Stress Eating Debunked: The Real Reason You Reach for Junk Food

Do you find yourself reaching for cookies or chips every time stress hits?

You're not alone. Today, on the 2% Solution, we unravel the complex relationship between stress and our cravings for comfort foods.

Discover how cortisol, the infamous stress hormone, triggers an urge for sugary, fatty, and salty snacks and why these cravings offer only a fleeting sense of relief. I open up about my battles with emotional eating, revealing the deeper issues it masked and how understanding the brain's coping mechanisms can empower us to break free from this cycle.

Ready to transform your stress-eating habits?

We share actionable strategies to nourish both your mind and body. Learn how mindful eating, effective stress management techniques, and keeping healthy snacks at your fingertips can make a difference.

Resources

• The Cortisol Episode
• American Psychological Association
• Journal of Obesity
• Mayo Clinic
• National Institute of Mental Health
• Stress Management Society

Chapters

• 0:08 Managing Stress Eating
• 11:43 Nourishing Mind and Body for Wellness

Transcript

Dai Manuel: 0:08

Hey, my wellness warriors, welcome back to another episode of the 2% Solution. I'm your host, diamond Will, and today we're diving into a topic that hits home for many of us Stress eating, otherwise known as emotional eating, eating out of habit eating, otherwise known as emotional eating, eating out of habit. You know, I'm someone that knows emotional eating quite well. I learned from an early age that I could eat my emotions, and what I mean by that is I could eat certain foods that would manipulate how I would feel in the moment, and there's lots of things at work that makes that sort of uplifting effect. We get that little dopamine release when we eat certain types of foods and it can become really problematic, you know, especially if we're using it as a way to cope with a lot of stress, anxiety, depression or other negative emotions or negative situations, because you know those moments when life feels overwhelming and sudden you find yourself elbow deep in a bag of chips or finishing that pint of ice cream. We've all been there. So today we're going to unpack why stress makes you overeat and, more importantly, what you can do about it. So buckle up, my friends, let's tackle this together. Let's get into the nitty gritty. Why does stress make us want to eat everything in sight. It all comes down to cortisol, often called the stress hormone. If you remember, in an earlier episode a few weeks back, I talked a lot about the stress hormone called cortisol. More importantly, what I've been doing to manage my cortisol levels more effectively, which has had a really big shift, especially on how much fat I retain as well as inflammation I retain in my body, and so if you want more on that, I'll include in the show notes the link to the cortisol episode. So if you want to do more of a deep dive on that, I definitely invite you to go check it out, because when we're stressed, your body releases cortisol, which triggering effect of cravings for, like sugary, fatty and often salty foods.

Dai Manuel: 2:16

These comfort foods temporarily make us feel better, usually by boosting some of those chemicals I was referring to serotonin, dopamine. These are like the feel good chemicals in our brains. Imagine your brain as a thermostat trying to maintain a comfortable temperature. When stress hits, it's like the thermostat gets cranked up way too high, making you feel hot and uncomfortable, maybe a little bit bothered. To cool down, your brain reaches for comfort foods, similar to how you might turn on a fan or air conditioning to cool a room. These foods act like a quick fix, temporarily lowering the temperature and making you feel more comfortable. However, just like relying on a fan constantly, without addressing the underlying heating issue, leaning on comfort foods doesn't solve the underlying heating issue. Leaning on comfort foods doesn't solve the root cause of your stress. But here's the kicker According to the American Psychological Association, 27% of adults admit to eating to manage stress and of those, 34% say they eat more than they usually would when feeling stressed. So it's not just in your head. Stress really does lead to overeating. It's a biological response designed to help you cope, but it can backfire if it becomes a habit.

Dai Manuel: 3:36

All right, story time. You know I like to tell some stories. A few years ago I mean more than a few years, actually, now I think it's going back almost a decade Some of you may be familiar with some of my stories. I've talked about me being hospitalized through burnout and then also discovering I have an autoimmune condition. And just you know, there's been some pretty big health scares. But you know I look at them as more as wake up calls. They were these moments bringing my awareness to something that I obviously wasn't paying attention to. And as soon as I started paying attention to it and started changing certain things changing certain foods and how I moved, how I recover things slowly corrected itself. And this is the one thing I want to really hammer home today is that as soon as you decide to start making some changes, you'll start making some changes. It seems rather simple and almost idiotic how simple it is right. You're probably yelling at the thing yeah, duh, duh. Well, yeah, duh duh. If we all knew it and adhered to it, the world would be a different place, right? And so I think back to sort of how I used to live life, especially when it came to my personal and professional lives. They were so tightly woven together that I rarely had any space for anything other than those two things, specifically around family and my career.

Dai Manuel: 5:01

And as I juggled work and family, as well as trying to fit in my training, my fitness, I thought that I had everything under control, but the stress, the anxiety, started to creep in more and more. Before I knew it, I was reaching for a lot of snacks. That's where my downfall kryptonite was reaching for sugary and salty treats. I don't discriminate against snacks. To be honest with you, I eat pretty much everything, and not the healthiest of options too, if you've got a lot of certain types of things within grasp. But I was reaching for snacks a lot more often and unfortunately they weren't the healthy options.

Dai Manuel: 5:41

And one night after a particularly stressful day, I stood in front of the fridge staring at a half-eaten cheesecake. I wasn't just staring at it, I started to pick at it and this was really my wake-up call. I realized I wasn't eating because I was hungry. I was eating because I was stressed, I was dealing with some negative emotions and I didn't know how to deal with it Because I was avoiding dealing with it. I was like I'd rather do anything but deal with these emotions, because it's hard, it's uncomfortable, I don't like it, I don't like it, I don't like how I feel. And it's way easier to eat this half a cheesecake and manipulate my body and brain and emotional state to feel better, even if it's only temporary, because it's only temporary. But this experience taught me a valuable lesson Understanding the why behind your eating habits is the first step in taking control. So just a little mindful check-in before you eat something.

Dai Manuel: 6:43

It's like hey, am I choosing to eat this? Am I aware I'm eating this. Is this the best option I can make right now, given my current situation? Is this a food I would be proud to brag about? Because I always find this interesting?

Dai Manuel: 6:58

I'll go to a social event and often where they'll have food and snacks and inevitably it's kind of buffet style, and when people find out I'm in the health or wellness space, they instinctively will start to look at me as we're walking around the buffet table. And they'll always look at me and be like hey, don't judge me, you know. And they say what kind of? With a smile, jokingly don't judge me, you know. And like I'm like I'm not here to judge you, I don't care, you know, honestly, I don't care. This is your choice to live your life the way you want to live. I'm not here to judge you about that. Um, but if you're unhappy and you find that certain results are not coming, you have to start to look at the things that you do on the day-to-day and the regular. Anyways, where I was going with this is I just think it's rather interesting that we are quick to eat a certain way, but when public opinion starts to weigh in on us, we start to think rather negatively about ourselves and this is also a downward spiral, because we might find ourselves binge eating or like I used to do.

Dai Manuel: 7:59

My emotional eating was often done away from everybody else. I did it in private because deep down I felt a lot of shame about it and that was something I had to work through. It took a lot of years. I had a great therapist help me unpack a lot of that and repack it, and so I do recommend that, if it's more of an emotional and psychological strain and that's the reason why it would be worthwhile looking into a professional and maybe just having a conversation seeing if that's what's needed to sort of unblock that block that keeps this habit in place. Because we should talk about the science A study published in the Journal of Obesity found that chronic stress and elevated cortisol levels are linked to increased appetite cravings for junk food and ultimately, this leads to weight gain.

Dai Manuel: 8:50

The research suggests that stress-induced eating isn't just about lacking willpower, though. Research suggests that stress-induced eating isn't just about lacking willpower, though. It is a physiological response. So, as an example, imagine your body is a finely tuned orchestra. Now, under normal conditions, each instrument or, in this situation, a hormone plays its part perfectly well, creating a harmonious balance, creating a harmonious balance. However, when that stress hits, it's like a disruptive conductor takes over, causing the cortisol levels to spike. This hormone, cortisol, starts banging on the drums louder and faster, drowning out the other instruments. The result Chaos or, in our case, an overwhelming urge to reach for comfort foods.

Dai Manuel: 9:36

Now, these cravings are not random. Cortisol specifically triggers a desire for sugary, fatty and salty foods, because these foods can temporarily boost serotonin levels in the brain. Acting like a soothing melody amid the chaos, the serotonin boost provides a fleeting sense of relief and comfort, much like a lull in the storm. But here's the catch Just like a temporary lull doesn't end a storm, these comfort foods don't resolve the underlying stress. They offer a brief moment of respite, but the storm of stress continues to rage and the cycle of stress eating perpetuates. But don't worry, it's not all doom and gloom. The good news is that by managing stress and becoming more mindful of our eating habits, we can break the cycle. Think of it as learning to become your own conductor, gradually taking control of the orchestra and restoring harmony. By incorporating stress, reducing techniques and mindful eating practices, you can quiet the disruptive drums of cortisol and bring harmony back to your body's orchestra.

Dai Manuel: 10:43

So what can you do to stop stress eating and stop NIMH? Here's some practical strategies. Number one is mindful eating. Start paying attention to what you eat and why you're eating it. Are you truly hungry or are you just stressed out? Think of your hunger as a traffic light. When you're truly hungry, it's a green light signaling you to eat. When you're stressed, it's a red light warning you to stop and evaluate. A quick check-in with yourself can make all the difference. Now number two is stress management techniques. So incorporate stress-reducing activities into your routine. So this can be like meditation, deep breathing exercises, quick workout. These practices can help lower cortisol levels. So imagine your mind is a pressure cooker. Regular physical activity acts like the release valve, preventing the buildup of pressure and reducing the risk of an emotional explosion. According to the Mayo Clinic, regular physical activity is a powerful tool for managing stress.

Dai Manuel: 11:43

Now number three is healthy snacks. This is a big one that I had to lean in on, and I started preparing healthy snacks and loading my fridge with pre-made healthy snacks, because it's always when I have that hankering I need something to eat, and I need it now. If I got something healthy to reach for, I'll reach for it and I'll eat that instead. Eat that instead. It's always when I don't have something prepped or ready to go. I tend to make quick reactions, reactionary choices, right, reaching for whatever's in front of me, because keep healthy snacks on hand for when the cravings hit, because they will hit. Nuts, fruits and veggies can satisfy hunger without the guilt. And think of these snacks as your emergency kit during that storm we were talking about earlier, just as you would prepare a kit with essentials to weather a storm. Having healthy snacks ready can help you navigate through stress without succumbing to unhealthy cravings.

Dai Manuel: 12:40

My wife always has usually a protein bar or a meal replacement bar in her purse, also in the console of the vehicle, because she knows when I and and you know I'm usually pretty good at this but there's those days where I just forget I get busy. I've got a lot of stuff going on and all of a sudden you know it's like four hours since I last ate and we're in the car going somewhere and she could tell I mean, I'm pretty, you can tell. You can tell when my energy is off. All right, I'm a pretty optimistic, positive dude, but when I start to get hungry, it's a few quick steps and I'm from hungry to hangry. All right, and my wife knows this about me after 23 years, so she's very quick to throw these bars at me rather quickly and aggressively. If I get to that place, we laugh it off. I laugh it off, I receive it with open arms and an open mouth and, uh, these healthy snacks have been savor, uh, huge, uh, lifesavers for our relationship. To be quite honest, cause, uh, some of our heated conversations or passionate debates. Yeah, you see, I'm even trying to be optimistic with how we fight. Uh, you know it, even trying to be optimistic with how we fight, it will largely be dependent on some of my food choices, because I know my energy is greatly affected by how I nourish my body throughout the day, and emotionally I'm much more stable when I've eaten and I think we can all relate to this.

Dai Manuel: 14:02

We slept well, we're well hydrated and we've been eating well. We feel better. We just feel better, and when we feel better, we think better. We usually act better. We make better decisions. Maybe there's a trend here and again. Plugging into that is a great thing to consider.

Dai Manuel: 14:22

Now, I just mentioned hydration. It is number four on my list. Sometimes we mistake thirst for hunger. Drink a glass of water before reaching for a snack to see if that curbs your craving. Picture your body as a well-tended garden. Just as plants need water to thrive, and not just any nutrient, your body needs hydration to function properly. Often a glass of water can refresh your system and stave off unnecessary snacking. Food for thought. Pardon the pun, but when you're slightly dehydrated, your metabolism slows a little bit, and there's been some studies that have looked at people and most people are in some level of dehydration at any given time, just based on lack of hydration or the kind of drinks that we do consume.

Dai Manuel: 15:07

A lot, especially in North America and this is becoming more global is we see a lot of people drinking sugar-sweetened beverages, right, or sodas, or caffeinated beverages. Now, a lot of these drinks not only are high in calories, but they also have a diuretic effect, especially if they have lots of caffeine in it, and we have to be mindful that we're drinking this, thinking that we're drinking fluids, but it might actually be creating a greater amount of urge to flush fluids. So if you are consuming a lot of caffeinated products, be sure to compensate and add in a two to one. So I have a little rule of thumb. If I allow myself a coffee in the day, that's great, I love my coffee. If I have a little rule of thumb, if I allow myself a coffee in the day, that's great, I love my coffee. If I have a cup of coffee, like eight ounces of coffee or 12 ounces, I'm going to follow it up with at least eight to 12 ounces of water and in effect I often try to double it. So I usually try to do a two to one ratio. I find it makes me feel better, I get less anxious and I just, I find my energy just stays more level. So again, something to consider. Yeah, anyways.

Dai Manuel: 16:14

Number five let's go on. That's enough about that. That's all I got to say about that. One Sleep. Don't underestimate the power of a good night's sleep. Poor sleep can increase cortisol levels and make you more susceptible to stress eating. Aim for seven to nine hours of quality sleep per night. Think of sleep as the maintenance crew for your brain and your body. Just like a well-maintained car runs smoothly, a well-rested body handles stress better, reducing the likelihood of stress-induced eating. So again, just to remind you, here's five things you can do to start eating less stressful. What? No, that makes no sense. You know what I mean. You'll stop less emotional eating, less stress eating. All right, just all these five things. Number one mindful eating. Number two, stress management techniques. Number three, healthy snacking. Number four four, hydration. And number five, which we always love, is sleep. Now got some final thoughts as we finish today's episode.

Dai Manuel: 17:16

If you want to dive deeper into this topic, I highly recommend researching resources from the American Psychological Association, the Journal of Obesity and the Mayo Clinic. All are great places to learn more about the connection between stress and eating habits. The American Psychological Association offers a wealth of info on stress management techniques and how stress affects your mental and physical health. There's articles, guides, even webinars that can provide you with practical tools to manage stress more effectively. Tools to manage stress more effectively. Journal of Obesity, myoclinic also both great resources and tons of things for you to dive into. Just be forewarned they are massive websites with a lot of research and studies and articles, videos. It just really leverages the search functionality.

Dai Manuel: 18:06

And lastly, remember, overcoming stress, eating is a marathon, it's not a sprint. It's essential right To be kind to yourself. Recognize that changes do take time, but celebrate the small victories along the way, like choosing a healthy snack over junk food or taking a few moments to breathe deeply when you feel overwhelmed. You're not alone in this journey. Many people struggle with stress eating, but by becoming more mindful and employing the strategies discussed today, I know you can take control of your eating habits. Positive reinforcement is crucial. Acknowledge your progress, no matter how small, and keep pushing forward. You're building a healthier, more resilient you, one action at a time. Stay strong, stay focused and remember that every small change you make is a step towards a healthier, happier you.

Dai Manuel: 18:58

All right, my warriors. That's it for today's episode on stress eating. Remember understanding why you're eating is as important as what you eat. By taking control of your stress, you can take control of your eating habits, and that's a big win for your overall health. Thanks for tuning in to the 2% Solution. If you enjoyed the episode today, share it with a friend who might need a little reminder to stay mindful of their eating habits. Don't forget to follow us on social media and leave a review if you love the show. Stay strong, stay focused and keep pushing your limits. I'm Don Manuel and you've been listening to the 2% Solution. Let's keep thriving together and I'll see you next time.