Eat your feelings the right way

Ok, you definitely saw this one coming when you signed up for these emails. We know you don’t want to hear it (neither do we really) but we must. So here it is. Diet matters. All of us want to turn to a poor diet of fast food, or ice cream, or (personal weakness alert) pizza, when we get particularly stressed out. But here’s the thing, and it’s so unfair: When we eat poorly, we’re actually putting ourselves at a HIGHER risk for stress. Like we said, unfair.

It's science

• Over a longer period of time, stress can lead to emotional eating as the adrenal glands release another hormone called cortisol, which increases appetite. The key to reducing cortisol is taking control of your stress.

• Refined carbs, like cookies and potato chips, can cause a spike in blood sugar. When your blood sugar crashes, you might experience more stress and anxiety.

• Sugar triggers the release of cortisol and your body needs cortisol during stressful events. So sugar can hinder your body’s ability to fight stress.

Where should you start?

Let’s do an easy one to kick things off. Throw back a glass of water right now! Dehydration increases cortisol which can lead to increased stress.

Extra credit