{"id":7424,"date":"2015-09-28T07:00:44","date_gmt":"2015-09-28T11:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=7424"},"modified":"2015-09-13T08:01:02","modified_gmt":"2015-09-13T12:01:02","slug":"stress-eating-the-brownie-or-the-apple","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2015\/09\/stress-eating-the-brownie-or-the-apple.html","title":{"rendered":"Stress Eating? The Brownie or the Apple?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"woman<\/a>You want to lose weight and know what you need to eat. But does stress make it harder to actually make healthy food choices?<\/p>\n

Let’s say you are under stress at work. You\u00a0have\u00a0to pass a series of exams to get that needed promotion. So much rides on you making the grade. During your study time, \u00a0you\u00a0reach for a snack. You\u00a0can choose a big red apple or a thick fudge brownie. Did I mention you want to lose weight?<\/p>\n

You go for the brownie!\u00a0Self-control seems to vanish!<\/p>\n

Brain scans now give us a clue why this is. According to a study in Neuron<\/a>, stress impacts the\u00a0brain’s decisions.<\/p>\n

Think of the brain like a neural network composed of\u00a0\u00a0many connections. All those connections are communicate with one another. When you experience stress, the communication in the brain changes. The signal to eat the brownie gets\u00a0louder.<\/p>\n

Cortisol, a stress hormone, activates taste; the immediate reward of that tasty brownie demands your attention; the parts of the brain responsible for decision-making and judgment are weakened.<\/p>\n

What happens\u00a0then is that\u00a0your desire to lose the pounds goes out the window because your brain is shouting go for the tasty brownie. The more stress, the weaker the brain connections in the long term planning areas. The quick brownie fix wins!<\/p>\n

Stress sets the stage for\u00a0eating those high calorie foods. So all the good intentions in the world may not be enough to overcome stress eating if you are not aware that your self-control is decreasing.\u00a0Of course, you always have a choice, but understanding how the brain is geared to pull you to the unhealthy snacks helps explain why we eat those foods under stress.<\/p>\n

Important then, if you want to lose weight, deal with stress! Lowering your stress allows those brain connections to communicate\u00a0better and process tastiness,\u00a0value judgments and long-term planning so you can go for the apple\u00a0instead of the brownie. Less stress, better self-control.<\/p>\n

If you want to lose weight, manage your stress! It appears that stress influences taste and self-control.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For more, Press Pause Before You Eat<\/a> by Dr. Linda Mintle<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You want to lose weight and know what you need to eat. But does stress make it harder to actually make healthy food choices? Let’s say you are under stress at work. You\u00a0have\u00a0to pass a series of exams to get that needed promotion. So much rides on you making the grade. During your study time,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":419,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[918],"tags":[29,1035,32,1089,17,1139,30],"class_list":["post-7424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-relationship-to-food","tag-dieting","tag-emotional-eating","tag-lose-weight","tag-losing-weight","tag-stress-2","tag-stress-eating","tag-weight-loss"],"yoast_head":"\nStress Eating? 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Her media experience includes seven years as the resident expert for ABC Family\u2019s Living the Life television show and regular appearances on network television and radio. It is often said that being with Dr. Linda is like having coffee with a friend. She makes the complicated issues of relationships and mental health easy to understand and applicable to everyday living. The ease she has with people, coupled with her clinical training and experience makes her a sought-after speaker on college campuses, conferences and special events. Whether she is doing a TV skit with Tim Conway or discussing teen violence with Queen Latifa, Dr. Linda will entertain, educate and integrate faith and mental health in everyday living. 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