What Is Stress Eating?
Have you ever uncontrollably eaten a lot of food when you were stressed or anxious? When someone is lonely, bored, stressed, or even anxious they will often turn to food to comfort or distract them. Many call this ‘stress eating’. Stress eating can cause many problems such as overeating and eating lots of unhealthy foods. However, there are some ways to prevent yourself from stress eating.
What Causes Stress Eating?
What causes stress eating? Stress eating is caused by a chemical reaction in your body. Stress releases a hormone in your body that makes you lose your appetite. However, if your stress increases or continues then your body releases a hormone that increases your appetite and its severity. This hormone is called cortisol. Cortisol may not go away until you can deal with the stress. This also explains why the craving for food when someone is stressed is so high. The cortisol may also affect your food preferences or cravings at that time. According to multiple studies, done with animals, emotional or physical stress can cause a higher intake of food with high fats, lots of sugars, or both. Comfort foods also play a role in overeating and stress eating. Many comfort foods have high fats or lots of sugars and the chemicals that are sent to your brain when eating these foods can actually comfort your brain by decreasing the effects that stress can cause. However, stress eating is not the only cause of increased weight when someone is stressed. Stress can also cause other issues, such as losing sleep at night or less exercise and physical activity, these can also lead to an increase in weight and possibly even more stress continuing a vicious cycle. Thankfully, there are ways to stop stress eating and prevent it from harming you in the future.
How Can You Prevent Stress Eating?
Stressing can be stopped and prevented in many ways. The first step to stop or prevent stress eating is to understand why you want to eat when you want to eat. You need to realize if it is because you are actually hungry or if it is simply because you crave food. You also need to understand what you are eating and know if it is healthy for you or junk. If these signs point to actual hunger then you definitely need a snack. When you eat can affect whether you are overeating or not. Studies have shown that the most common period for overeating is the late afternoon to evening point of the day. During this time of day, you need to watch most carefully what you are eating and why you are eating it. Oftentimes you may eat a snack that is too great of a proportion to have a positive benefit for you. One simple yet effective way to counteract this issue is to create your snacks and the proportions beforehand. This will prevent you from overeating while still allowing you to eat a snack and help your body function until your final meal. The best way to prevent overeating is to control the actual food you consume and control the portion sizes. When you are making changes to your diet it is always a great idea to consult with a dietitian. Yet, the best way to prevent stress eating is to overcome your stress. There are many stress relievers that can help you overcome your stress. One example is yoga or meditation. Both of these can be activities that happen during your normal snacking time, and they can actually help prevent your stress. While stress eating can affect everyone, it is important to remember that you can take the steps to prevent stress eating from harming you in the future.
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Author/Writer:
Amogh Prakash
Thanks for the info!