Why You Crave Comfort Foods When You Are Stressed

weight loss nutley nj

Ever notice how stress makes you hungry? It’s not just in your mind. When stress is chronic, as it so often is in our chaotic, fast-paced world, your body produces high levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. Cortisol triggers cravings for comfort foods which are usually salty, sweet, and fried. 

This is because the mind is primed to seek fulfilling meals by activating a series of responses that are not only stimulated by all the senses, but also memory. Even fantasizing about eating tasty foods can bring the body’s complex reward system to life. Food that triggers the reward system has been shown to elevate mood and release stress temporarily. 

Eating can be a way to temporarily silence or “stuff down” uncomfortable emotions, including anger, fear, sadness, anxiety, loneliness, resentment, and shame. While you’re numbing yourself with food, you can avoid the difficult emotions you’d rather not feel.

Physically, comfort foods work to make the body feel full or satisfied. Emotionally, the experience of eating can make us recall and re-experience a feeling of belonging or connectedness. 

Comfort foods are typically high in fat or sugar, energy-dense, and have relatively low nutrition value. These foods may trigger an emotional response or a temporary feeling of stress relief. Some foods release an increased level of dopamine, a type of neurotransmitter that plays a role in how humans feel pleasure. 

We devour comfort foods because, in essence, they remind us of being loved. 

What to Read Next …

nutley weight loss
Checklist For Healthy Weight Loss

Have you tried losing weight recently? Maybe you shed a few pounds but then the weight crept back and you returned to eating habits that are...

Healthy New Year
Small Shifts For Healthy New Year

For many of us, the New Year brings pressure to overhaul our lives with diet and lifestyle changes. When it comes to weight loss and dieting,...

Hangover holiday
How to Avoid Holiday Health Hangover

Let’s face it – most of us overdo it during the holiday season. It’s incredibly hard to avoid all those cookies, fruitcakes, homemade candy and...

Healthy Christmas
Stay Healthy This Christmas Season

With non-stop parties, gift shopping, and traveling, the holidays can be a trying time for many of us. And when you are trying to stay on a...

nutley weight loss
Rules of Weight Loss That Lasts

Before you even begin to attack a weight-loss plan, it pays to remember this: You are not fat. You have fat. Losing weight isn't about blame or...

weight loss wellness clinic
Eating Disorders in Midlife

When thinking of eating disorders the stereotypical image of young, slender teenagers springs to mind for many. But conditions like anorexia...

ABOUT US

Achieve your ideal weight with our healthy, sustainable, and easy to follow weight loss program, along with our FDA cleared body sculpting program in NJ!

Business Hours