Why We Eat More When We’re Stressed

why we eat more when we're stressed

We’ve all been there. At the end of a frustrating day at work, before a stressful meeting, or in the aftermath of an argument, we find ourselves elbow-deep in a chip bag or eating ice cream straight from the carton. Emotional eating is so normalized that we have a whole vocabulary of terms for it: comfort food, stress eating, etc.

For some, stress and food seem to go hand-in-hand. You see, stress is a hormonal state, and human bodies are wired to respond to it. In moments of acute stress, we often lose our appetites, thanks to a rush of epinephrine (aka the “fight or flight response”). But as that moment passes, we’re flooded with cortisol, a hormone that can make us crave fatty, sugary foods. 

This works great if you’re out in the Serengeti trying to avoid being eaten by a lion. In that scenario, you’d see the lion, lose your appetite, and run! If you survived the lion chase, you’d need to eat-eat-eat to fuel up for your next exciting safari neighborhood encounter. 

But these stress responses don’t work so well in modern life: See an email from your boss, stress! Someone cuts you off in traffic, stress! Stand in a long line at the grocery store, stress! And there’s a lot of evidence linking chronic stress to chronic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. 

That means if your life includes constant nagging stress your cortisol levels may be constantly elevated. This in turn makes your food choices and habits more than a matter of mere willpower… your fighting your hormones in an uphill battle.

The bottom line is that your brain and your body are not separate organisms (though many diets might lead you to believe otherwise). What and how much you eat is directly connected to your emotional state—and knowing this is powerful, because with a few new habits and some simple reframing, you can better nourish your brain and body, no white knuckling required. 

Instead – give this a try…

Attention +Intention 

Your goal is to pay attention to all your meals and snacks and record them. How do you feel before, during and after eating the meal? 

The first step away from stress eating is becoming aware of your emotions. Keeping a daily log and paying attention to how you FEEL is key for this.

Then, start trying to go a little deeper in your record keeping. Where are you when you’re eating? Who are you with? Are you stressed? Bored? Exhausted? Glued to The Voice? Jot it all down. Did you inhale a muffin at your company meeting? Write that down, too. 

Remember, try not to place a judgment on it at this point. Gaining awareness of when and under what circumstances we eat mindlessly is vital to becoming more mindful + intentional with food. 

Want a food journal template? Click here

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