Don’t eat to beat stress

It’s a struggle to stay away from high-calorie treats like pizzas. Singer Britney Spears loves pizzas and once famously claimed that she can eat six times in one day. But just like her, there are many youngsters and adults who love the smell of cheese and bread, and find it difficult to resist junk food. But are they eating out of hunger or are they just trying to beat stress Random or untimely eating, during work hours, is commonly described as ‘comfort eating’. To combat built up stress in the body, most people yearn for that one bite. This food is not for the stomach, as it is not hunger, but a yearning to deal with the stress caused at work. A large number of people in the age group of 18 to 35 years, who have to deal with pressures at work like meeting targets, annual performance reviews, deadline pressures, often use food as a stress-buster. At such times, they are not very conscious of what they are eating and end up consuming the most easily available junk food — samosas, chips, burgers, cutlets, pizzas, cakes, pastries, rolls etc. Dr P. Janaki Srinath, consultant nutritionist, Fernandez Hospital said, “The food is an excuse to calm the mind. People feel relaxed after eating and become psychologically prepared to deal with problems. But the trouble is that it is not a ‘one-day phenomenon’. This habit is recurring, and has a severe effect on the body. The fatty foods combined with a sedentary lifestyle leads to accumulation of calories which then leads to obesity, hypertension and diabetes. So, it is important to combat the belief that food will help beat stress, which is not the case.” Food gives energy to work, but it can’t deal with the underlying problems of stress. Those can be dealt only by relaxing the mind which has become a major challenge these days. Strangely, health troubles linked to stress are also spotted amongst people looking to get married. Dr Venugopal Pareek, bariatric surgeon with Kamineni Hospitals, said: “The problem is rampant amongst young women who are caught between career and family. In such times, their physical health is compromised and most indulge in stress eating. When they are of a marriageable age, parents suddenly start rushing them into weight-loss programmes or for surgeries to ensure that they get a suitable match,” he said. “To control cravings it is important to understand that a change in behaviour and an ability to deal with the increasing stress, will go a long way in solving the problem,” Dr Pareek added.