Why do we crave comfort food? What makes comfort food comforting? The main cause for over-eating comfort food is stress. We have many neurotransmitters in our brain that send messages to the rest of the body to help maintain homeostasis. One of these neurons controls both our appetite and stress levels. So when we are stressed, our brains tell us that we are craving food to fix it. Everyone's brain is different and therefore we each will crave something different. However it is proven that foods high in sugar, starch or lard will give us the most energy and make us feel better.
Unfortunately, our cravings may not be based on actual hunger or need for food. This is why people get stuck in a circle and end up spiralling downward: you feel stressed, you over-eat, you feel better, then you feel stressed again because you have gained abdominal weight, so you eat again to reduce that stress, etc. The best thing to do when you feel stressed is try to go do something else. Instead of eating an entire box of chocolates or a big bowl of mac and cheese, try to get your mind off both the stress and the food by going for a run. Excercise will release endorphins that will make you feel better and help fight any abdominal fat that you gained from over-indulging on comfort food.
www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/stress-body-shape
Unfortunately, our cravings may not be based on actual hunger or need for food. This is why people get stuck in a circle and end up spiralling downward: you feel stressed, you over-eat, you feel better, then you feel stressed again because you have gained abdominal weight, so you eat again to reduce that stress, etc. The best thing to do when you feel stressed is try to go do something else. Instead of eating an entire box of chocolates or a big bowl of mac and cheese, try to get your mind off both the stress and the food by going for a run. Excercise will release endorphins that will make you feel better and help fight any abdominal fat that you gained from over-indulging on comfort food.
www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/stress-body-shape
I love chocolate! But have really been trying to cut down on unhealthy snaking latley. I find if you look for sanks containing protien it tends to help. A good alternative is somthing like trail mix that contains a little bit of cholcolate in it, it helps the craving for sweets but also has nutritious benifits.
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