Find Healthier Ways than Eating to Handle Your Stress in the Pandemic

Stress-eating during COVID-19? Learn some simple ways to eat Ayurvedically, uplift your energy, and eat healthy.

Feeling stressed? Find yourself reaching for the snack drawer or refrigerator? It's not uncommon for people to grab a snack when feeling stressed or experiencing anxiety. But with the recent uncertainly caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, people might find themselves reaching for that stress snack more often than not.

Learn this breathing practice to uplift your body, mind and spirit.

Take this quiz to learn more about healthy living and healthy eating. At Bliss Belly Kitchen, I have a unique approach, called the Yoga of Cooking. You'll gain knowledge about the mechanics of your child’s body's natural clock, what to eat at what time, and the most effective and efficient way to cook healthy, delicious, and nutritious meals.

COVID-19 stress eating

"The COVID-19 pandemic has caused huge shifts in the way we live, work and socialize," said Amy Reichelt, a BrainsCAN Postdoctoral Fellow in the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. "Stress is your body's natural response to situations that threaten your well-being."

Stress eating, or emotional eating, occurs when someone consumes comfort foods to subdue negative emotions like anger, anxiety, fear, boredom, sadness or loneliness. It might result in people consuming food more regularly or eating larger amounts for meals.

"Stress eating can manifest as overeating or binge-eating," said Reichelt, a Robarts Research Institute researcher. "Others may notice a 'grazing' behaviour where they want to eat constantly regardless of hunger—this is because eating can provide a welcome distraction from the situation that we are currently facing, and can provide a coping mechanism during uncertain times."

"Yoga and exercise have been shown to help with stress management. As has cuddling your pets," she said. "But remember to be kind to yourself; in the current environment, feelings of anxiety are felt by all."

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