Stressful Eating

In today’s trying times everyone seems to be under a great deal of stress. How you deal with it is very important. Stressful eating is probably one of the main challenges people have today.

Most people feel that food provides an immediate gratification to what is bothering them and they feel better. The main problem is that the cause of the stress has not been dealt with.

The consensus among health professionals is that you should not to eat when you are stressed. The main question that I have is, why not? If eating relieves some of your stress I feel that you should be able to execute any action that makes you feel better. I eat when I’m upset, why should I stop?

When we are stressed there are numerous chemical changes in the body that can cause health problems, such as * premature aging and **shortening your body’s cell life span, just to name a few. Relieving stress can only reduce some of those risks.

I don’t want to jeopardize my health but at the same time maintaining a healthy body is very important to me. Food makes me feel better so I have found the answer to stressful eating and at the same time not gain weight or clog my arteries. The answer is very simple – “stress food bags”.

I’ve put plastic bins in a small section of my pantry closet; refrigerator and freezer that say “stress snacks”. I also take a few bags to the office and I put some in my purse. I fill the bags when I am calm and able to make conscious food choices. I prepackage the food in either sandwich or snack bags controlling the amount and what I will consume.

This way when you are stressed you don’t have to look around for a snack but have something immediately available. There are a tremendous amount of options to choose from that will satisfy both your desire to eat, not gain weight or cause major health issues.

For instance I will put 2 -3 bite size cheese cakes in a bag in the freezer, or a small bag of nuts, or fruit that has already been cut-up and ready to put on top of a small cup of low fat ice cream or frozen yogurt. I only take out one bag or a predetermined combination which I know will satisfy me because I have made both a conscious and unconscious decision that that will be sufficient.

This way when a stress snack is needed not only are they prepackaged but they are satisfying, filling and low in fat and calories.

The “stress food bags” should also be accompanied by completing an action or physical activity that will help relieve the stress completely. You might consider some of the following suggestions: taking a walk while talking to a friend, reading a book or magazine and riding a stationary bike, laughing (is a great stress reliever), running, meditating or, a unique and different activity that should be done in the privacy of your home, lie on the floor, either face up or face down, then kick your hands and feet, the way children do when then have a temper tantrum, it works, so why not try it?

Food should not be denied if that helps you relieve your stress but what and how much you consume must be considered and controlled. As I previously mentioned, the best time to make both a conscious and unconscious decision to eat only one of your “stress food bags” to relieve your stress, in any and all situations, is when you are calm.

With continuous practice you will find that this method will be sufficient to control stressful eating.

* Breakthrough Research on Anti-Aging by Sara Browsky, Health Style, September 2008

** Why Socializing Makes You Smarter… And Stress Makes You Stupid by Jennifer Castoro, Ladies Home Journal, August 2008

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