomfort.

6 Guidelines for The Empathic Eater

If you are an empathic eater, you will need to pinpoint energetic stressors that trigger overeating such as a draining coworker, an argument with a friend, or feeling rejected. Train yourself to clear the stress as soon as possible to balance your system.

Here are six tips from The Empath’s Survival Guide to release negativity before you overeat.

1. Breathe stress out of your body.

When you feel stress, immediately focus on breathing slowly and deeply. This releases negative energy. Holding your breath out of fear traps toxicity in your body.

Related: 8 Techniques For Reducing Anxiety And Stress Right Now

2. Water purifies you.

Drink filtered or mountain spring bottled water when you’ve been exposed to negative energy and have the urge to overeat. Consume at least six glasses daily to keep flushing out toxins. Take a bath or shower. Water washes away impurities of all kinds.

3. Limit sugar intake.

Although you may crave carbs and sugar (as well as alcohol), they will destabilize you and trigger mood swings. This makes you more susceptible to absorbing unwanted energy.

4. Eat frequent protein meals.

Protein stabilizes empaths and gives them a sense of grounding. It’s optimal to have small protein meals four to seven times a day. This regimen will help you feel energetically stronger, safer, and more anchored in the world.  (If you are vegan, lots of protein is crucial.)

5. Don’t let your blood sugar drop.

Empaths are extremely sensitive to hypoglycemia. If you combine a busy life with low blood sugar, you’re bound to get overwhelmed. So don’t skip meals, especially if you are planning to be in a crowded place, when traveling, or in business meetings.

6. Consume lots of vegetables.

If you tend to overeat and gain weight, vegetables will fill you up and limit your cravings. Vegetables are grounding foods for empaths. You can also include some whole grains, but be careful of overdoing it and triggering a carb addiction.

Related: 8 Signs You’re A Highly Intuitive Empath Sensitive To Energy

Food can be a source of energy or depletion. You want to develop dietary habits that serve your sensitivities rather than aggravating them. Then you can maximize the energy you receive from food and minimize the protective defense mechanism of empathic over-eating. With tools to protect and ground yourself, you won’t have the same cravings that used to undermine your best intentions.

Adapted from “The Empath’s Survival Guide” by Judith Orloff MD


Written by Dr. Judith Orloff MD
What is a Food Empath
are you a food empath pin

— Share —

Published On:

Last updated on:

,

— About the Author —

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Up Next

10 Proven Tips To Overcome Instagram Reels Addiction: STOP Mindless Scrolling Today!

How To Stop Instagram Reels Addiction? Ways

You open Instagram just to check a notification, and before you know it, you’ve spent hours scrolling and watching videos. Instagram Reels addiction is a real problem for all. If it sounds familiar, you’re not alone!

These reels are designed to be addictive short, engaging, and never-ending. But if you’re spending more than 4-6 hours a day watching mindless videos, it’s time to take control.

There are many concerns regarding the impact of Instagram Reel addiction on all age groups. TikTok has been found to be dangerous for children, and it’s likely that Instagram Reels will have the same impact on young teenagers and children.

Up Next

How To Avoid Suffering: 3 Transformational Steps to a Happier Life

How To Avoid Suffering: Transformational Steps

If you think that in order to avoid suffering you have to dodge life’s struggles, then you are not as right as you may think; it’s about handling them in a way that doesn’t drain you. This article is going to talk about how to avoid suffering and start living with more peace, power and joy.

Suffering is a natural part of life but it doesn’t have to be your entire life. In today’s Best Day Blog article, I’ll share three ways that can help you avoid suffering so you can live a happier, more fulfilling life!

How To Avoid Suffering: 3 Transformational Steps to a Happier Life

Step 1- Acceptance

Up Next

Self Love And Healing: How To Practice It

Self Love And Healing Challenging Aspects For It

Do you struggle with self love and healing? Learning to nurture your inner self is essential for growth, happiness, and peace. Explore for more!

Self-love and healing are challenging, because we’re tempted to look outside ourselves for something or someone to take away our pain.

We often flee from pain through distractions, relationships, addictions, or substances, seeking external solutions rather than addressing our inner struggles. Modern life, particularly in urban settings, disconnects us from our natural rhythms.

The fast pace and demands of our culture, constant connectivity, and instant gratification overwhelm our biological makeup and detrimentally affect our emotional and physical health. This lifestyle can

Up Next

What Is Healthy Shame And The 3 Powerful Ways It Helps Us Grow

What Is Healthy Shame And Powerful Ways It Helps Us Grow

When someone begins to heal from their codependency and trauma, they are bound to feel moments of shame. Whether that’s about past behavior or past experiences, most people will view shame negatively. However, there is a dysfunctional shame, which impedes progress, and healthy shame, which helps us.

So today, I am going to be talking about how shame can be beneficial.

Shame can help us move forward for three simple reasons:

1. It clarifies our morals and values.

2. It helps us make amends.

3. It spurs us into action.

It is essential to understand the differences between healthy and dysfunctional shame to move forward feeling empo

Up Next

6 Thinking Styles For Becoming Unstoppable (And Stress-Free!)

Helpful Thinking Styles For Becoming Unstoppable

The way we think influences how we feel, how we handle challenges, and ultimately, how we live our life. Some unhelpful thinking styles create stress, while others help us stay grounded and change our life.

Your thinking style is a powerful tool, it shapes how you process information, make decisions, and solve problems. Since our thoughts shape our reality, adopting the right mindset can be life-changing.

Take a look at six helpful thinking styles that can help you transform into a rel

Up Next

Philosophy as Self-Supervision: Reflecting on Psychological Practice

Philosophy As Self Supervision Important Key Points

How often do you pause and reflect on your own practice? Self supervision isn’t just a tool, it’s a philosophical approach for insight and growth. So let’s explore more!

How philosophical inquiry enhances self-awareness, reflection, and growth.

Key points

Philosophical reflection can be a tool for self-supervision.

Wonder and uncertainty can shape professional growth.

Philosophical inquiry can be integrated into everyday practice.

Up Next

Metacognition: The Key to Better Decision-Making

Metacognition: 3 Keys To Better Decision-Making

Have you ever wondered how you think? Metacognition helps you analyze your thoughts, improving decision-making. Let’s learn more about it!

Navigating above our ordinary thinking by using our rational thinking.

Key points

Metacognition is our thinking about our thinking.

It can help us make better decisions and navigate more easily through life.

Metacognition is the conscious process of being self-aware of the way in which we are thinking.