How the Relationship with Food Is Built Across the Life Course: The Link Between Emotions and Eating

Abstract

Introduction: Eating is often approached through nutrients, portions, and adherence to recommendations; however, the relationship with food is built across the life course through the interaction of emotions, appetitive traits, early learning, and relational context. This perspective is especially relevant to the training of nutrition professionals, who frequently support eating behaviors that cannot be explained solely by physiological hunger. Author’s opinion: The relationship with food is not defined only by individual choices but is shaped from early stages through the interaction of appetitive traits, emotional experiences, caregiving practices, family modeling, and the food environment. Within this process, emotional eating is a relevant expression, as emotions such as sadness, anxiety, frustration, or stress may modify food intake, either as emotional overeating or emotional undereating. These trajectories are neither homogeneous nor static: they share part of the family environment that shapes them, may follow different developmental courses, and can be associated with later outcomes in eating behavior and nutritional status. Conclusion: Understanding how the relationship with food is built across the life course makes it possible to move beyond the plate and recognize eating as a biological, emotional, and social experience. Incorporating this perspective into teaching and nutrition practice may strengthen nutrition counseling and support a more humane, reflective, and emotionally sensitive approach to people’s experiences.