Listen in: Binge Eating & Sensitivity on the Highly Sensitive and Strong Podcast

Lucy Newport • July 8, 2025

Reading time: 2 mins
Listening time: 43 mins 


Highly Sensitive and Strong Podcast - Episode 23: Binge Eating & Sensitivity: Healing Food Struggles as a Highly Sensitive Person with Lucy Newport



Do you ever wonder if your sensitivity plays a role in your relationship with food? For Highly Sensitive People (HSPs), the connection between our deep emotions, ability to take in and process information and how we eat can be profound. 


That’s why I feel that this conversation I recently had with Daphnie Leigh on the Highly Sensitive and Strong Podcast is a much-needed one. We explored how sensitivity, when not understood or honoured can develop into binge eating and binge eating disorder (BED), and on the flip-side - how your sensitivity can be a gateway to your most nourishing relationship with food. 


In this episode, I share parts of my personal 14-year journey with binge eating and anxiety, and offer insights and gentle guidance for your own recovery journey. 


Some key takeaways from our conversation:


🌿Why HSPs can be more vulnerable to binge and emotional eating

🌿 The roles of shame, nervous system overwhelm, and self-judgment

🌿 What binge eating recovery can look like for a HSP

🌿 The power of self-compassion, body-based practices and boundaries


I discovered Daphnie’s podcast a few months ago and loved her grounded, gentle presence and the way she embodies everything she shares about being a HSP in this world.


It was an honour to join her for this conversation, and I hope there’s something inside this episode that supports you - whether you’re just starting to see how being a HSP plays into your relationship with food or you’re in the depths of your recovery.


🎧 Listen to Episode 23 of the Highly Sensitive and Strong Podcast here

Highly Sensitive and Strong Podcast cover featuring Daphnie Leigh. Episode 23 discusses binge eating recovery for HSPs with Lucy Newport


You can also listen to this episode where you usually get your podcasts:

Listen to Episode 23 on Spotify

Listen to Episode 23 on Apple

Listen to Episode 23 on Amazon



Insights from our conversation


Daphnie: “I feel like if we really take the time to tune-in and to pay attention to it, probably all of us can relate to using food to soothe ourselves or to avoid some of our more uncomfortable emotions.”

Lucy: “Food is a wonderful way to soothe ourselves, to calm ourselves. It is innate within us, it’s built within us - it’s not something we should feel shamed for. It only becomes a problem when we don’t have those other tools we can also come to when we’re feeling that we need that comfort or that pleasure or whatever it is we’re seeking from food.”

Lucy: “Whether you recognise yourself in emotional eating or binge eating or you’re worried you have an eating disorder, there’s help out there for everyone, and everyone is worthy and deserving of help.”

Lucy: “When you look at binge eating disorder recovery for Highly Sensitive People, it falls short because it doesn’t honour that depth of emotion and nervous system regulation that’s really needed.”

Daphnie: “Not all Highly Sensitive People are going to struggle with an anxiety disorder, and in the work that I’ve done for years now with people who struggle with anxiety, I don’t think I’ve come across anyone yet that I’ve worked with who didn’t end up being highly sensitive.”

Lucy: “Without having this grounded sense of safety to come back to again and again and again, it feels like you’re fighting yourself, or like you just can’t do the things you know you need to do in order to recover.”



Want to go deeper?


If this conversation around sensitivity, self-worth, and food resonated with you, I created The Highly Sensitive Woman’s Guide to a Binge Free Life for you.


This free in-depth guide will teach you:

🌿How to create genuine safety within yourself as a HSP

🌿Ways to honour your sensitivity while building a peaceful relationship with food

🌿How to let go of feelings of “not enough” and connect more to your innate-worth 

🌿Practical steps to unravel binge eating cycles that work with your HSP nature

🌿How to embrace your authentic self rather than trying to "fit in"

GET YOUR FREE GUIDE


It includes the six principles that I talk about in this episode of the Highly Sensitive and Strong Podcast, and has plenty of practical small steps to get you started.

I’m excited to share these insights with you because I know how painful and isolating binge eating can be. But I also know the peace and freedom that is present when you work with your sensitivity as your recovery path.





If you found this podcast episode helpful, here are some more resources for you:

Video Q&A: “How can I find love when I’m scared my body will be rejected?”

By Lucy Newport • May 6, 2025
Reading / watching time: 19 mins I recently received this heart-opening question from a sensitive woman in recovery from binge eating - and I know she’s not alone. She asked… “I want to find love but have been holding myself back because of fear of rejection as my body is larger than I’d like it to be. The way you talk about being a highly sensitive person really resonates and can see how I use food for comfort and also as a buffer to protect me from other people and situations. I’ve also tried so many times to lose weight but I know now it just makes my binge eating worse, and I’m now heavier than ever. I’ve got to the point where I don’t want to wait any longer for love, but I’m scared that I’ll like a guy but he’ll be put off by my body or I’ll have to tell a potential boyfriend about my binge eating and again, that will put him off. Any advice?” So in this video, I explore what it means to open yourself up to love when your relationship with your body feels complicated. Whether you’ve struggled with binge eating, body image, or the fear that you have to “fix yourself” before being loved, I hope this supports you deeply.

Video Q&A: “How do I handle the desire to lose weight now I have food freedom?”

By Lucy Newport • November 27, 2024
Reading / watching time: 19 mins This is a question that Ester emailed me directly and because it’s something that often comes up further along in binge eating recovery journeys, I asked if she’d mind me sharing it and my answer with you all. Thanks for agreeing Ester! She asked: “I strongly feel the wish to lose weight now that I’ve gained food freedom and I would really love to hear your experience about this. Do you still face the desire of being thinner, do you have any tips to handle it or do you suggest to just let it go and provide the unconditional love and appreciation that is needed underneath?” So in this video I share with you my most recent experience of wanting to lose weight, a couple of things for you to work with in your own journey and some words of wisdom from Ester…

Video Q&A: “Why can't I do the things I know I need to do?”

By Lucy Newport • September 3, 2024
Reading / watching time: 13 mins Our question this time comes from Sarah and it’s another that I think will be really relatable to many of you. She asked: “I know the things I need to do to stop binge eating and sometimes I can do them and I feel really good about that. But I just can’t seem to do them most of the time. I want to know how I can get around this because it’s really frustrating me! Thanks for all of your support!” So, here are my thoughts on this…

Video Q&A: “How can I let go of fatphobic judgements?”

By Lucy Newport • June 5, 2024
Reading / watching time: 14 mins We have a great question about fatphobia from Ester this month who says… “Hello! Thank you so much, you are helping me a lot in my recovery ❤️ I'd love to ask if you can go deep into the fatphobia trigger, even if I now have a good relationship with food I still feel there's this subtle judgement towards fat and my wish is to be able to look at me and others beyond the physical appearance. I'm on my way lil by lil but I am really curious to know your pov 😉” So in this video, I share with you: What fatphobia is Why fatphobic thoughts are so ingrained in many of us A simple but profound practice to help see yourself and others beyond these thoughts

Video Q&A: “How can I connect to my body?”

By Lucy Newport • April 23, 2024
Reading / watching time: 21 mins This month's Q&A video is around the topic of connection (which is one of my favourites!) and comes from Aga with the question “ I’ve been binge eating for over 20 years and at this point feel like I’m completely disconnected from my body all of the time. How can I start connecting to it?”. In this video, we get into: Understanding the ways you’ve disconnected from your body The underlying reasons for this disconnection The question you can ask yourself in any moment to begin reconnecting Four simple practices to help bring you back into your body
“How can I lose weight in a healthy and responsible manner?”

Video Q&A: “How can I lose weight in a healthy and responsible manner?”

By Lucy Newport • March 28, 2024
In this video, I answer the question “How can I lose weight in a healthy and responsible manner?” from the perspective of binge eating recovery.







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