Stress-eating is the comfort cloud of people who are anxious and don't feel emotionally well. CNN reports that stress affects hunger hormones that regulate the appetite, and turning into junk foods activates feel-good hormones, which explains why people get indulged.
"It's perfectly human to want to avoid pain and seek relief," said dietitian and founder of Seattle's Mindful Nutrition, Minh-Hai Alex. "Stress eating usually happens when we want to disconnect from the moment. It's like changing the channel in our brain to try to change how we feel," she explains. Here's why food is such a salve for stress - and how to stop the cycle.
According to emotional eating expert and psychologist, Melissa McCreery, PhD, ACC, "stress activates your adrenal glands to release cortisol, increasing your appetite." The expert behind the "Too Much On Her Plate" website added that stress impeded the hunger hormone called ghrelin, which causes irregular appetite.
In choosing what to eat when having a bad day, Alex added that it is no surprise for people to turn in to high-calorie minchies. High-carb favorites such as fries, ice cream, chocolate bars, cookies and other junk snacks increases the dopamine response, which is responsible for the brain's feel-good reaction.
Although stress-eating can relieve a person's anxiety, a study published in the Biological Psychiatry journal says that hunger caused by stress slows down metabolism. Stressed women burn fewer fat and calories, which makes her stack up an additional 11 pounds in a year.
To avoid stress-eating, experts advice to focus on the real problem than finding escape in food. Another reliever is to be more mindful about oneself by distinguishing real hunger, paying more attention to the taste rather than the food quantity, and learn stress-relieving techniques.
If these don't work, allow yourself to indulge without feeling guilty, and savor the taste in a moderate consumption.
