Stress and reward eating are very similar. Both are driven by chemicals in food that stimulate the reward area of our brain.
Ultra-processed foods are spiked with these chemicals in far higher concentrations than exist in natural food.
It is easy for us to develop cravings for these products—cravings that intensify the more we eat them.
Stress Eating
‘Stress eating is a common, learned behavior that can be difficult to unlearn.
The first step is to identify your triggers—what, when, where, and why.
The most effective strategies include
- Managing your Surroundings. Not having tempting food around is a game changer for most people. Check out our article Managing your Food Environment in your app for more info.
- Getting a Handle on Stress. We have an entire section coming up on ways to manage stress that can help you break the habit of stress-based eating.
Reward Eating
Food touches all of our senses and is meant to be pleasurable.
The problem with ultra-processed food is that it stimulates our reward system far beyond what we’re built to handle.
To better understand how ultra-processed food hacks our brains—and what you can do about it, check out our article Conquering Cravings in your app.
