-Eric First, M.D., FAIS, and Matthew Roberts, PhD.

A major factor to consider if you tend to stress eat, is the time of day/night when you find yourself reaching for those mouth-watering, dripping w/ sugar, desserts.

Based on a recent study conducted at to a study by Carnell and colleagues from the Johns Hopkins Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, timing may play a role in appetite and gut hormone responses to meal and stress challenges.

 They showed that the “afternoon/evening may be a high-risk period for overeating, particularly when paired with stress exposure, and for those with binge eating.” This means that your commute home or evening meal (and those after dinner dessert(s)…., may be a time period when you have a greater likelihood to eat more than you should.

 To help curb this increased chance, pay attention to snacking habits after a long day of work to help maintain a better nutritional diet. A food journal is a great way to track your eating.

 Along with food Journal, try R3SET’s new Stress Eating Botanical Supplement, from the Stress Experts. Formulated to address the root cause of stress-eating or “Junk-Snacking” – Stress, which leads to Cravings and ultimately to junk snacking.

 Suggested time should be no surprise, given the scientific studies cited above and numerous others, late afternoon/evening are those times when we find ourselves reaching for something we probably shouldn’t... Additional everyday simple things you can do; Try preparing snacks in advance to control portion size or even using a food journal to track what you eat, how much of it and when.

 In addition, I recommend that you pick up a copy of the newly published book by Lisa Moskovitz, RD, CDN, a registered dietitian, and CEO The of The New York Nutrition Group, and Scientific Advisory Board Member, R3SET. Her new book is backed by science, The Core 3 Healthy Eating Plan; a comprehensive approach that helps you achieve sustainable results without constantly feeling deprived or eliminating foods your body actually needs.

 If you are questioning whether you may have an eating disorder such as binge eating, bulimia, or anorexia nervosa, always consult your doctor. There is no supplement out there, including R3SET Stress-eating, that can give you the proper support you may need.

 References:

1. Eating to Manage Your Holiday Stress? You Are Not Alone.

2. Your FAQs Answered: Why Do I Eat When I’m Stressed?

3. Stress may add bite to appetite in women: a laboratory study of stress-induced cortisol and eating behavior

4. Having your cake and eating it too: a habit of comfort food may link chronic social stress exposure and acute stress-induced cortisol hyporesponsiveness

5. Daily hassles and eating behaviour: the role of cortisol reactivity status

6. Stress in America 2022; Money, inflation, war pile on to nation stuck in COVID-19 survival mode

7. Morning and afternoon appetite and gut hormone responses to meal and stress challenges in obese individuals with and without binge eating disorder