[beige]

whenever im depressed, i turn to eating as comfort..is this normal?

[Perna]

It can be "normal" in the sense that lots of poeple do it but it's not good. We're supposed to eat to refuel our bodies to live, work and play. Using food as a "drug" (why we feel better when we eat) to keep from feeling some other feeling or working on some other problem doesn't help anything and doesn't make us feel better in the long run?

[jacq10]

Yes this is completely normal. Food is such a comfort for lots of people i know, if they're upset, or confused, or scared or w/e it is not uncommon. It is simply another coping mechanism, but like too much of anything, it can become unhealthy if you overeat too much. If it isn't happening alot of the time, then i wouldn't worry about it. If it is, well maybe there are other ways things that you can find comfort in as a replacement. Some people find comfort in reading a good book, listening to favourite music, watching movies, writing in a journal, talking to a friend, there are many things that you can do.
Hope this helps ...

[(JD)]

"Normal." hmmm It sure does happen alot! It's one tough cookie to crack though hehehe

Now that you know you're doing it though, you can control it some I think.

Taking a little bit of the food you find comforting and stopping before consuming too much probably isn't a bad thing at all. Sometimes the body craves what it needs. When we are depressed, we need some extra chemicals to help regulate our feelings/emotions. Dark chocolate (not milk chocolate) has been shown to help at this time.

[Brookester]

I don't know about it being normal to turn to foods for comfort. I think we turn to foods as an escape because we truly don't want to deal with the problem/issue at hand.

[Anony]

I don't really know if this can be considered 'normal' as well, but I know that at least for me, it's become an addiction. I know I'm doing it, but I can't control it because it is my only way of being comforted. I've actually had moments when I started crying while eating because I don't really want to eat it, but it just comforts me... that might sound a little odd, so I don't know if anyone knows what I'm talking about.

[MindOverMatter]

It is definetly normal and you know why? It is because people have been conditioned to do this from birth. For example, when babies cry, the mothers first inclination is that they are hungry. And since babies cant communicate through speech, they communicate through emotions and feelings.

So when the baby cries, most parents tend to assume that the child is hungry (even if they arent). That goes along with us as we grow up. Although, eating habits may change for some people, alot of people have emotional eating habits. They dont eat because they are hungry or starving, they eat because it fills them up "emotionally". So when your depressed it is very normal that you will eat more. But you should understand that the reverse can happen for some people.

When others are depressed they deprive themselves of food and suppress their hunger. Their energy is scattered elsewhere, and they unconsciencely do the opposite.