Stress Eating - How Your Hormones, Weight Gain and Mood Are Connected

In the latest episode of Mind Your Health, I dive into the sensitive topic of stress eating, a behavior many of us might be all too familiar with. Have you ever stopped to wonder what triggers this? Or the toll it might be taking on your mental and physical health? As a registered dietitian, I have seen the ups and downs of what a diet focused culture can bring about in women. This is an issue that's become increasingly pervasive in our modern society: the stress induced by dieting and societal expectations around eating and body image. Stress eating has a relationship with our hormones, mental health, digetsive system and nervous system. This means that weight gain, GI issues, mood and metabolism are all related. Dieting, often brought about by societal pressures to look a certain way, can inadvertently lead to stress eating. When people, most commonly women, feel constrained by rigid dietary rules or the constant scrutiny of societal standards, they may find solace in food as a coping mechanism. The irony is that the very act of dieting, meant to control or reduce weight, can trigger the counterproductive behavior of emotional eating. We are living through the societal lens of eating 'right' with looking 'right.' When we are continually trying to meet these external standards, the joy of eating is overshadowed by guilt, anxiety, and judgment. It seems like "intuitive eating" has become somewhat of a buzz phrase, but what does it mean? Let's tune into what it means to be present and listen to our body's cues… this is how we can foster a healthier relationship with food, free from the chains of societal expectations. Embracing food as nourishment and not an enemy can change the dynamic of eating from stressful to joy. There is so much to unpack here. In this episode, you'll discover: 👉🏼 Where stress eating can come from 👉🏼 How overeating affects your body and mind 👉🏼 Tips on how to create a loving relationship with food 👉🏼 What eating in a state of gratitude really means . Be sure to subscribe to our podcast and YouTube channel so you never miss an episode of the Mind Your Health Show! We release new episodes every week. Click here to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mind-your-health-podcast-with-dr-connie-cheung/id1297924924 Click here to subscribe to our podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/35dvMqbXWTpzhNYTf7C4hs And if you liked this message, please leave us a review on iTunes! . Be sure to follow Dr. Connie on Instagram and Tiktok! https://www.instagram.com/drconniecheung/ https://www.tiktok.com/@drconniecheung_