Monthly Archives: February 2020

Am I Stressed Because I’m Fat or Am I Fat Because I’m Stressed?

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I’ll admit it, I’m a stress-eater. What this means for me is that when I’m stressed, I like to comfort myself with unhealthy food and instant gratification. The amount of stress I’m under tends to equate out to how many chicken nuggets I consume.

Accurate Representation of Me After One Stressful Day

If you’re curious, my favorite comfort foods are any form of carb, a fountain Coke from McDonalds, or any kind of deep-fried chicken. I’ll also admit that I haven’t mastered the art of self-control. This means that when I stress-eat, I really stress-eat. Then, after a comfort food binge, I get stressed about not taking proper care of my body, putting me in an endless stress cycle.  This isn’t meant as self-deprecation, this is a confession and step one in addressing a problem of unhealthy overeating.

While I know I’m not alone in combatting stress with nuggets, how closely related are stress and weight gain?

First, it’s crucial to consider the effects of comfort eating itself. Specifically, “unhealthy comfort eating” which is the “behavior of consuming foods high in calories, fat, or sugar, and is a common behavior among approximately 39% of American adults, particularly women” (L.E. Finch, et al, pp. 29-30). This reassured me that I’m truly not alone with this bad habit.

Part of what makes comfort eating such a difficult habit to break is because individuals, myself included, tend to eat their favorite foods during these binges.

It’s been found that eating your “favorite foods under stress triggers dopamine and results in feelings of pleasure or that ‘feeling better mentality’ especially immediately after consumption” (R.R. Klatzkin, et al. 2).

Breakfast Food Could Not Be More Comforting

This would explain why I stress eat chicken nuggets; they’ve always been one of my favorite foods.

The article, “Negative Affect is Associated with Increased Stress-Eating for Women with High Perceived Life Stress (PLS),” looks more closely at the relationship between stress, unhealthy comfort eating, and behavior. To understand the results of this study, some terms need to be defined.

Cognitive restraint refers to the “intentional restriction of caloric intake to lose or maintain weight. Negative affect (NA) refers to the habit of experiencing life in a negative rather than positive way.” This study found that, “greater perceived life stress enhanced the hyperphagic [overeating] effects of stress-induced negative affect. These findings are clinically relevant, as individuals with high chronic or perceived life stress show more NA, depression, and emotional eating than individuals with low chronic or perceived life stress. This may be explained by the feeling of emotional relief that follows stress-eating” (R.R. Klatzkin, et. al., pp. 1-6).

These findings imply a connection with weight gain and stress eating. The more stressful and negatively you perceive life, the more likely you are to associate potentially unhealthy foods with stress relief.

Sushi is A Personal Favorite For the Nights You Want to Go Out to Eat and Avoid Greasy Foods

Stir Fry is Great Because You Only Have to Wash One Pan

While I may respond to stress by increasing my calorie intake, others respond to stress by under-eating and skipping meals; because eating habits in response to stress are so individualized, the habits are difficult to measure making the available research somewhat inconsistent and limited (R.R. Klatzkin, et al., pp. 1).    In other words, results may vary and just because I may gain weight due to stress-eating, it doesn’t mean you will.

What I took away from this research was that I would benefit from replacing my comfort food choices with some healthier alternatives as well as thinking more positively. I anticipated coming to this conclusion, but I was unaware of how habitual these habits can become and of the direct impact perceived stress could have on my eating habits.

Pomegranate Seeds Are My Go-To Healthy Snack

The most beneficial realization I came to was perceiving stress and my experiences as more positively may encourage me to eat healthier and take better care of my body when it needs it the most, with the occasional chicken nugget.

Zucchini Can Be Used In Place of Pasta or Fries If You Can’t Limit Carbs, Like Me

 

In All Honesty, These Brownies Weren’t Very Good

 

 

 

I’m always looking for new tips, recommendations, and food-porn inspiration, comment some below!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources

Klatzkin, Rebecca R. “Negative Affect Is Associated with Increased Stress-Eating for Women with High Perceived Life Stress.” Physiology & Behavior, vol. 210, Elsevier Inc, Oct. 2019, p. 112639–,doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2019.112639.

 

Finch, Laura E. “Cookie or Clementine? Psychophysiological Stress Reactivity and Recovery After Eating Healthy and Unhealthy Comfort Foods.” Psychoneuroendocrinology, vol. 107, Elsevier Inc, Sept. 2019, p 26-36, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psyneuen.2019.04.022.

 

Pets During Finals Week- I Like Dogs but is it Helpful?

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I initially adopted a cat because I wanted a cute, snuggly friend to hang out with when my roommates were gone. I adopted my cat, Snooki, in September 2018 from the St. Cloud Tri-County Humane Society. She was a two month old, cuddly black Bombay cat, whom I fell in love with instantly. I didn’t anticipate how getting Snooki would impact my mental health.

I didn’t think I’d generally be in a better mood throughout the day, but it feels good to have someone excited to see me and waiting for me to get home every day. It also feels good to care for another living creature; I live a very selfish life style- I live with my friends and my only responsibilities revolve around bettering my own life- but suddenly, I have a roommate that relies on me to eat, drink, stay clean and healthy, and feel loved.

Admittingly, I’d been skeptical about the legitimacy of therapy pets. There tends to be misconceptions about therapy pets and emotional support animals (ESA). Some critics think it’s an excuse for people to be able to bring their pets everywhere they go or a way to sneak pets into pet-free apartments. Universities also use therapy pets to comfort and “destress’ their students during finals week. But are therapy pets really helpful for students? Or are pets on campus a weak attempt at stress mitigation?

The short answer is, yes, pets on campus are helpful for mitigating student stress levels, especially during finals week. This isn’t to say that getting a pet will be a quick fix for a depressive episode or that snuggling a dog will melt all your stress away; pets are a commitment that shouldn’t be taken lightly.

However, studies have found that there is legitimacy and proven benefits to pet therapy. According to a study conducted on the effects of pet therapy on stress levels, “findings revealed a statistically significant effect on heart rate (HR) from before to after pet therapy (PT). This study also found that exposure to pet therapy had the most significant impact on subjective stress responses, specifically self-reported stress and anxiety levels” (Ein, et al., pp. 486). These findings are consistent with my experience. After getting Snooki, daily stress and anxiety feels more manageable. I found that if I can keep this cat alive and give her all the love I have, then I could do the same for myself.

Pet therapy has proven to be a quick intervention and to have a variety of benefits, particularly within mental health settings such as hospitals and schools. Having animals in schools can “increase alertness or arousal due to the social engagement that occurs with the animals” (Palley et al., 2012). In our study, students were clearly animated in their responses to and interactions with the therapy dogs (Crump and Derting, pp. 575). Luckily, these interactions don’t have to be long in order to reap the benefits.

The PAwS study found, “Even with a time limited intervention of 15 minutes, spending time with dogs, [daily or during exam periods], can reduce both perceived stress and biological markers of stress (blood pressure) in University students” (Wood, et al., pp. 264). This means, taking a 15-minute study break to play with your pet can be a productive way to refresh and possibly perceive the assignment to be more manageable and less stressful.

As studies have shown, there is legitimacy to therapy pets, both on campuses and within the home. Getting a pet can be a great way to decrease stress levels, but it is still a responsibility that requires dedication, commitment, and love.

Adopting my cat has proven to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. While I can’t speak for a decreased heart rate or blood pressure, I can attest that interacting with my cat is comforting and helps to perceive my stress as more manageable.  That being said, next time your university has pets on campus, consider stopping by; at the very least, you’ll get to see some cute dogs and cats, like the ones available for adoption at the St. Cloud Humane Society pictured below.

 

 

 

 

References

Crump, Chesika, and Terry L. Derting. “Effects of pet therapy on the psychological and physiological stress levels of first-year female undergraduates.” North American Journal of Psychology, vol. 17, no. 3, 2015, p. 575. Gale OneFile: Educator’s Reference Complete, https://link-gale-com.libproxy.stcloudstate.edu/apps/doc/A435796037/PROF?u=stcloud_main&sid=PROF&xid=66681502. Accessed 14 Feb. 2020.

Ein, Natalie, et al. “The Effect of Pet Therapy on the Physiological and Subjective Stress Response: A Meta‐analysis.” Stress & Health: Journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress, vol. 34, no. 4, Oct. 2018, pp. 477–489. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=s3h&AN=132394675&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

Wood, Emily, et al. “The Feasibility of Brief Dog-Assisted Therapy on University Students Stress Levels: The PAwS Study.” Journal of Mental Health, vol. 27, no. 3, June 2018, pp. 263–268. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/09638237.2017.1385737.