Is it hunger or stress?

Does stress make you reach out for an ice cream tub or a packet of chips or a chocolate bar? Many of us when anxious or stressed about work or relationships reach out for food first to make ourselves feel better. On the other hand, there are also some people who tend to lose their appetite when under stress but most often it is the stress eating that people fall a prey to. This kind of eating can have a negative effect on weight loss programs or weight management programs. In the corporate world today, working under stress with deadlines is very common and so, many corporate wellness programs also help deal with this kind of stress eating through lifestyle modifications.

Is there a relation between hunger and hormones?

When stressed, the body releases a hormone called cortisol which increases the hunger which means that you are not actually hungry but the hormone makes you feel like you are. We specifically crave for foods that are high in carbs / sugar or fat. This is because we have conditioned ourselves to soothe the mind with these type of ‘comfort foods’. Stress affects the types of choice we make when we are hungry. Also, the high insulin levels and high cortisol levels make a bad combination as they make us choose the worst of foods. These foods tend to reduce the emotions and the response caused by stress and are thus rightly called as ‘comfort foods’. Some research has also suggested that Ghrelin, the hunger hormone may also have some contribution to stress eating.

Stress eating can become a pattern

Eating under stress and losing control over one’s eating habits is acceptable once in a while. However, if the stress persists or keeps coming back along with the eating, then "stress eating" could become a habit. Stress eating is an emotional response we choose to take up to deal with the stress. Repeated episodes of stress eating could become a pattern and add up to the pounds. Also, eating is not the only reason why we pack those extra kilos. People undergoing stress also tend to lose sleep or tend to avoid exercising or turn towards increased alcohol intake which again cause a building up of the excess pounds.

Tips to break the habit of stress eating

A bad habit can only be broken by replacing it with a good habit. It is important to consciously realize when you are stressed and make a conscious and wise choice of food at that time. We have put together some easy strategies that you can use when that wave of stress hits you and you want to handle it well. By repeating the same strategies again and again you just end up building a new habit that replaces the old one:

Out of sight is out of mind: Empty your shelves of all high sugar, processed or high fat foods as these junk foods can be a deterrent to your efforts to build a good habit of eating the right foods when the moods are low.

Regular exercise: Indulging in regular exercise can keep you away from feeling stressed in the first place. It will help you burn those calories and also help you manage your emotions. It’s a good idea to go for a walk rather than walking to the kitchen every time you are stressed.

Optimism: Rather than emphasizing on the stress, focus on the ways you can resolve it. Keeping yourself calm and thinking about the solutions will pose as a better idea than turning onto food to soothe you down for a while.

Take a break: Moving away from the situation that is causing stress for a while and distracting yourself with an enjoyable activity could help you for a while. Going for weekend getaways or occasional vacations would keep the regular stress levels low. It also improves the productivity levels and improves health.

Meditation: Innumerous studies have proved how treating yourself with a few minutes of meditation everyday can keep you in a peaceful mental space. The reason is that it works exactly opposite to how stress works. It triggers the relaxation responses and promotes recovery and repair of the damage caused by mental or physical stress.

Social Support: Peer / friend group and family have shown to have a buffering effect on people who are undergoing stress. If you feel anyone is undergoing stress, support them and help them out of it. If you are the one undergoing stress, go ahead and seek support from your closed ones.

What’s the bottom line?

It’s going to take a while to distinguish between real and imagined hunger. Many individuals have grown around people who turn to food to cope with negative emotions and has this has thus become a learned response for many. First step of getting rid of stress eating is to reorient yourself to eat when the stomach is hungry not when the mind is stressed. And this can happen when one realizes the triggers and starts understanding the response to them. Second step would be to distract yourself with a pleasant activity which will be an outlet to your emotional turmoil. Hence, weight loss programs or weight management programs should consider teaching an individual the skills to identify those triggers and thus deal with them positively. Corporate wellness programs could arrange for regular sessions of their employees with the nutritionist from a wellness company to help them do the same. Many corporate wellness companies in Mumbai offer various wellness programs for the well-being of employees working in corporates.

Arati Shah is an astute nutritionist having expertise in all types nutrition, she is one of the top 10 dietitians in Mumbai who can also guide one through corporate wellness programs with same efficacy