Have you ever found yourself eating chocolate chips in your pantry after a stressful day with the kids, or mindlessly snacking at work out of boredom? These are both typical scenarios of emotional or stress eating.

Eating for emotional reasons is completely normal, and every human being does it to some degree. Emotional attachment to food is woven into our experiences from birth. Think about a newborn baby who nurses (or bottle-feeds) from his mother. Besides the physical benefits of the food itself are the emotional benefits, like the skin-to-skin contact, which promotes bonding between mommy and baby. The newborn quickly associates feeding and sucking with comfort and a way to self-soothe.

Whether at a wedding or other simcha, celebrating Shabbos and holidays with family, or date night with your spouse, eating is a natural way of expressing emotion. These are all normal, healthy ways to use food to express emotion on these occasions.