We are all learning to deal with our new normal. The order issued to “Stay at Home” has led us to change the way we communicate, exercise, work, and eat. All these sudden changes and the need to adapt quickly can stress us.
Since May is mental health month, it’s the best time to talk about stress and how to manage it. You might be surprised to know that anxiety and stress can manifest in your eating patterns, which generate what we commonly call eating as emotional comfort or stress.
Why do we eat because of stress?
Eating out of stress is more or less what it sounds like. It’s about eating to escape our negative feelings, hoping that the food will improve the mood.
Sometimes it is a conscious decision, but it is usually just a meaningless response to a vague and negative emotion that we can hardly point out. Stress and boredom can cause you to eat for emotional comfort, especially if you are locked up at home and surrounded by food all day. Whether you’re ordering comfort food that contains more calories than your usual meals or cooking at home with only the ingredients you have, you may not be eating like you used to.
Stress can cause fatigue or depression so a healthy diet can overshadow comforting food. Those comfort foods with high caloric content can stimulate the release of certain chemicals in our brains that make us feel good, but at the same time, they keep us eating. In a vicious circle, overeating can cause weight gain and high stress levels, so people continue to overeat.
How to control hunger due to stress
The most important thing now is that we all care for ourselves in the best possible way. Therefore, we present you with five ways to curb stress and practice good eating habits to stay healthy:
Accept your feelings.
Did you know that emotions trigger hunger due to stress? So, why not identify them? It’s okay to feel angry, lonely, and bored occasionally. These feelings can be unpleasant, but they are not dangerous and it is not always necessary to “compose” them. Allow your emotions to flow without judging them.
Look for other alternatives to food.
For example, a quick walk or herbal tea could work. If you need to eat, try crunchy foods; they will help you release stress by putting the jaw muscles to work. Try sandwiches such as those with almonds, soybeans, or baby carrots.
Eat regularly, and don’t skip meals.
Allow yourself to eat. When you are stressed, it is easy to postpone meals or skip them all; however, your energy levels will be affected, and you could end up overeating even after eating. If stress kills your appetite, try to eat small amounts more often during the day.
Reduces caffeine.
People often feel a lack of energy when they are stressed and resort to caffeine as a stimulant. However, it can alter your rest at night. Opt for decaffeinated drinks or tea if caffeine keeps you awake at night.
Try to eat a conscious diet.
When you eat consciously, you try to be more aware of your internal hunger and satiety signals and what triggers them.Conscious eating allows you to eat only what you need and enjoy the food more… even when you eat less.You can also learn to be more attentive to what your body is ingesting.
Remember that now is not the time to reduce your intake but to focus on eating the most nutrient-rich foods to boost nutrition and immune function. This pandemic undoubtedly added stress to our lives, but learning to cope with it can strengthen the people you care about, your community, and yourself.
