[4 MIN READ] 

In this article:

• It’s normal to associate certain emotions with eating. But when you start stress eating during hard times, it can negatively impact your body.

• The stress hormone cortisol causes cravings for foods that are full of sugar.

• A Providence behavioral health caregiver can help you unpack why you stress eat — and help you stop doing it, too.

How you can beat stress eating

How many times have you seen this common Hollywood trope? The main character is struggling with relationship problems, so her friends bring out cartons of ice cream and they all dig in.

It’s normal to seek comfort in food, says licensed therapist Anna Nguyen, program manager of behavioral health and primary care integration for Providence. “For a lot of people, when we associate food with a feel-good experience, our brain automatically wants to go back to it,” she says. “For example, birthday cake often brings to mind happy memories. It’s OK to have good, positive associations with food, but we want to make sure food isn’t our only choice to feel better.” 

When food becomes an emotional crutch, it’s called stress eating — a practice that was common during the early days of the pandemic.

“Many people turned to comfort foods to deal with fear, uncertainty and loneliness,” says Debrin Cohen, a registered dietitian at Providence. “This led to them overeating more processed and calorie-dense foods, which caused weight gain, digestive issues and changes in energy levels due to blood sugar spikes and crashes. Some people didn’t get enough vitamins and minerals, because fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains were often replaced with more convenient processed foods. This created problems like weakened immune function, low energy and poor bone health, as their bodies weren’t receiving the nutrients needed to function properly.”

What causes stress eating?

Stress doesn’t affect everyone’s appetite in the same way. In some people, it causes fewer hunger cues and encourages them to stop eating. Others become stress overeaters. 

One of the major culprits of stress eating is cortisol. This stress hormone causes cravings for foods that are full of sugar, fat and salt. That’s because the brain is trying to get the fuel it needs to fight the threat it perceives as causing stress — the “fight or flight” approach. 

Five tips to help you beat stress eating

There are usually things that trigger stress eating. It’s important to be mindful of those triggers and arm yourself with ways to be aware of and fight the urge to eat because you’re stressed. Here are a few tactics that may help.  

1. Know your triggers. Understand the reasons you may be eating due to stress. Pay attention to when and why you’re eating. Do you reach for something sweet or salty after an argument with a family member or coworker? Are you anxious after watching the evening news? Are you really hungry, or are you reacting to a situation? Take a brief break to pay attention to your feelings at that moment. When you’re more aware of triggers, it may help keep you from eating too much the next time. 
2. Add “B” to beat stress. Foods with B vitamins can help with stress relief by affecting brain cells and nerves. Stock up on B-rich foods such as avocados, bananas, chicken, fish and dark green, leafy veggies. Or check with your doctor about adding a vitamin B supplement to your diet.
3. Make time for mindful eating. Being more aware of your eating patterns and food intake is key to helping you avoid emotional eating. Eat in a less distracting environment — away from the TV or computer screen — to keep your focus on the food and your eating habits. This is more important than ever if you’re concerned about stress eating.
4. Take away tempting foods. Having cookies and candies, chips and snack crackers in your line of sight may tempt you to overeat when you’re stressed out. Although an indulgent treat is fine every now and then, those foods can cause a part of your brain to give in to cravings and then overeat. In a perfect world, you’d have only healthy snacks.  But for now, put away the sugary, salty snacks so they’re a little more “out of sight, out of mind.”
5. Don’t be too hard on your diet. It may seem like a contradiction, but one of the most important things you can do to keep from stress eating is to avoid restricting your food intake. Otherwise, you may end up binge eating high-calorie foods, especially if you’re already under stress. “It helps to plan balanced meals and snacks with protein, healthy fats and fiber to keep your blood sugar stable and prevent cravings,” says Cohen. 

Seeking help for stress eating

If you’ve been stress eating for a while, it can be hard to stop. You may need to build up coping skills to help you identify your triggers and build healthy habits. “If you aren’t sure whether you have those kinds of coping skills, it might be time to seek out a behavioral therapist,” Cohen says. “They can help you identify the underlying issues of why you gravitate toward food. They can also use cognitive behavioral therapy to help you regulate your emotions internally.”

Providence offers behavioral health services in Washington, California, Oregon and Texas. Our licensed therapists, psychologists, psychiatric nurse practitioners and psychiatrists work in both inpatient and outpatient settings to help you with stress management and other issues.

If you find that stress eating is leading to an eating disorder or nutritional deficiencies, we can help. Find a Providence behavioral health provider near you.

Contributing caregivers

Anna Nguyen, MA, LMFT, is the program manager of behavioral health and primary care integration for Providence.

Debrin Cohen, MS, RD, CNSC, is a registered dietitian at Providence. 

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This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical care. Always follow your health care professional’s instructions. 

About the Author

Whether it's stress, anxiety, dementia, addiction or any number of life events that impede our ability to function, mental health is a topic that impacts nearly everyone. The Providence Mental Health Team is committed to offering every-day tips and clinical advice to help you and your loved ones navigate mental health conditions.

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