Stress: How does it effect your eating patterns?

[prolesunited]

Poll question: Stress: How does it effect your eating patterns?

I'm a stress eater, seeking carbs for comfort. My favorite indulgences are chocolate and ice cream or chocolate ice cream.

[Ilsa]

1. Overall, and in the long run, I eat more.

But initially, my appetite is suppressed, then it charges up.

[Carni]

2. Where is the...I forgot if I ate, or not... option?

The closer this election gets, the more I find myself wondering IF I have eaten!

[Guy Fawkes]

3. Eat/drink more chocolate/chocolate milk... eat less of everything else

[scarlet_owl]

4. I eat more of the wrong things.

I don't handle stress well.

[sundog]

5. When stressed, I've gone whole days without eating

--

[NMDemDist2]

7. me too, I have to force myself

when I remember to at all

[sundog]

8. like today, for example--

I think I had a piece of toast this morning -- shit -- at least I took a vitamin :7

[NMDemDist2]

9. i just forced down a ham sandwich cuz i'm going to bed other than

that I had a slim fast this morning :(

[sundog]

10. try to sleep well...

I occasionally don't eat & stay wired with coffee all day, but then I can't sleep right

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

6. Chocolate gives a high that is similar to when one is in love.

I'm not much of a chocoholic except in the rare occasion I feel depressed. It really helps to put me in a happier mood.

[prolesunited]

14. That actually has a scientific basis

Chocolate "High"

Taking the female food/mood research a step further, University of Michigan researchers have linked the desire for sugar with its ability to calm; for fat, with its ability to elevate moods. Adam Drewnowski, Ph.D., director of the Human Nutrition Program at the University of Michigan, believes it's not carbohydrates we crave, it's fat.

The real craving, he thinks, is triggered when we combine sugar with fat, creating a sweet-and-creamy concoction that's hard to resist. According to Drewnowski and Barbara Smith, Ph.D., a researcher at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, it is endorphins-naturally occurring substances in the brain that produce pleasurable feelings-that function as pain killers. They believe we crave high fat, sugar-laden foods to experience the blues-bursting benefits of endorphins. These findings could explain cravings for chocolate. With its 50 percent fat/50 percent sugar content-plus an endorphin-releasing substance called phenylethylamine-chocolate may offer the perfect blend of ingredients both to stimulate and soothe at the same time.

The fat and sugar in chocolate can raise both serotonin and endorphin levels, which explains why women may crave chocolate both before and during their menstrual periods. But because it's not nutritionally smart to eat chocolate, to get the same brain-chemical change, choose high complex carbohydrates, such as whole grain bread or crackers to stabilize serotonin levels. To keep endorphin levels up, try a regular exercise program.

But what if the chocolate urge doesn't go away? Debra Waterhouse, MPH, RD writes in her book about chocolate cravings, "there is no evidence that small amounts of chocolate pose any harm to health or well-being (so) satisfying a chocolate urge in moderation might be the best strategy."
http://www.afpafitness.com/articles/FOODMOOD.HTM

[Happy Eddie]

11. I like food

Stress makes me want to eat more. But so does relaxing. Work, definitely. Reading DU posts, absolutely.

[SarahB]

12. I used to channel all my stress into food

Basically, I used it to avoid thinking about my problems. Once I got control of it and figured out how to keep it off, I couldn't go back to hiding behind ice cream, so I got really honest with myself about certain things in my life. For me, it was really bad-- total sugar addict (and quite a bit heavier). Even now, maybe one day a month or less, I'll eat junky stuff and it's so easy to fall back into those patterns, but I refuse to allow myself to do it now. :)

[DemWitch]

13. when I'm under stress, Dunkin" Donuts stock goes up 3 points