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Stress eating
RockinTerri
Posts: 499 Member
Does anyone else here have difficulty with eating while stressed? I've been recognizing it more myself recently, and I seem to gravitate towards sweet items to relax me.
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RockinTerri wrote: »Does anyone else here have difficulty with eating while stressed? I've been recognizing it more myself recently, and I seem to gravitate towards sweet items to relax me.
Yes, definitely.
It's reinforced in two parts:- Eating sweets gives a dopamine rush that is difficult to resist when feeling lousy.
- In addition to that, eating bulk carbs at any meal increases tryptophan production in the body, which then increases serotonin levels... and serotonin has a nice calming effect -- nice for someone suffering from intense or chronic anxiety.
I think anyone who suffers from anxiety or depression would be more vulnerable to eating sweet / high-carb foods to excess. It's self-medicating and it's addictive.0
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