How to curb your stress eating

A woman sits in a darkened room, looking upset as she watches television and eats ice cream from the container.

You had an awful day at work - grumpy boss, constant interruptions - and now you're sitting in front of the TV, bowl of ice cream in hand, bag of chips at your side.

It's not hard to spot this as a classic example of stress eating - using food as a coping mechanism when life gets rough. Indeed, there's a reason we call it "comfort food," says Viviane Fornasaro-Donahue, a registered dietitian with Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.

But there's also more to it than meets the eye. Emotional eating has biological underpinnings and can be perpetuated by long-held patterns, Fornasaro-Donahue says. Additionally, it can lead to serious health consequences if left unchecked.

"Not everyone is in tune with their feelings, so they reach for food unaware they're actually using it to cope," she says. "Food can be comforting, distracting, even sedating. The problem is when stress becomes chronic and the way the person copes is through food."

Contributing factors

When stress drives us to eat, our bodies - along with past experiences - play a role. Our adrenal glands naturally produce more cortisol in response to stress, but persistently high levels of this hormone can increase our appetite. "Cortisol makes your body want more sugar, because it's energy for the brain," Fornasaro-Donahue explains.

We might also associate certain stressful situations like work deadlines with snacking or satisfying cravings. Or maybe we watched our parents reach for food repeatedly when they were anxious. What you've observed in others may contribute to your own coping habits, she says.

"We could be mirroring what happened at home while we grew up or the environment at the office," she says. "Do people usually bring snacks to meetings, or take a stretch break instead?"

Signs of emotional eating

You might be stress eating if you

reach for food when you're not physically hungry
eat out of boredom
feel guilty or out of control after eating
turn to food immediately after an argument, stressful task, or tough day
have been gaining weight unintentionally, even without changes in physical movement
consistently use food as a reward.

Common forms of stress eating

Stress can influence two key areas surrounding eating: the way you act around food and what you choose to eat. Here are the most typical forms of stress eating - the last of which you may find surprising.

Mindless snacking. You're eating while distracted - for instance, when you're scrolling on your phone or watching TV.

Grazing. A bite here, a mouthful there - this type of stress eating is more subtle, shrouded in small bites taken throughout the day without much notice.

Nighttime cravings. Nearly all of us have turned to snacks late at night after a stressful day.

Binge episodes. You're rapidly consuming large amounts of food when emotions peak. "You may be eating very fast and not chewing your food completely," explains Viviane Fornasaro-Donahue, a registered dietitian at Massachusetts General Hospital. "You may be full but feel disconnected from your body's 'stop' signals in that moment."

Skipping meals. Paradoxically, stress can sap hunger, and you may skip meals. "It tends to make digestion slower," she says. "Some people are so stressed they don't eat all day - that's one way the body reacts. But it can become a vicious cycle where stress leads to not eating, and then overeating later on."

Matching foods to moods

An intriguing aspect of stress eating is that what we crave may depend on the type of turmoil we're experiencing, Fornasaro-Donahue points out. If an encounter left you bitter or feeling sour, sweet treats may hold special appeal. If you're frustrated or angry, you might hanker for something crunchy to relieve the tension.

And if your brain feels tapped out - let's say you've been preparing for a major work presentation - "you might suck on a little candy as energy for your brain," she says.

"When we're under stress, we don't crave a salad with chicken, because it takes a lot of effort for the body to metabolize energy from healthy foods such as vegetables or protein," she says. "But we can access energy fairly quickly from sugar. So it's only natural for someone under stress to reach for something high in calories, especially something sweet."

How to stop stress eating

It's no surprise that regularly turning to food as a coping mechanism can lead to weight gain - a result that may not only feel discouraging, but also fuel weight-related conditions.

Moreover, chronic stress itself endangers our health. It's linked with anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and other serious issues, Fornasaro-Donahue notes. "When we're under very high stress, the body doesn't treat the immune system as essential," she says. "We may be more likely to become sick."

Fornasaro-Donahue offers these tips to relieve stress without turning to food:

Move. Take a quick walk or include a brief stretching session between tasks instead of reaching for comfort food. Exercise releases endorphins, natural chemicals that reduce stress.

Distract yourself. Listen to your favorite music or podcast, take a shower, or meet a friend for social time.

Prioritize sleep. Fatigue can amplify cravings.

Practice relaxation techniques. Deep breathing, meditation, or writing in a journal can forge new, more productive patterns of coping. "Taking three deep breaths can be very grounding," she says.

Seek counseling. A therapist or other professional can help you identify emotional eating triggers as well as develop healthy stress management strategies. "The first step is gaining an awareness of what's going on," Fornasaro-Donahue says. "But that first step is very difficult for a lot of people - they may feel hesitant to explore these experiences. That's why it's important to consider counseling to process your feelings."