For instance, if you're angry with someone, try talking it out instead of reaching for food when you're not hungry. Food is the body's fuel but it's also much more than that.
Most people learn early in life that food serves other purposes besides nutrition.
Your mother may have given you ice cream, along with hugs, when you hurt yourself as a child. You may have been rewarded with a special dinner at a restaurant when you earned straight A's in eighth grade. Maybe as a college student, you got in the habit of munching on food as a way to get through exams. Today, you may keep using food to fill emotional needs, contributing to your weight management difficulties. Using food this way is very common.