Crunchy Carrots Won’t Heal Emotional Eating (But This Might)

Amy English
1 day ago
4 min read

If you’ve ever had someone tell you to just eat something healthier when you’re struggling with food or emotions, you know how frustrating that advice can be. It sounds simple, but it completely misses what’s really going on.

A few weeks ago, I had a conversation that reminded me exactly why I do this work.

I was at a marching band competition (because it’s Bandtober in our house—if you know, you know). Someone mentioned the strong farm smell in the air, but since I lost my sense of smell after COVID and a sinus infection almost two years ago, I couldn’t smell a thing.

As we talked, I found myself explaining how the loss of smell has changed my experience with food and made me even more aware of something we don’t often think about: the texture of food.

Crunchy, creamy, chewy... texture plays a huge role in emotional eating and binge eating. And while I was explaining this, I casually mentioned that I’m an Emotional Eating Coach. One of the fellow band parents looked at me and said, “Wait, what even is that?” I sometimes forget this isn't a common career choice.

So I shared a little about my work and how I help women in perimenopause and menopause break overeating cycles, rebuild trust with food and their bodies, and finally feel free without diets or guilt.

That’s when she told me her doctor had recently asked if she eats emotionally. When she said yes (and admitted she loves chocolate), he advised her to switch to something healthier and crunchier so it would take longer to eat.

Now, I get where that advice comes from. It’s not wrong, but it’s incomplete.

Because if you’ve ever eaten your feelings, you know that crunchy carrots don’t scratch the same itch as chocolate.

And that’s because emotional eating isn’t really about food.

It's about the feeling we get from the food.

It’s not the craving for chocolate that needs healing; it’s the feeling underneath the craving.

The Emotional Texture of Food

Back when I was stress eating, I always wanted something creamy, soft, and sweet... like frosting, cake, or ice cream. Those textures soothed me.

Some of my clients, though, reach for crunch. Chips, popcorn, pretzels... anything that snaps between their teeth.

Over time, I started to notice that the texture often matched the emotion.

Crunchy foods often showed up when someone felt angry or anxious. Soft, creamy foods when they needed comfort or calm.

Everyone was different, but the texture of their food of choice became part of the emotional experience.

So when someone says “Just eat something healthy,” they’re missing the deeper reason behind why we reach for food in the first place.

What Are You Really Looking For When You Turn to Emotional Eating?

Here’s the real question I ask myself and the women I coach:

When you reach for food, what are you trying to feel?

Or maybe… what are you trying not to feel?

Stress, sadness, loneliness, boredom, overwhelm... these are all emotions that can send us running to the kitchen. That’s because food gives us an instant sense of comfort and relief.

But it’s temporary.

And the longer we use food to soothe, the more disconnected we become from the feelings that need our attention most.

That’s why “healthier swaps” don’t work long-term. They might change what’s on your plate, but they don’t heal what’s underneath.

The Power of the Pause

The real change starts in a simple pause.

Before reaching for food, take a breath and ask yourself:

What am I feeling right now?
What do I really need?
Will food fix this?
Do I want food to fix this?

That pause interrupts the automatic cycle. It helps you choose in the moment. That's taking your power back.

And even if you still decide to eat, that pause is powerful. It’s how you change the pattern.

Remember, healing emotional eating isn’t about control; it’s about awareness and compassion.

When you start to feel safe in your body again, when you stop judging yourself and start getting curious instead, something shifts.

You stop needing food to cope.

You start trusting yourself again.

You start to feel free in your body.

You Don’t Have to Do This Alone

If you’ve ever been told to “just eat healthier” and it didn’t work, it’s not because you failed. That advice was incomplete.

You don’t have to keep fighting food or feeling ashamed of your eating habits.

You can learn to pause, listen, and heal what’s really going on underneath it all.

This is exactly what I help women do every day, especially those navigating perimenopause and menopause who are ready to stop the cycle, rebuild self-trust, and find peace with food and their bodies.

If that sounds like what you’ve been searching for, I invite you to schedule a 60-minute Connection Call with me.

We’ll talk about what’s keeping you stuck, what you truly want for yourself, and whether this work is the next right step for you.

Because you deserve peace with food.

You deserve to trust yourself again.

And you deserve to feel free in your body, simply because it’s yours.

👉 Listen to the full episode on Fat2Fierce®: The Confidence Chronicles

👉 Read more blogs at fat2fierce.com/blog

👉 Book your Connection Call here

xo,

Amy

Amy English

Life Coach | Fat2Fierce®