Step away from the fridge: Tips for controlling stress eating during the pandemic

Staying safe at home is flattening the curve and helping to combat COVID-19.

But it’s making us eat more, too.

Worrying about the virus, about bills, jobs, postponed weddings and other concerns exacerbated or created by the necessity of social distancing and self isolation leads many to the refrigerator or pantry.

“People usually react to stressful situations one of two ways: stop eating or start eating ... a lot,” said Brie Turner-McGrievy, associate professor and deputy director of TecHealth Center at the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina.

So why do we turn to food in times of stress? Turner-McGrievy says there are two main reasons.

“One, we tend to go for high-carbohydrate foods when we’re stressed because foods rich in carbs can cause a release of serotonin (the feel-good hormone),” she said. “So foods can actually make you feel less stressed.”

But, she says, you can use this to your advantage. Rather than eat refined carbohydrates like cookies, cakes and pies that will do nasty things like raise your blood sugar or contribute to heart disease, and end up leaving you avoiding the scales, choose different carbs.

“Go for complex, fiber-rich carbohydrates, like sweet potatoes, beans, brown rice, and strawberries,” Turner-McGrievey said. “They are slower-releasing carbohydrates, meaning they won’t cause a rapid spike in your blood sugar, and they are rich in those immune-boosting antioxidants.”

The second reason we eat during times of stress is to find comfort, she said.

“We remember that our parents made us chocolate chip cookies when we felt sad and so we gravitate towards that again when we’re stressed,” Turner-McGrievy said. “Try and break that chain by substituting alternative non-food activities for comfort food cravings like doing a puzzle, knitting or yardwork.”

While running a long-term weight-loss study in the early 2000s for the Washington, D.C.-based Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Turner-McGrievy and her team noted a big weight gain in the weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. “We’re seeing lots of stress eating issues in our current study (at USC) too,” she said.

No matter if you’re one of those who are eating too much — or someone who responds to stress by eating too little — it’s important to eat healthy foods, Turner-McGrievy said.

“This is especially important given the fact that we’re all in quarantine right now because of a global pandemic,” she said. “Eating healthy means you’ll keep your immune system strong.”

To do that you’ll want to:

▪ Eat lower fat foods; high fat diets can impair the immune system.

▪ Make sure you’re including foods high in beta-carotene (sweet potatoes), Vitamin C (fruits and vegetables), Vitamin E (nuts and seeds), and zinc (seeds, beans, and lentils).

▪ Vitamin D is also important so get outside for a walk each day to soak up some sun.

Other tips to deal with stress eating

Here are some other tips Turner-McGrievey suggests for dealing with stress eating:

▪ Set up a schedule for eating. This helps if you have kids in the house too, who all of a sudden seem to want to snack all day. They ate on a schedule at school, and you probably ate on a schedule before quarantine too, so stick to that schedule to prevent mindless grazing.

▪ Recognize when you’re stressed verses hungry. You can use the hunger scale to determine how hungry you are. Rate your hunger from 10 (you’re stuffed) to one (you’re starving). Plan to eat when you’re about a three or four.

▪ Distract yourself. If you find yourself going to the pantry for another snack, take 15 minutes to do something else. Take a walk, read the paper, call a friend, or declutter a room. This is a good time to set up the buddy system to have someone you can call when you’re feeling stressed and want to eat. Still hungry after 15 minutes? Then you can find something healthy to eat.

▪ Set yourself up for success. Keep your house stocked with healthy foods. It’s hard to say no to snacking if your cupboards are filled with chips and cookies. If you have to have those foods on hand for someone else in your house, put them all in one cabinet and don’t go into that cabinet. Ever.

▪ Find healthy snacks to munch on. If you can’t resist eating when stressed, think about healthier options like crunchy carrots, celery, cucumbers, or air-popped popcorn. Try fruit if you’re craving sweets, like blended up frozen bananas that taste just like ice cream.

▪ Limit the alcohol. Alcohol can disrupt your sleep and being sleep-deprived can lead to further stress and high consumption of food the next day.

Lezlie Patterson, special to GoColumbia

This story was originally published April 24, 2020 at 5:14 PM with the headline "Step away from the fridge: Tips for controlling stress eating during the pandemic."