Hey seniors, has college been overwhelming you lately? Juniors, stressed out with all of your school work? There will always be a time in life that people are stressed out and can’t keep up with all of their work. When stressed out, one may not realize how much this could affect their health. Stress eating is a big factor in daily life and people could be emotionally eating without knowing so.

Stress eating is when people eat large amounts of food in response to emotions and not hunger. When people are stress eating, they tend to gravitate towards “comfort” foods, which are mainly junk foods. This can cause weight gain and more stress because eating is only a temporary solution to the problems that are causing the stress.

The question, though, is why are we eating in response to our emotions? Most people do not realize they are doing it. According to psychologytoday.com, people crave rich and fatty foods when stress becomes unrelenting. This is because when someone is stressed out their level of cortisol increases. Cortisol is a stress hormone and it can cause an increase in belly fat. Higher cortisol levels increase cravings for salty and sweet foods. With high cortisol levels, people indulge in foods that create a sense of comfort for them.

Most of the time Americans eat rather than actually dealing with their emotions. When dealing with a bad day one might take a cupcake to the face or stuff a few cookies down their throat. People usually aim for food that they find a sense of comfort in. People go for these types of food because there are positive memories associated with them. For example, if a parent gives their child ice cream after they have scraped a knee, one may desire that food after a stressful day. If you ate the foods when you were younger and found comfort in them you will search for these foods when trying to deal with stress. The downside to this is that the “comfort” foods are usually fatty, junk foods.

So now that you know how and why we stress eat, now you are probably wondering if there is any way to prevent or stop overeating due to stress.

The first step is to identify what causes you to be an emotional eater. Once you realize what makes you overeat you can start to figure out ways to prevent yourself from overeating. One tip to stop yourself from indulging in the snack cabinet came from Ms. Barrett; her suggestion is to leave notes on the inside of the snack cabinet stating “remember how guilty you felt the last time you ate too much.” This would help because it allows you to take a step back from the situation and think about if you really want to overindulge into the junk food.

Another way to prevent overeating is to make time for fitness. Getting at least a half hour of activity each day is a very effective way to de-stress. Physical activity is proven to enhance your mood and reduce stress.

Of course you are still going to want the foods you crave, so plan ahead to only eat a small portion and savor every bite. This will help you steer clear of binging and to get a controlled healthy portion.

Just remember, stress eating is a common problem and it is not just happening to you. Take a step back and relax before you head to the snack cabinet. There are many other options than eating away your problems.