Why is it that food always seems to be one of the causalities of life? Whether it be a meal that's punctuated by tension and pent up rage; supper preparations that get side tracked by sudden pain; or a total lack of appetite because one's heart is hurting so intensely it drowns out the cries of the belly.
It's interesting how, much to my constant shock and occasional dismay, my body does at least attempt to continue to function even during the hard times. When pain, sorrow, and misery are all that I can focus on, my tummy still demands sustenance. Luckily (or unluckily, depending on how you look at it), my mind is kind enough to put a stop to the actual psychological desire for food, thus my tummy eventually learns to shut up. Still surprising, considering as how stomach growling means there's air going through your stomach and intestines, so unless something begins to fill them...the growling should continue. After a while, though, bile starts getting rid of some of the air. Nothing more annoying that sobbing hysterically, and having your stomach trying to compete with you, emitting it's own keeling wails of dismay.
From a rational, analytical standpoint, eating/food is supposed to be an objective sort of experience. In the strictest sense, food is only meant to keep us alive...nothing else. We humans, however, have gone and made a ripe mess of things by tying all sorts of social, economic, spiritual, and emotional meanings to food. Think about a wedding, for example, how would you feel if you attended a wedding that offered no refreshments at all...not even punch. Contrast that to how you'd feel if you attended a wedding with a sit-down meal. Would you be more or less pleased? Keep in mind the outcome of the wedding is the exact same. The man and the woman are married. Technically, isn't the reason for going to a wedding, to see two people get married? So why, then, do we somehow feel less happy about the event if we're left to fend for ourselves when it comes to having our hunger satiated?
I am, of course, not saying it's totally wrong to have certain psychological connections to food. Various smells, tastes, and the sight of some foods leads to pleasant strolls down memory lane, which is actually a good thing.
On the other hand, stress, depression and other issues, makes some people eat too much. Gaining 20 lbs because your boyfriend broke up with you, doesn't exactly make you love food. Suddenly, those 12 ding-dongs you ate, are the enemy, and end up being punished for your jacked-up emotions. Sort of like when someone says, "Do these pants make me look fat?" No; your fat makes you look fat.
I say then, we rescue food from it's impossible position in our life. Avoid eating when you're emotional and/or not hungry. At the same time, no matter how upset you are, don't go days without eating...sending your body into starvation mode. Try to eat something at least once a day. Your body still needs nutrients and energy to keep on making that broken heart of yours keep beating (no matter how much you would rather it stop). Don't reward or punish children with food. By punish, I mean, do the whole "you're not getting up from this table until you eat every bite of your food" thing. A child will eat when they are hungry (they're awesomely selfish that way. They will not let themselves starve), and likewise, they won't eat when they aren't hungry. Forcing a child to eat, because you want to prove your point is teaching them to override their body's signals of satiation. This could then lead to your precious little one being famous...as the largest human being alive. When your emotions go into a spin, do some sort of physical activity like walking, jogging, dancing or whatever.
Food is not the enemy. The enemy is the enemy.
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