The Lymphatic System - The Connection to Emotional Eating and Health
- Paulina Hupka
- Feb 6
- 6 min read
If you have not read the article on the foundations of the immune system and the lymphatic system, I encourage you to read these articles.
Together, the immune and lymphatic systems ensure your physical balance by continuously scanning for pathogens and other invaders.
A malfunctioning immune and lymphatic system is often associated with a lack of movement, inadequate hydration, poor nutrition and chronic stress though other factors may also contribute.
This is where emotional eating overlaps with immune and lymphatic health.
The Link Between the Lymphatic System and Emotional Eating and Health
Binging, emotional eating and sugar cravings are often linked to lifestyle factors such as a sedentary lifestyle, reduced physical activity, weight fluctuations and diets high in ultra-processed and sugary foods, but individual experiences may vary.
A stressful lifestyle - or the stress triggered by binge eating and sugar cravings - creates a vicious cycle of stress and binging directly affecting the lymphatic system.
This cycle of habits and unhelpful food choices increase inflammatory responses in your body activating the immune system and possibly leading to chronic inflammation and malfunctioning of the lymphatic system.
You just don’t feel well - you get sick more often, take longer to recover, and experience persistent sluggishness.
As a result, you might reach for comfort food in an attempt to feel better temporarily, reinforcing the cycle.
As the cycle continues and your body stays in this state of chronic inflammation, fatigue, sugar highs and lows and ultra-processed foods, your body might eventually react by developing a sensitivity and/or resistance to insulin setting the stage for diabetes.[1]
In addition, you feel unwell, want to stay home, continue binging on candy and junk food and perpetuate physical stress, which can stagnate your lymphatic system and leave your body malnourished.
Mood Swings, Emotional Eating and the Lymph – How is it connected?
Frequent consumption of processed foods, processed meats and sugar – often associated with binge eating or emotional eating – may also lead to slight shifts in the body’s acid-base balance.
Normally, your body naturally balances slight blood changes in blood pH levels through various mechanisms. Organs like your kidneys, lungs, skin and tissues buffer the overall pH level. Through peeing (kidneys), breathing (lungs), sweating (skin) and release of minerals stored in tissue, your body automatically reacts to pH imbalances. You do not even have to think about them under normal conditions.
These are not drastic pH shifts but slight changes which over time can negatively impact your overall health, immune system and lymphatic system. Your ideal blood pH lies between 7.35 and 7.45.[2]
But a diet of highly processed foods and sugar combined with chronic stress may gradually lower your blood pH, which may cause:
Inflammation
Lymphatic Imbalance: Swelling, water retention
Pain: joint, muscle
Mood changes: reduction in serotonin and dopamine
Depression
Fatigue
Insomnia
Difficulty losing weight [3]
Loss of appetite / A sense of fullness
More fight or flight chemicals (cortisol, adrenalin)
Potential increase in cavities and teeth demineralization
Generally, a slightly alkaline state is considered optimal for maintaining blood pH and overall balance.
However, as mentioned above, a diet high in sugar, processed foods and meats is acid-producing as high amounts of salt and sugar increase blood sugar which decreases blood pH.[8]
Now, you can see how this cycle perpetuates itself.
More processed food and sugar create - generally speaking – a slightly more acidic environment in your body, leading to slowly increasing inflammation and immune system activation.
Since the lymphatic system plays a major role in immune function, it also becomes affected.
This subtle slight shift can also push your nervous system into a fight-or-flight state, increasing overall stress levels.
In response, you might turn to unhealthy food to help you soothe stress symptoms, further fueling the cycle.
Studies suggest that chronic stress activates immune cells leading to hyperactivation of the HPA axis.[4] Read more about the HPA axis here.
Breaking the Cycle: Steps Toward Balance
So, the lymphatic and the immune system work together to maintain balance and health. However, a diet high in sugar and processed foods can disrupt this balance, fueling an unhealthy cycle:
stress can lead to emotional eating, which can cause physiological imbalances, triggering further stress, mood swings and potentially even depression – reinforcing the pattern of emotional eating.[5]
Increased weight due to emotional eating may impact your lymphatic function but improving overall health through balanced nutrition and movement can support optimal lymphatic function.[6]
To address this cycle, you can follow these steps:
Consult your primary physician to rule out any underlying physical illness of the lymphatic system before starting a new health routine.
Adjust your diet by reducing foods high in sugar, ultra-processed foods, and refined meats. Instead, focus on a plant-forward diet, drinking enough water and moving your body to restore physiological balance.
Address your emotional eating habits by working on your emotional regulation, mindset shifting and a holistic understanding of emotions, thoughts and environment.
Mindfulness techniques can help regulate your nervous system, supporting both emotional and mental balance. For example, deep breathing or meditation can make a significant difference.
Choose a compassionate and personalized approach that allows you to build resilience and knowledge to support your unique journey.
Supporting your lymphatic system can be one step in a broader approach to managing emotional eating.
Nourish Your Lymphatic System and Beat the Craving
Nutrition is a foundational step in improving your lymphatic system, managing sugar cravings and promoting overall balance.
Try swapping sugary treats for lymph-boosting snacks like citrus fruits, berries, leafy greens, seeds, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, seaweed and algae. Make sure to add the following nutrients naturally into your diet.[7]
Nutrient | Selected Foods |
Vitamin A | Beef liver, fish liver oil, egg yolk, milk products; asparagus, broccoli, pumpkin, carrots, sweet potato, cantaloupe, cherries, mango, papaya, peaches contain beta carotene, squash, yellow maize, dark leafy greens |
Vitamin C | Citrus fruits, rosehip, acerola cherries, strawberries, tomatoes, dark leafy greens, sprouted grains, broccoli, asparagus, apple, red pepper, orange, kiwi, broccoli, grapefruit, green peas |
Vitamin D | Liver, fish, shellfish, mushrooms, fortified milk and cereals, some cheeses, salmon, trout, cod liver oil |
Coconut oil, olive oil, peanut oil, whole grains, leafy greens, asparagus, what germ oil, sunflower seeds, almonds, hazelnuts, peanut butter, spinach boiled, broccoli, kiwi | |
Vitamin B6 | Poultry, fish, organ meats, potatoes, starchy vegetables, fruits (other than citrus fruit), chickpeas, tuna, salmon, turkey |
Vitamin B12 | Beef liver, clams, oysters, tuna, salmon, plain yogurt, some cheeses |
Iron | Oysters, white beans, beef liver, lentils, spinach, tofu, kidney beans, sardines |
Zinc | Oysters, beef, blue crab, pumpkin seeds, pork, turkey, some cheeses, shrimp, lentils, sardines, plain yogurt |
Magnesium | Pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, almonds, spinach, cashews, peanuts, soymilk, black beans, edamame, baked potatoes with skin, plain yogurt, kidney beans, salmon |
Above all, be kind and compassionate with yourself.
Consistency matters more than perfection.
Small consistent efforts often lead to meaningful progress, rather than overhauling your life within a day. Choose one single nutrient or habit that you can add today.
Moving from guilt, shame and physical illness to self-acceptance, nourishment and balance can be an important step in improving well-being.
By addressing both the physical and emotional aspects of well-being, you can build the foundation for long-term health, stability and balance.
Conclusion: A Path to Balance and Resilience
The lymphatic system plays a key role in your body’s immune function and overall balance which reinforces emotional balance and in turn can reduce the likelihood of emotional eating.
When the lymphatic and immune system are working properly, you won’t notice it.
However, stress and a nutrient-poor diet can start a spiral of emotional imbalance and binge eating. This, in turn, affects your health and the lymphatic system reacting with inflammation which influences how you feel. Feeling low and sluggish may reinforce emotional eating as a coping mechanism.
Caring for your lymphatic system is an important step toward holistic balance in your life, your body, your mind and your nervous system.
Take one small, mindful change today and set yourself up for lasting balance, resilience and freedom from emotional eating.
[1] Talbot, J. (2024, February 9). 10 worst foods for the lymphatic system | Artemis. Artemis. https://artemis.co/blog/worst-foods-for-lymphatic-system
[2] Lewis, J. L., III. (2023, July 12). Overview of Acid-Base Balance. Merck Manual Consumer Version. https://www.merckmanuals.com/en-ca/home/hormonal-and-metabolic-disorders/acid-base-balance/overview-of-acid-base-balance
[3] Rehal, S., Kataru, R. P., Hespe, G. E., Baik, J. E., Park, H. J., Ly, C., Shin, J., & Mehrara, B. J. (2020). Regulation of lymphatic function and injury by nitrosative stress in obese mice. Molecular metabolism, 42, 101081. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molmet.2020.101081
[4] Alotiby A. (2024). Immunology of Stress: A Review Article. Journal of clinical medicine, 13(21), 6394. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm13216394
[5] Konttinen H. (2020). Emotional eating and obesity in adults: the role of depression, sleep and genes. The Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, 79(3), 283–289. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0029665120000166
[6] Nitti, M. D., Hespe, G. E., Kataru, R. P., García Nores, G. D., Savetsky, I. L., Torrisi, J. S., Gardenier, J. C., Dannenberg, A. J., & Mehrara, B. J. (2016). Obesity-induced lymphatic dysfunction is reversible with weight loss. The Journal of physiology, 594(23), 7073–7087. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP273061
[7] Lymphatic System; Marieb, E. N., & Keller, S. M. (2017). Essentials of human anatomy and physiology. Pearson.
[8] Robey I. F. (2012). Examining the relationship between diet-induced acidosis and cancer. Nutrition & metabolism, 9(1), 72. https://doi.org/10.1186/1743-7075-9-72
