Stress can bring out the best and worst in all of us. When we have a deadline to meet or a difficult situation to navigate, stress can give us the energy and stamina to complete these tasks and even exceed their objectives.
One of the less-attractive aspects of stress is its ability to make us eat things we wouldn’t normally eat or to eat more than we should. This can result in weight gain, diabetes, high blood pressure, and a whole host of other health problems.
But why does stress cause our bodies to react that way? Why is eating often the first thing that comes to mind when we’re stressed? There are two reasons-one is physical and the other is psychological.
Physical
Stress increases the body’s production of the hormone adrenaline. Adrenaline pumps through us when we’re stressed and gives us extra energy. Once the stress is over and the adrenaline dissipates, we’re often left feeling extremely hungry.
Psychological
Food is often used as a crutch for individuals dealing with stress. As a crutch, food helps to distract people from the overwhelming feeling of stress and offers a sort of psychological comfort.
To reduce stress eating the obvious solution is to reduce stress. Unfortunately you can’t just make a decision to feel less
