When we feel overwhelmed by stress and anxiety, we sometimes turn to comfort foods to lift our spirits. But emotional eating can have significant effects on your health, and the ramifications can impact your well-being for the rest of your life. If you know how to stop stress eating and replace that habit with better approaches to stress relief, you can look forward to feeling better all around for as long as possible.
The Link Between Eating & Feeling Stressed
Stress and eating often go hand in hand, creating a complex relationship that can lead to unhealthy habits. When we're stressed, our bodies release cortisol, which can trigger cravings for comfort foods high in sugar, fat, or salt. This stress hormone is a primary driver of stress eating, but it can be controlled with a better diet and exercise among other things.
We seek out these foods as a way to cope with negative emotions and seek comfort in familiar tastes and textures. Stress eating is your brain trying to relieve stress quickly, but the effects are only temporary.
Moreover, stress affects our decision-making abilities and self-control mechanisms. This can result in impulsive food choices that prioritize immediate gratification over long-term health goals.
How Emotional Eating Impacts Your Health
Emotional eating is not healthy or beneficial in the short term, and it can have catastrophic consequences on your health over time. Consuming excessive calories during emotional eating episodes often results in weight gain, which in turn increases the risk of obesity-related conditions like heart disease and diabetes.
Emotional eating tends to be associated with poor nutrient intake, as individuals are more likely to opt for processed snacks over nutritious meals when under stress. This imbalance can leave you deficient in essential vitamins and minerals vital for overall health and well-being. Additionally, relying on food as a coping mechanism may hinder your ability to develop healthier ways of managing emotions effectively.
How to Stop Stress Eating
To break free from the cycle of stress eating, identify the things that trigger your poor eating habits. Take note of situations or emotions that lead you to reach for food when you’re not physically hungry. Understanding what drives your stress eating can empower you to make positive changes to your diet.
Find alternative coping mechanisms that don't involve food. Engage in activities like meditation, exercise, or talking with a friend when feeling stressed instead of turning to snacks for comfort.
Additionally, prioritize balanced meals and regular mealtimes. Ensuring that you eat nutritious foods throughout the day can prevent hunger, which often leads to impulsive overeating. If you struggle with this, you might benefit from the guidance and expertise you get with a professionally crafted nutritional program.
Stop Stress Eating With Health Response Testing in Newnan, GA
One of our best recommendations for controlling emotional eating impulses is Health Response Testing. HRT—offered at Healthy Life Chiropractic in Newnan, GA—helps you manage your eating habits and get the nutrients you need through diet and supplements. If you’re looking to get a handle on your stress-eating habits, request an appointment to learn more about Health Response Testing in Newnan, GA.