Sadness and Binge Eating
Posted by
Nirmala N.
According to researchers, the urge to binge-eat is definitely tied to emotional turmoil and depression. If you find yourself turning to food after a traumatic experience, like a breakup or the loss of a loved one, don’t be surprised. Scientists still don’t know why eating acts as an emotional salve for the brokenhearted, but there is evidence that the body releases mood-elevating chemicals in response to certain foods (e.g., chocolate). Also, putting yourself on a restrictive diet to lose weight is another thing that can actually lead to overeating—particularly because fad diets may not provide enough calories for basic daily energy requirements.
Researchers at Cornell University recently discovered that people who are sad or depressed tend to indulge in fatty comfort foods way more than individuals who are happy. In one study, people who watched a sad movie ate 36 percent more popcorn than those who watched a comedy.
Obviously, staying away from comfort food when you’re bored or depressed might be a challenge in and of itself, but researchers also found that people, even when sad, who read the nutritional information on the fatty foods they were eating were less likely to overeat. In fact, their levels of food consumption even dropped below the levels of people who were happy. Frequent exercise and reliable support systems were also found to alleviate the possibility of overeating due to sadness.
Sadness and Binge Eating
Posted by Nirmala N.
According to researchers, the urge to binge-eat is definitely tied to emotional turmoil and depression. If you find yourself turning to food after a traumatic experience, like a breakup or the loss of a loved one, don’t be surprised. Scientists still don’t know why eating acts as an emotional salve for the brokenhearted, but there is evidence that the body releases mood-elevating chemicals in response to certain foods (e.g., chocolate). Also, putting yourself on a restrictive diet to lose weight is another thing that can actually lead to overeating—particularly because fad diets may not provide enough calories for basic daily energy requirements.
Researchers at Cornell University recently discovered that people who are sad or depressed tend to indulge in fatty comfort foods way more than individuals who are happy. In one study, people who watched a sad movie ate 36 percent more popcorn than those who watched a comedy.
Obviously, staying away from comfort food when you’re bored or depressed might be a challenge in and of itself, but researchers also found that people, even when sad, who read the nutritional information on the fatty foods they were eating were less likely to overeat. In fact, their levels of food consumption even dropped below the levels of people who were happy. Frequent exercise and reliable support systems were also found to alleviate the possibility of overeating due to sadness.