Stress and food habits:
How about the incredible allure of chocolate when the seemingly last possibility for anything wonderful has just fizzled in your face? 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.
How about the incredible allure of chocolate when the seemingly last possibility for anything wonderful has just fizzled in your face? 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 binge on and engage in over eating? We tend to overeat when faced with stress. So what are we left with here? There is no way to avoid stress, so are we doomed by the influence of stress on our eating habits? Is it possible to make some healthy 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.
How about the incredible allure of chocolate when the seemingly last possibility for anything wonderful has just fizzled in your face? 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.
How about the incredible allure of chocolate when the seemingly last possibility for anything wonderful has just fizzled in your face? 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 binge on and engage in over eating? We tend to overeat when faced with stress. So what are we left with here? There is no way to avoid stress, so are we doomed by the influence of stress on our eating habits? Is it possible to make some healthy 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.
- 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!).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Overcoming stress-related eating isn't always easy, but it is possible. The bottom line is that the more you know and care for yourself, the less likely you will be reaching for food.
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