Stress free with healthy living

Reality check: Daily life is filled with some form of stress, and in my 28 years of experience as a licensed dietitian, I've counseled hundreds of people who agree that when you're stressed, eating fattening foods does make you feel better.

I don't deny it. In times of stress there are certain foods that really do help. But health problems can develop when food is consistently used as a stress reliever. Chronic stress-eating results in a new kind of "hunger" that is insatiable.

Comfort foods create fat

Our bodies are made to regulate the amount and type of food we eat according to our hunger and nutrition needs. Under stress, however, this natural process is interrupted. When your body perceives danger, your brain releases a hormone called cortisol, relaying an "emergency alert" message to the rest of the body. When the stressemergency passes, the body is coded to return to normal.

Comfort foods high in sugars and fats actually work as a calming "drug." They contain serotonin and dopamine, signals used to tell the body that the danger has passed, shutting off the stress-response system.

The problem begins when we live in a chronic state of stress. This constant, low-level stress keeps the stress-response system "on" at all times, and we stop paying attention to our body's natural hunger signals. Stress-snacking alters the body's equilibrium. The outcome: a constant craving for the high fat and sugar comfort foods that result in unwanted body fat.

Choose your thoughts

Unfortunately, knowledge alone isn't enough to control overeating. Stresseating is about uncomfortable feelings. Eating comfort foods dulls the nervous system, offering a distraction. The key lies in changing your reaction to the stress itself.

If we can't get rid of stress feelings totally, we can at least learn how to better tolerate them.

Our belief system is what gets us into states of constant or chronic stress, more so than actual events. Something inside our heads has convinced us that we are not strong enough to tolerate the stress.

Instead, we need to embrace stress as a part of life and practice dealing with it and tolerating it. There are several ways to cope with stress without using food as a distraction.

+Make sure your body is nourished with healthy foods.

+Don't skip meals when you're feeling stressed.

+Have large amounts of fruits and vegetables on hand to snack and satisfy your hunger urges.

+Engage in exercise to release the chemicals that turn off inappropriate hunger signals

Paulette Lambert is the lead dietitian and chef at California WellBeing Institute, with the Four Seasons Hotel in Westlake Village.

On April 23, join Robert Mauer, PhD, for his presentation on Stress for Success: Excellence in Health, Relationships and Work. For more information, visit ExperienceCWI.com/lecture, or call (818) 575-1114.