About comfort eating

What it is, why it happens and what helps. Contents:

• What comfort eating is
• Comfort eating is normal
• Physical hunger and emotional hunger
• Why we eat for comfort
• Stress and cravings
• Common triggers
• Why guilt and strict diets backfire
• The pause: riding out a craving
• Build a comfort menu
• Mindful eating
• Tapping for cravings
• Small changes at home
• Sleep, meals and your body
• Being kind to yourself
• Evenings and tricky moments
• How self-help methods fit in
• When to get support
• FAQs

What comfort eating is

Comfort eating means eating in response to feelings rather than physical hunger. It might be stress, sadness, loneliness, boredom, tiredness, anger or even happiness and celebration. Food is soothing, quick and always available, so it is no surprise that many of us reach for it when life feels hard. You can explore related topics in our Health hub.

Comfort eating is not a lack of willpower. It is a very human way of coping. With understanding and a few new tools, most people find they can enjoy food without it running their emotional life.

Comfort eating is normal

Food is tied to comfort from the very start of life. We celebrate with cake, share meals with loved ones and enjoy treats on holiday. Eating for comfort now and then is a normal part of a healthy relationship with food. It becomes worth looking at when it happens most days, when you eat past the point of comfort, when it leaves you feeling guilty or unwell, or when food has become your only way to cope.

Physical hunger and emotional hunger

Learning to tell the two apart is one of the most useful skills:

• Physical hunger builds slowly, can be satisfied by many foods, and fades once you are full.
• Emotional hunger often comes on suddenly, craves a specific comfort food, can feel urgent, and may continue even when you are full.
• Physical hunger shows in the body: a rumbling stomach, low energy, difficulty concentrating.
• Emotional hunger often follows a feeling or situation, such as a stressful email or a quiet evening alone.

Neither is “bad”. Noticing which one you are feeling simply gives you a choice.

Why we eat for comfort

Tasty food gives a quick lift. It can calm the body, distract from difficult thoughts and give a moment of pleasure. Many people also learned as children that food meant love, reward or comfort. Over time, the brain links certain feelings with certain foods, and the urge becomes automatic. Psychiatrist Judson Brewer describes how habits form through a simple loop of trigger, behaviour and reward, and how curious awareness can help loosen that loop.

Stress and cravings

Researchers Emily Adam and Elissa Epel described how stress and tasty, energy-dense food both act on the brain’s reward system. Stress hormones such as cortisol may increase the appeal of comfort foods, and eating them can briefly dampen the stress response. Over time, this can make stress eating feel compulsive. [3] This is why tools that calm stress directly, such as breathing, tapping, Havening and relaxation, can be so helpful for comfort eating. Our guide to stress management has more.

Common triggers

• Stress at work, at home or with money.
• Tiredness and poor sleep.
• Boredom or procrastination.
• Loneliness or feeling disconnected.
• Sadness, anxiety or low mood. See our guides to anxiety and depression.
• Long gaps between meals, which leave you overly hungry.
• Strict dieting, which can increase cravings.
• Habit and cues, such as the sofa, the TV or a particular time of day.

Why guilt and strict diets backfire

Many people respond to comfort eating with guilt and a promise to be “good” tomorrow. Unfortunately, this often makes things worse. Strict rules and banned foods can increase cravings, and guilt is itself an uncomfortable feeling that can lead to more comfort eating. A kinder approach tends to work better. Research on intuitive eating, which involves trusting hunger and fullness cues and dropping strict food rules, has linked it with lower levels of disordered eating and better body image. [4] If you are working on your weight, our guide to weight loss takes a similarly kind approach.

The pause: riding out a craving

A craving often feels like it will grow until you give in. In reality, cravings usually rise, peak and fade. Try this:

1. Notice: “I have an urge to eat.”
2. Pause: Set a timer for 10 minutes. You are not saying no, just not yet.
3. Breathe: Take a few slow breaths, with long out-breaths.
4. Get curious: Where do you feel the urge in your body? What feeling is underneath?
5. Choose: When the timer ends, decide what you really need. If it is food, enjoy it slowly. If it is something else, see your comfort menu.

Build a comfort menu

A comfort menu is a list of things that soothe you without food. Write it down and keep it somewhere you will see it. Ideas include:

• Calling or messaging a friend.
• A short walk outside.
• A warm bath or shower.
• Music, a podcast or a favourite show.
• Stretching, yoga or a few minutes of tapping.
• Writing down how you feel.
• A cup of herbal tea.
• Going to bed early.

Match the comfort to the feeling. If you are tired, rest. If you are lonely, connect. If you are bored, do something absorbing. If you are stressed, calm your body.

Mindful eating

Mindful eating means paying full attention to eating: the look, smell, taste and texture of food, and the signals of hunger and fullness. A systematic review of 14 studies found that mindfulness meditation reduced emotional eating and binge eating. [2] Try it:

• Eat at a table, without screens.
• Take a few breaths before eating.
• Notice the colours, smells and flavours.
• Put your fork down between bites.
• Check in with your fullness halfway through.
• Enjoy treats fully, without guilt.

The raisin meditation, used in many mindfulness courses, is a lovely way to practise. There is a guided version in Videos. Our mindfulness guide has more.

Tapping for cravings

Psychologist Peta Stapleton and colleagues have studied EFT tapping for food cravings. In a randomised trial with 96 adults, EFT led to greater improvement in food cravings and the sense that food had power over them than a waitlist, and improvements were maintained at six months. [5] A later trial found EFT and CBT were comparably effective at reducing food cravings. [1] To try it, focus on your craving, rate it from 0 to 10, then tap through the points while saying something like “Even though I really want chocolate right now, I accept myself.” Rate it again afterwards. There are guided tap-alongs in Videos, and our EFT guide explains the points.

Small changes at home

• Out of sight, out of mind. Keep tempting snacks in a cupboard and fruit on the counter.
• Portion it out. Serve snacks in a bowl rather than eating from the packet.
• Make kitchen “closing time”. Brush your teeth after dinner as a signal that eating is done for the day.
• Plan treats. Enjoying a planned treat removes the forbidden-fruit effect.
• Keep satisfying snacks handy, such as yoghurt, nuts or fruit, for when you are genuinely hungry.

Sleep, meals and your body

Your body’s basic needs have a big effect on cravings. Tiredness can increase the appeal of sugary, fatty food, so good sleep is one of the best things you can do. See our guide to sleep. Regular, balanced meals with protein, fibre and vegetables help keep energy steady. Skipping meals can lead to strong hunger later in the day. Drinking water and moving your body also help regulate mood and appetite. If sugar is a particular pull for you, our guide to sugar cravings has more.

Being kind to yourself

Comfort eating often comes with a harsh inner voice. Try to treat yourself as you would a friend who was struggling. If you eat more than you meant to, notice it without judgement, ask what you were needing, and move on. One meal or one evening doesn’t define you. Our guides to self-love practices and self-esteem have ideas for building a kinder inner voice.

Evenings, weekends and tricky moments

For many people, comfort eating clusters at certain times: the evening after a long day, weekends with less structure, or after a difficult conversation. Planning for these moments helps. Make sure you have eaten a satisfying dinner, so you are not genuinely hungry later. Have a relaxing evening routine ready, such as a walk, a bath or a book. If weekends are hard, plan a few enjoyable activities and regular meals. Before a stressful event, decide in advance what you will do afterwards to unwind, so the choice is already made. And if you do eat for comfort, enjoy it slowly and without guilt, then carry on with your evening.

It can also help to notice the small wins. Each time you pause before eating, choose a non-food comfort or eat a treat slowly and with enjoyment, you are strengthening a new pattern.

How self-help methods fit in

Many people combine practical tools with mind-body methods. EFT tapping has encouraging research for food cravings. [1] Mindfulness builds awareness of hunger and feelings. [2] Havening and relaxation calm the stress that drives cravings. The Sedona Method helps feelings pass. Hypnosis and Psycho-Cybernetics help build new habits and a new self-image. For everyday eating, see our guide to healthy eating.

When to get support

Talk to your doctor if eating feels out of your control, if you often eat very large amounts in a short time, if you feel distressed about eating, or if you are using other ways to make up for eating. These can be signs of an eating disorder, which is treatable, and your doctor can refer you to specialist help. A registered dietitian, or a therapist who specialises in eating, can also help you build a calmer relationship with food. Directories for several countries are in Get help & sources.

Frequently asked questions

What is comfort eating?

Comfort eating, or emotional eating, means eating to soothe feelings such as stress, sadness, boredom or loneliness, rather than to satisfy physical hunger.

Is comfort eating normal?

Yes. Almost everyone eats for comfort sometimes. It is worth looking at if it happens most days, leaves you feeling worse or has become your main way of coping.

How can I tell emotional hunger from physical hunger?

Physical hunger builds slowly and is satisfied by many foods. Emotional hunger often comes on suddenly, craves a specific food and can continue even when you are full.

Why does stress make me want to eat?

Stress and tasty food both act on the brain’s reward system. Stress hormones may increase the appeal of comfort foods, and eating them can briefly dampen stress. [3]

Does mindful eating help with emotional eating?

Research is encouraging. A systematic review found mindfulness meditation reduced emotional eating and binge eating. [2]

Can tapping help with food cravings?

Randomised trials have found EFT reduced food cravings, with results comparable to CBT. [1]

Should I cut out comfort foods completely?

Strict bans often increase cravings. A more relaxed approach, with planned treats enjoyed mindfully, usually works better. Intuitive eating has been linked with lower disordered eating. [4]

The best videos on comfort eating

Hand-picked and checked one by one: researchers, clinicians and teachers on cravings and mindful eating, plus guided tapping.

Understand cravings and comfort eating

Mindful eating

Tapping for cravings

Books on comfort eating

Free resources

Experts to follow

Get help

Talk to your doctor if eating feels out of control, causes you distress or is affecting your health. Eating problems are treatable, and your doctor can refer you to specialist support.

Find a therapist or counsellor

• US and Canada: Psychology Today (US) and (Canada) directories.
• UK: BACP therapist directory.
• Australia: APS Find a Psychologist, and Relationships Australia for couple and family services.
• Elsewhere, including Europe and India: ask your doctor or local health service for a referral, and check that anyone you see is registered or accredited where you live.

This hub is for information, not a substitute for medical or psychological care.

Sources

1. Stapleton et al. (2016), Food for thought: a randomised controlled trial of Emotional Freedom Techniques and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in the treatment of food cravings, Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being 8(2):232-257
2. Katterman et al. (2014), Mindfulness meditation as an intervention for binge eating, emotional eating, and weight loss: a systematic review, Eating Behaviors 15(2):197-204
3. Adam & Epel (2007), Stress, eating and the reward system, Physiology & Behavior 91(4):449-458
4. Linardon, Tylka & Fuller-Tyszkiewicz (2021), Intuitive eating and its psychological correlates: a meta-analysis, International Journal of Eating Disorders 54(7):1073-1098
5. Stapleton et al. (2011), A randomised clinical trial of a meridian-based intervention for food cravings with six-month follow-up, Behaviour Change 28(1):1-16

Written by Saj Ali. Last updated 30 October 2026. Spotted an error? Tell us and we will fix it.