Children's Health Center

Stress is eating us. alive.

Stress and food habits : Isn't it strange how chocolate always seems irresistable when you are feeling down and out or stressed out? No, it's not your imagination. You really do crave rich foods when stress is unrelenting.
When you experience sudden danger, your brain instantly signals your body to turn out a hormone called Cortisol. It in turn relays the message throughout the body to mobilize you for a life-saving response. Blood vessels constrict and divert the flow of blood from leisurely processes such as digestion to fast-acting muscles. Metabolism shifts too, and energy is made rapidly available to your muscles, readying them for action.
Why is it that whenever we overcome incredible stress, we want to reach for something to shove into the mouth and engage in stress eating? There are times we eat, when we feel the stresses in life. So what are we left with here? There is no way to avoid stress, so are we doomed by the power of stress on our eating habits? Is it possible to make some healthful changes even though you may be eating for reasons other than hunger?

Breaking the food habits:
Different types of stress can cause you to crave different kinds of foods. However, there are ways to break that cycle and stop eating to feed emotional hunger.

1. Try to limit refined carbohydrates as much as possible, as those foods can (easily) cause blood-sugar swings that lead to anxiety, irritability, headaches, confusion and other signs of stress. Such foods include refined sugar and anything made with it, refined flour and its products such as bread or pasta, and vegetables that are high in starch, such as potatoes (chips!).
2. Forget common diet advice of avoiding favorite foods. A little chocolate may help fight stress, since it helps release endorphin neurotransmitters, nature's morphine. Excessive stress depletes neurotransmitters that help regulate emotions. However, using food to alter your moods won't make the reason for your stress disappear.
3. Anything from a walk around the block to a gym workout will help lessen the effects of stress, while helping your body be and feel healthier. Exercise is essential to any weight loss program. Just start moving.
4. Don't deprive yourself of food, which often leads to binge eating. Instead, eat what you want and toss out guilt. Balance that choice with a healthier option.
5. Do a stress inventory when you find yourself eating more, or not eating at all. By tuning in to your physical and behavioral reactions, it's easier to face stress-causing problems head-on.
6. Learn what purpose food is serving. Stress eating is usually a response to emotional hunger. Keep a chart for two weeks to monitor your food and feelings connection.

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