Chronic Stress Leads to High-Fat Consumption
It’s no secret that many people, particularly women, turn to food when depressed or dealing with emotional anguish. A recent study confirms this behavior for individuals dealing with chronic stress.
The survey was confucted by the University fo California-San Francisco, and was the largest survey of its kind to study the relationship between chronic stress and eating behaviors. According to USA Today:
…people who had greater chronic stress were more likely than the other survey participants to say they ate high-fat foods and felt they lacked control over their eating and hunger.
Those who were chronically stressed also were more likely to rely on “rigid restraint” to try to control their weight, including vowing to avoid fattening foods and skipping meals…”
Weight maintenance and weight loss is a lifestyle change that cannot be achieved by quick, sudden changes in habits. Going ‘cold turkey’ for any addiction is difficult, particularly for food – something we cannot live without. It’s important to remember to take small, manageable steps to weight control, rather than sudden, all-encompassing changes.
For more information on this research study, visit:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/weightloss/2009-11-02-stresseating02_ST_N.htm
