Do you ever find yourself eating in response to emotions—whether stress, sadness, boredom, or even joy? You’re not alone. In this episode, Rachel Fine breaks down why emotional eating is normal, why diet culture has made us feel guilty about it, and how dancers can reclaim food as a valid, supportive part of their emotional world.

You’ll learn:

✅ Why dancers may be more prone to emotional eating

✅ How under-eating fuels emotional food responses

✅ A simple framework to differentiate physical vs. emotional hunger

✅ How to reframe emotional eating as a coping tool, not a failure

✅ Practical strategies to build your own “emotional toolkit”

✅ Ways to let go of perfectionism and food guilt for good

📅 Perfect for: dancers who feel stuck in a cycle of food guilt, turn to food during stressful times, or want a compassionate, practical roadmap to a healthier relationship with eating.

📖 Read the full blog: https://dancenutrition.com/emotional-eating-for-dancers/

📲 Follow on Instagram: @ToThePointeNutrition

🔔 Subscribe on YouTube: Nutrition for Dancers

🎙️ Listen on Apple + Spotify: Nutrition for Dancers with The Dance Nutritionist® Podcast

Timestamps ⬇️ (Skip to the section you need!

0:00 – Reclaiming Emotional Eating
Why avoiding emotional eating isn’t the goal, but redefining it is.

0:14 – About Rachel Fine, RDN
Background, mission, and focus on dancer health.

0:28 – Dispelling Myths in Dancer Nutrition
Challenging outdated diet and wellness ideals.

0:47 – What Is Emotional Eating?
How diet culture defines the behavior and why it’s misunderstood.

1:55 – Why Dancers Are Prone to Emotional Eating
Turning to food or restriction as coping mechanisms.

2:33 – Heightened Emotional Triggers
Defining emotions that lead dancers toward food or restriction.

3:09 – Positive and Negative Emotional Triggers
Celebrations, stress, sadness, and the normal human experience.

4:11 – Normalizing All Emotions
Why feeling sadness, anxiety, or joy is not “wrong.”

4:47 – Control and Coping in Dance
How lack of control in auditions, casting, and feedback drives food behaviors.

6:28 – Reclaiming Emotional Eating for Dancers
Viewing food choices as rooted in emotional experiences.

7:56 – Building a Working Relationship with Food
Creating intent and flexibility around food without shame.

8:22 – Step 1: Identify Emotional vs. Physical Hunger
Recognizing cues that guide eating choices.

9:02 – Step 2: Ask, Am I Eating Enough?
How restriction fuels emotional eating cycles.

10:58 – Step 3: Challenge Perfectionism and All-or-Nothing Thinking
Breaking free from the “last supper” mindset with food.

12:20 – Step 4: Build a Toolbox of Coping Mechanisms
Adding alternatives like movement, music, reading, or creative outlets.

13:32 – Final Takeaways
Reclaiming emotional eating, removing shame, and building supportive coping tools.

Rachel Fine, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Sports Nutritionist, Certified Eating Disorder Specialist, and Certified Counselor of Intuitive Eating works with dancers to help them build supportive relationships with both food and body. 

Disclaimer: This is produced for informational purposes only. This information is general, not specific to you. The information in this podcast does not substitute for medical advice. The viewer assumes full responsibility for consulting a qualified health professional regarding health conditions or concerns, and before starting a new diet or health program.