Under normal circum stances people eat while they are hungry, if you eat in response to your feelings, especially when you're not hungry, you maybe suffering from emotional eating.

But is it really that bad? Don't we all binge sometimes? Doctors say that while emotional eating is not recognized formally as an actual medical condition, the side effects can be serious. These include psychiatric disorders like binge-eating and bulimia nervosa. It may even worsen medical conditions like diabetes mellitus.

And when it affects your health, your work or social life, that's when it becomes a problem. So if you're diabetic but can't stop loading compulsively or if you keep canceling appointments to stay home and eat, these are red flags you shouldn't ignore.

It's all about chemistry

What then are some of the reasons for emotional eating?

While stress is a big culprit, other causes include ennui, a need for love and acceptance and even childhood traumas like the loss of a parent. These common triggers are classified under the acronym Halt -- which stands for Hunger, Anger, Loneliness and Tiredness. It all starts with a neurochemical stress response.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter manufactured from the amino acid tyrosine with the help of nutrients including folic acid, magnesium and vitamin B12, and one of its functions is to help reduce appetite. So when your dopamine levels drop, you end up feeling depressed, irritable mid moody, which may then draw you to food.

Other neurotransmitters, neuropeptides and hormones like noradrenalin, serotonin, opioids, cortisol and insulin also interplay to influence your appetite and food habits.

Serotonin, especially, regulates eating and feelings of fullness. In fact, many new anti-obesity drugs are now serotonin-based as they not only regulate eating behavior but also control impulses.

Other causes of emotional eating are genetic and psychological. A multi-centre genetic study of outing disorders involving North America and Europe has found that the genetic locations for binge-eating and obesity co-locate on chromosome 10.

Many people also snack to "escape". People experiencing emotional distress may attempt to escape this distress by narrowing their focus of attention to their immediate physical surroundings or stimulus environment. In this way, they don't have to be aware of their pain.

Sometimes, comfort foods carry an emotional significance for us. Our mothers gave them to us when we' were younger, on occasion when we were stressed or sick. It makes us feel better and stirs happy and comforting memories. Socially, we all also use foods to celebrate happy occasions but emotional eating can lead to weight gain mid obesity. And with the weight gain other medical risks like hypertension, hyperlipidaemia (high cholesterol) and diabetes mellitus also go up. If you already have medical conditions like diabetes or heart disease, the increased weight can worsen your condition.

Want to stop the binge cycle?

Here are some tips;

• START WITH A CHECKLIST.

It will determine your emotional eating condition.

• STOP AND THINK BEFORE YOU EAT.

Ask yourself: Are you really craving for food or just reacting to a negative situation?

• TRICK YOUR BRAIN.

Drink a tall glass of ice water and wait for 15 minutes to see whether the craving has subsided, Identify the food you're craving for and get a low-calorie option. Chew slowly and take the time to taste and enjoy each mouthful.

• THINK SMART SUBSTITUTES.

Wong suggests these alternatives if you have a craving fur large amounts of food (rice cakes, puffed cereals, unflavored popcorn), sweet foods (fresh fruit, canned fruit in natural syrup, carrot and celery sticks, sugar-free fruit yogurt), crispy foods (whole meal cereals and crackers, low-salt or unsalted chips and crackers, baked, nut fried, snacks) and savory foods (clear soups).

• KEEP YOURSELF BUSY.

Try exercising for 30 minutes at least five times a week to burn off extra calories. Distract yourself by going out for some fresh air, joining a dance class or talking to a friend. Don't allow yourself any chance to mope in your room.

• HIDE YOUR FOOD.

Store less in the fridge. Or make food less accessible by stacking them on a high shelf and select foods in small, individually packs.

• TRACK YOUR EATING PATTERNS.

Keeping a food diary or blog means you're actively taking mental notes of what you consume, reducing the chances of binge-eating.

• DON'T MULTITASK AT MEALTIME.

Don't do something else while munching. It will help you to avoid situations in which you eat and lose control. Make it a rule to eat only at a table instead of in front of the telly or while standing up.

• JOIN A MUTUAL SUPPORT GROUP.

Get one of your close friends or siblings to be your partner. That way, you can call someone when you get the urge to eat emotionally.

• DON'T BAN TREATS COMPLETELY.

Never deprive yourself. This will only create miserable feelings of deprivation and incite cravings. You will succumb eventually and end up consuming a whole lot more which will leave you feeling ashamed or disappointed with yourself.

• SEEK TREATMENT.

Consulting a dietitian or a trained psychologist can help you deal with the emotional cause of your binges. Psychotherapy is used by psychologists, psychiatrists and trained professional to identify the underlying reasons of emotional eating. For those with a diagnosable psychiatric illness, specific drug treatments like SSRIs (serotonin specific re-uptake inhibitors) can help impro