10 Ways to Stop Stress Eating

It’s an all-too-familiar scenario: Your arm reaches into your cabinet, seemingly on its own, to retrieve a bag of chips, a bit of chocolate candy, or a cookie you had stashed for later.

Before you know it, the treat is in your mouth. You feel a rush of excitement, and then a calmness, which is followed by guilt. Eventually, you’re back to feeling anxious, which triggers the stress eating cycle all over again.

And it's not like we're eating vegetables. People tend to eat sugary, junky food when they're stressed out. This kind of food actually reduces levels of the hormone cortisol in your bloodstream, thus relieving stress temporarily. That makes you seek food again when you're under pressure.

Not to mention the fact that "we're wired to eat as much as possible in order to put on weight to ensure survival," points out Andreas Michaelides, PhD, chief of psychology at the weight loss program, Noom. "And we're living in an era where food is readily available." Never in history has there been so much food, so handy. Which is great when you're in a rush and don't have time to go out and hunt and gather. But not so great when it's there, and you're there, and you're tired, had a tough day, a big conversation, or any experience that leaves you a lot or a little stressed out.

But you can short-circuit the eat-guilt cycle and stay healthy with these tips from dietitians and food psychologists.