23 hours agoAuthor: Gaurav Tiwari
- copy link
Has it ever happened to you that you are very upset and you share this with your friend. The friend says let’s go and get you some good food, after that everything will feel better. Here good does not mean healthy, but tasty food.
It may have happened that with the first bite of delicious food, the burden of stress may have felt a little less. There is a very simple science behind this. When we eat something, all our five senses are activated simultaneously and our entire focus is on eating. First of all, we see the food. Then we feel its smell, taste, its texture and even the sound produced while eating it.
Delicious food is like a meditation. But here we make a mistake. During this time we forget to ask ourselves how healthy is this delicious food? The result of this is that the stress returns again after the last bite of food. This time it returns in an even bigger form. This is called stress eating.
People who are very conscious about their health and pay attention to it, sometimes their health also goes off track due to stress. Suppose one day you suddenly have a strong desire to eat pizza, fries, chocolate, ice cream or sweets. These are all those things which you would not even touch on a normal day. But in that one moment you are unable to stop yourself.
If you pay attention, you will find that you are craving to eat all these things because you are stressed about something. Your stress hormone cortisol is high and that is why you are craving to eat all kinds of junk food. This is stress eating.
Today ‘Health report’ I will talk about stress eating. Also, we will know that-
- What is the connection between stress and fast food?
- How to avoid stress eating?
What is the connection between stress and fast food
There is a direct connection between stress and fast food. If stress increases, we crave fast food. We crave it because it contains a lot of salt, sugar and fat, which instantly releases a lot of the happy hormone dopamine. The search for happiness leads us to fast food.
But the story of fast food does not end here. It relieves immediate stress, but in the long term this food works to increase stress. Why does this happen? See the graphic below.
How to reduce stress eating
Reducing or avoiding stress eating is not as easy as it may seem. So it is better to break down the process into a few steps to make it easier to deal with. Check out this graphic.
Now let us understand some points given in the graphic in detail.
Awareness is essential
If we want to avoid stress eating, then first of all awareness is necessary. We have to understand when and which situations trigger our stress eating. Sometimes we may suddenly feel stressed after meeting some people. The reason behind this may be their behavior or some trauma related to them. Sometimes seeing a place may bring back a bad memory. Avoid all these things and people. This will keep negative emotions away and also fast food.
Understand your craving patterns
We all have different craving patterns. We should try to understand what we are feeling at the moment when we reach for fast food or ice cream.
The advantage of this will be that the next time you feel the same way, you will be able to ask yourself whether you are really hungry. Do you really need to eat that thing for which you are wandering around.
However, sometimes we feel hungry too. If we eat something healthy at that time, then this craving can end.
Always plan meals in advance
What are you going to have for breakfast tomorrow morning, what are you going to have for lunch in the afternoon and what is going to be your dinner, all this should be planned in advance. When you are hungry, do not stand in front of the fridge and think about what to cook and what to eat.
When we already know what we are going to eat then the mind prepares itself for it and does not wander here and there.
Eliminate unhealthy snacks from your kitchen
Most people keep some snacks in their kitchen, office desk and car for emergency. Most packaged snacks are unhealthy. They provide lots of calories, but have a bad effect on health and mind. When we are under stress, our mind starts running towards them. Therefore, it is better not to keep packaged food, snacks etc. in your house.
The ‘No Fast Food’ chit is very useful
In the world of advertising, ‘recalling’ is a very useful word. When the demand for a product or brand has to be maintained in the market, many times advertisements are run just for recalling. There is no novelty in it, there is no new message. This advertisement is reminding its consumers that we are also present in the market.
Similarly, for recalling, we can also paste slips with ‘No Fast Food’ written on them on our study desk, fridge, door and many other places in the house. These will keep reminding us again and again that we should not eat fast food.
Take a break from work when you are stressed
If you feel that your stress level has increased or you have a strong desire to eat fast food, then you should immediately take a break from work. You should sit quietly and take deep breaths. If you get time, a short nap can prove to be very effective.
What else can relieve stress other than fast food
If you are craving fast food due to stress, you can go for a walk for some time. You can sit still for some time and do deep breathing. If it is not possible to take out time for this, you can drink a glass of water. You can call a good friend or relative to divert your attention. You can try to concentrate on some other work.
Mindfulness is also helpful
Mindfulness is a very good way to get out of a stressful situation. For this, you can do meditation or puzzle solving. However, sometimes meditation is not so easy. In such a situation, you can do some creative work like painting, knitting, embroidery, sewing. This helps a lot in reducing stress.
Seek professional help if needed
If it is not possible to get out of stress eating on your own, then you can seek the help of a professional. He will assess your current situation, suggest changes as per the need and help you get out of this endless cycle.
