Ep58: Emotional Eating--The Cool Science Behind Why We Eat When We're Stressed

I find myself rummaging in the cupboard when I'm particularly stressed out. But why do I do that? Why do we emotionally eat?

I'm in an anatomy and physiology class right now, focusing on the nervous system. We started learning about the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems and my mind lit up about one thing in particular: how digestion relates to the stress state. These branches of the autonomic nervous system are in charge of the "fight or flight" and "rest or digest" states. So what does stress have to do with eating? 

I think eating is like a cheat code. It helps us bump ourselves out of the fight or flight state by forcing our bodies to rest and digest. It's a brilliant strategy if you think about it! But what happens when we don't manage our stress in other ways? 

This episode is about mindfulness, gratitude for the wisdom of our bodies, and practical tools to help reduce stress and introduce more mindfulness into how we eat, because eating isn't just for fuel, it's also for pleasure!

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In the beginning of the episode, I tell you about Brick. If you want to learn more and get your own handy tool, you can find it HERE. 

 

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