The upcoming presidential election could lead to a lot of unwanted and sometimes unhealthy snacking.
According to various studies, emotional eating can be a byproduct of stressful times, including political events, sports playoffs, and other events.
A recent study published in the journal Nutrients showed that emotional eating is considered a “significant risk factor for recurrent weight gain.”
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The findings suggest a link between emotional eating and health factors such as obesity, depression, anxiety, and stress.
Identifying healthier coping mechanisms for negative emotions may help prevent dangerous outcomes, the researchers concluded.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Los Angeles-based registered dietitian Ilana Muhlstein said she often sees an increase in emotional eating among her clients during stressful times.
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Muehlstein, who has worked with private clients through three presidential election cycles, said there is “always an increase in activity” before and after elections.
“People are sitting on their couches watching debates and commentary and rushing through bags of chips and cookies, and that’s really destructive,” she said.
Muhlstein says that even during “extremely intense sports matches,” people tend to snack unconsciously because they “feel like they’re in control of the situation.”
“I pointed out that when we are in a time of uncertainty like this, when we don’t know what it is, people tend to confuse it with hunger.
emotional eating and weight loss
Muhlstein, a nutritionist, said emotional eating is one of the biggest contributing factors she encounters with clients struggling with weight.
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“Until you get your emotional eating under control, it’s very hard to lose weight and even harder to keep it off,” she said.
According to Muhlstein, emotional eating is more common in American culture than in other countries because many food companies “push onto us that food is supposed to make us feel good.” That’s what it means.
Eating less-than-healthy snacks or sweets during happy occasions like birthdays or other celebrations won’t have as many long-term negative effects as eating to overcome a negative situation.
“I like to have treats like cake and cookies to enhance the positive experience,” she said.
“If you eat a piece of (cake) along with an overall healthy diet, you can still lose weight that week. Your body still feels good.”
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“If you’ve been fired, divorced, fought with your best friend, watched the news and are stressed out, and you’re sitting there eating cake looking very rushed and unhappy, that’s you. “We found that this short-term emotional comfort and dopamine release is what causes a long-term unhealthy relationship with food,” Muhlstein said.
Possibility of addiction
Muhlstein says emotional eaters tend to eat foods high in sugar and other fattening compounds, which can be addictive.
Consuming processed foods with a balance of sugar, salt, fat and other artificial flavours, experts have warned, can “activate” a part of the brain called the nucleus accumbens, which releases dopamine.
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“We’ve seen in many studies that there is a link between eating ultra-processed foods and these feel-good chemicals in our bodies,” she says.
“When we’re eating something like a cookie with no fiber, or when we’re eating a lot of candy that’s just sugar, syrup, flavoring, and coloring, it doesn’t really fill us up and we’ll never be satisfied. .”
Muhlstein added that guilt can make emotional eating worse, as many people “blame themselves” after eating unhealthy food.
Research shows that people who feel guilty when they overeat eat emotionally more often and are more likely to continue eating inappropriately.
How to curb emotional eating
Mühlstein encouraged people to “let go of shame and guilt” and try to have a positive outlook on their eating habits.
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“If you constantly say to yourself, ‘I’m a stress eater, I’m a stress eater, I’m a stress eater,’ you’re more likely to eat food the next time you feel stressed.” is high,” she said. Fox News Digital.
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“I’m really stressed out and really need to take a walk,” or “When I’m stressed, I like to write in a journal or do a mindful practice like meditation or yoga.” If you tell yourself, you’ll start working on it slowly. It’s a healthier stress management technique.”
An easy way to prevent emotional eating is to keep high-sugar, high-fat, and ultra-processed foods out of your home.
“You want to set yourself up for success,” Mulstein advised. “That way, when you’re stressed, you don’t need to consume stress-inducing quick-fix foods.”
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Muhlstein also recommended using healthier coping mechanisms in high-stress situations, such as exercising, taking deep breaths, and drinking plenty of water.