As humans we all need to eat. And regardless of our sex or ethnicity there seems to be a commonality that food is at the center of a lot of occasions. When we’re raised with food being at the center of so many aspects of our lives, it’s only natural that we create lifelong habits (even if we don’t know they exist), which show up in multiple ways.
When I first started working as a Health Coach, we are told to define our niche market. Since my passion is supporting busy adults on their weight journey with a focus on emotional eating, I automatically assumed I would work with women. Our culture has a tendency to stereotype that women are more concerned about their weight, body image and are more emotional than men, which is why a lot of healthy foods and diets are typically marketed toward women. However, it has been my experience that not surprisingly men care about their bodies and what they eat too. Similar to women, men can also have an emotional relationship with food.
When talking about emotional eating, we typically think about eating when stressed, happy, angry, sad or as a reward to name a few. But there are also common triggers of feeling insecure, unsafe, vulnerable or lacking connection that can draw us to food without even knowing it. Simply identifying the triggers can help alleviate the pull to food and enables us to develop new tools and approaches to address each situation.
For men it can be especially difficult to ask for help around food as it can feel taboo. However, having the right support is helpful when you know what you should be eating but have a hard time sticking to it. This cycle can feel daunting and lead to burn out but having someone to cheer you on when you’re feeling stuck can be helpful because having a third party to help us see what’s in our way can be all we need. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s a smart and productive thing to do regardless of your sex.
