Comfort Food Cravings: What Your Stress Is Really Telling You
Have you ever noticed how certain foods seem to call your name when you're stressed? Maybe it's cookies after a long day. Or potato chips while watching the evening news. Or that bowl of ice cream that somehow appears during a rough week. Stress and food cravings are closely connected, and many people turn to so-called comfort foods when life gets overwhelming. But, is there any good news? Maybe. Understanding why these cravings happen can make them much easier to manage. cookies ala remote The Stress–Comfort Food Connection When your body experiences stress, it releases hormones designed to help you cope with challenges. One of the most important is cortisol, often called the stress hormone. Cortisol can increase your appetite and make you crave quick energy foods , especially those high in sugar, salt, and fat. In other words, the very foods we tend to label as “comfort foods.” These foods can temporarily boost feel-good chemicals in the brain like dopamine, which is why...