Emotional Eating

Emotional Eating in Children and Teenagers

You hear the rustle of a wrapper in the pantry just twenty minutes after dinner. Again. Your first instinct is to call out, ‘Are you still hungry?’ or maybe to close the kitchen for the night. But what if that reaching for a snack has nothing to do with a growling stomach? In my recent conversation with nutritional therapist Kamy Moussavi, we uncovered a startling truth: most of the time, our kids aren’t hungry for food—they’re hungry for a way to soothe a brain that feels out of control. Here is how to stop policing the pantry and start healing the heart.

This conversation between Kristina Campos and Kamy Moussavi shifts the focus of childhood weight struggles away from “dieting” and toward emotional regulation and brain chemistry.

Here is a structured summary of the key takeaways, organized by themes that would work well for a blog post.

1. Distinguishing Hunger from Soothing

The biggest challenge for parents is knowing if a child is actually hungry. Kamy Moussavi offers a “clue”: if a child rejects healthy, whole foods (protein, vegetables) but is desperate for “dopamine-heavy” foods (salty, crunchy, or sugary processed snacks), they are likely seeking an emotional hit of serotonin or dopamine rather than physical fuel.

2. The Science of the “Hijacked” Brain

A major theme is removing the guilt from the child. Kamy explains that:

• Dopamine Hijacking: Corporations spend millions to make processed food as addictive as possible.

• The Frontal Lobe Gap: The part of the brain responsible for impulse control (the frontal lobe) isn’t fully developed until the mid-20s.

• The Physics of Addiction: Asking a child to “just stop” eating hyper-palatable food is like asking an addict to stop their drug of choice while their brain is being physically stimulated.

3. The Impact of “Parenting Patterns”

Kristina and Kamy discuss how well-meaning parenting can create unintended food issues:

• Food as Reward: Giving ice cream for a clean room teaches children to “suppress emotions with food.”

• The “Clean Plate” Club: Forcing children to finish their meals interferes with their internal “fullness cues,” making them lose touch with their body’s actual needs.

4. Why “Kitchen Policing” Backfires

When parents monitor the pantry or “take away the wine” (metaphorically), it leads to secretive eating.

• Shame and Guilt: Children hide wrappers under beds or eat in the basement not because they want to be “bad,” but because they feel shame and don’t feel safe expressing their stress to their parents.

• The Solution: Create a “low-pressure” environment where a child feels comfortable saying, “I had a hard day and I ate the ice cream.”

5. Actionable Strategies: “The Gentle Nudge”

Kamy Moussavi suggests a two-pronged approach for the home:

• Add Friction to “Bad” Habits: Don’t ban ice cream, but keep it out of the house so you have to walk 30 minutes to get it. This forces the brain to calculate if it’s worth the effort.

• Reduce Friction for “Good” Habits: Make healthy soothing mechanisms (physical touch, walks, socialization, or creative play) easier and faster to access than the pantry.

6. Leading by Example

The most impactful takeaway is that change starts with the parent. Cammy notes that many parents who struggle with their child’s eating are themselves “workaholics” or “phone-scrollers” who use those outlets to avoid their own emotions. By modeling how to handle a bad day (e.g., “I’m stressed, so I’m going for a walk instead of having a snack”), parents give children a blueprint for health.

“Emotional eating is simply eating because of an emotional need that your brain is tricking you into thinking is hunger.” —Kamy Moussavi