Why Stress Screws Up Your Appetite: One Small Way to Fix That – Stress Series 1

Hola amigos! Welcome to the One Small Bite blog!

The stress response is a genetic trait that has been passed down to humans since our prehistoric reptilian ancestors. It is a response that has allowed us to deal with threats, challenges, and moments of danger. However, in modern society we are no longer being chased by bears, lions, or wolves, yet we deal with a low and chronic level of stress on a regular basis. In this podcast episode we are going to break down how stress interferes with our eating, metabolism, and appetite, and one simple way we can fix those challenges so that we don’t end up effecting our health in the long run.

Highlights of this episode:

• The stress in our lives now
• Types of stress: Acute and Chronic
• Biology of stress: The HPA Axis
• Chronic stress and effects on eating
• The One Small Bite approach to stress and eating

Episode Show Notes: 

[04:44] The Stress in our lives now
We are all living in a Post-Pandemic world today. The Corona-19 virus has been a deadly disease that has impacted every country and all people around the world, and we have all been dealing with this stress on a global level, the first time since World War II or the Spanish Flu of 1918. We have been dealing with the fear of infection, loneliness, and the stress of separation and the anxieties of what we’re dealing with. In addition to the pandemic, we are dealing with political polarization in the U.S., as well as mass shootings of children in Uvalde, massacres in Buffalo NY and Chicago, a looming recession, and not to mention all the racism and discrimination against people of color and marginalized populations. On top of it all, we must balance our own personal stresses like finances, family, health, and so much more. It’s A LOT to say the least! These stressors continue to create more challenges to an already challenging healthcare system.

[07:08] Types of stress: Acute and Chronic
There are two main types of stress: Acute and Chronic. An acute stress is like when there is a car or biking accident, or when you have to deal with difficult event in life like a bad email or you didn’t have enough money to pay for this gas. It’s genetically coded in our DNA and we have a very human, biological and physiological response to stress. What that in the body, is our sympathetic nervous system, which is the fight and run response, and parasympathetic system, which is the pause/stop response, all get put on high alert. When there is a perceived threat, or a challenge, or when you feel a lack of control the body taps into these biological and physiological functions through what’s known as the HPA Axis. Okay, or the Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal Axis.

[08:45] The Biology of Stress: The HPA Axis
The hypothalamus releases a hormone it’s called corticotropic hormone or CTH for short, which then signals the anterior pituitary to release another hormone called a ACTH or adrenoorticotropic hormone, which in turn communicates to the adrenal glands to release glucocorticoids, which essentially one of the major ones that we all know is cortisol and therefore a lot of glucose and fat are released by the liver and muscles. In addition, we have an increase in adrenaline and we increase our breathing, so we get more oxygen to help have the burning capacity and create energy to deal with the stress. Our blood vessels dilate and our hearts start beating faster and pumping more blood out to the body. This acute reaction happens but on a slightly less intense but very consistent level with all the stress we deal with regularly.

[13:43] Chronic stress and the effects on eating
This causes complications with managing blood sugar or fat. It messes with metabolism, and more importantly it poorly affects appetite, especially hunger and fullness regulators. People will tend to use stimulants like coffee or caffeine like substances such as coffee, caffeinated sodas, or energy drinks throughout the day to help them stay awake or productive. Yet, using these stimulants over time further breakdown the body’s ability to stay healthy, manage blood sugar and fats, because of the constant barrage on the body. Some people stress eat, but many avoid eating throughout the day. Some people tend to also use suppressants like alcohol or food at the end of the day to help them relax, sooth, or cope with their life challenges, thus creating more cravings, urges, and desires, that then they say is too difficult to control. Well, of course it is because they don’t eat enough throughout the day. Then throw in any dieting or restricting of any kind and you have a recipe for overeating or binging on food. This is taking a toll on people, but it happens so much, many people are oblivious to it. It’s there normal.

[20:45] One Small Bite approach to stress eating
One Small Bite – slow it down. Take one meal once a week and eat without distractions. Choose breakfast, lunch, dinner, or some snack, it doesn’t matter which one and give yourself a little bit of time with no distractions – no iPad or tablet, smartphones, social media, TV, computer magazine, or even a book – and sit down and just eat that meal with no distraction whatsoever. Give yourself about 15 to 20 minutes to taste the food and ask yourself the following questions.

• How did it taste?
• What did you notice about eating it?
• Did it taste the way you expected?
• Did you like it or not?
• What if you had something else?
• Did it satisfy you?

This exercise is both simple and very difficult. If you’ve ever try to eat without distractions you know what I mean. But give this a try a few times so you can reconnect with food and start building a more positive and secure relationship with food again.

Resources:

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Chop the diet mentality; Fuel Your Body; and Nourish Your Soul!