Why Do I Eat What I Eat?

Food can make you happy, and food can make you sad. The reality of the situation is we each have a unique relationship with food and the way that we eat it. Some people have a regimented approach and make sure to keep on track with their diet to stay within a specific weight range and body image. For these individuals, the regimen can become more stressful to follow during difficult times. Others can keep their figures regardless of what they eat. Some people are engaged in yo-yo dieting and a daily struggle with their weight scale.



We're all human and for that reason food is going to illicit not only physical effects but also mental-emotional ones. Taking into account the mind-body connection in food and digestion goes a long way toward helping you eat more for energy and smooth digestion over stress and held back emotions.

How do you know when you're feeding stress more than your actual body and mind? There are actually specific symptoms that will start to pop up that let you know. Do any of these symptoms sound familiar to you?

•     Weight accumulating around the belly
•     More trouble sleeping, and nightly food cravings
•     Mood swings that confuse even you
•     Skin fluctuations with acne and/or eczema
•     Low energy that seems never-ending

These symptoms clue you in that you're not getting food-based energy when you need it and you just might be getting too much when your body doesn't need it! The trouble sleeping comes from glucose molecules bombarding your cells and brain and making you feel too energized at night. The belly weight happens from sluggish digestion of food that you might be craving and eating at night.

If you have low energy, it could be stemming from too much energy expenditure at night (staying up, eating, and restless sleep) along with low-energy based meals during the day. What about skin issues and mood swings? These two symptoms are screaming out that your eating habits aren't supporting stress management, and as a result your adrenal glands are working overtime and releasing erratic roller coaster amounts of cortisol.

The cortisol increases with stress but its overall availability for your body reduces with time because your adrenal glands get tired producing so much. The glands especially get tired producing large amounts of cortisol outside normal hours (highest natural amounts occurring between 8 am and noon). Cortisol is a hormone that mediates inflammation in the body, but when its supplies become stressed from tired adrenals, inflammation affects the skin leading to more issues like acne and eczema.

Mood swings? These happen as a result of cortisol's natural symphony with other mood-related hormones becoming disrupted during stress. The thyroid hormones and sex hormones are just two categories of hormones that affect mood and become more unbalanced as a result of high stress.

Pay attention to these clues if your body is giving them to you, because they will let you know if you're eating for energy and nourishment, or more for stress and comfort.

Health Constellations is a fun and interactive website that offers free tools and other services to improve your health. We help you connect the dots between your chronic health symptoms so you can achieve long-lasting health to look and feel better!