When stress comes into our lives, as it seems to do too often, many of us start eating.  We may not search out available snacks immediately; after all, if your washing machine is overflowing or you learn you are going to be audited by the IRS, you may first want to call your plumber or accountant. But the second thing you will find yourself doing is looking in the refrigerator or kitchen cabinets for something to eat.

Eating to decrease stress or emotional discomfort is entirely natural and if the right foods are chosen, entirely effective.  Carbohydrates are the foods of choice to bring about this effect. When they are consumed without any protein, they bring about an increase in serotonin, the chemical in the brain that keeps us in a state of emotional well-being. And if eaten in “therapeutic” amounts without added fat, their consumption will not cause weight gain. Indeed, carbohydrates can help weight loss by preventing stress-triggered bingeing.

Alas, most diet programs don’t seem to understand this. Conventional advice given by most weight-loss programs tells you, the emotionally distraught dieter, to avoid food and DO SOMETHING ELSE!

The something else can be: taking a walk or a bubble bath, phoning a friend, petting the dog, cat or parakeet, listening to music or reading a magazine or meditating. However, these suggestions work best after you no longer feel acutely stressed. Imagine trying to meditate when you learn you have to go through your cancelled checks for the last seven years or are busy wringing out towels to mop up your floor flooded by the washing machine. 

My colleagues and I discovered in our clinical research trials at MIT that eating a small amount of a sweet or starchy carbohydrate without protein and fat will relieve stress. Our research involved asking stressed volunteers to drink a carbohydrate beverage that increases serotonin, the chemical in the brain that keeps us emotionally stable. Other stressed volunteers consumed a placebo beverage that did not increase serotonin. All volunteers reported their perception of how stressed they were on standard psychological tests. Those consuming the carbohydrate showed a remarkable decrease in their levels of stress; those on placebo did not.

Thus diet plans that prohibit or limit carbohydrates, or insist that they be consumed along with protein (which prevents serotonin from being made), may be preventing you, the dieter, from relieving your emotional distress.  One reason people stop dieting is that the foods on the diet plan leave them feeling emotionally vulnerable when, as we all know, stress happens.

But don’t you don’t need to sabotage your dieting efforts when you’re forced to deal with stressful situations. As advised in my the book The Serotonin Power Diet, when you feel the need of an emotional quick fix, eat a low or fat-free, portion-controlled carbohydrate snack. Serotonin will start to be made in a few minutes and regardless of the stress, you will feel better.

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