Healthy eating.

Ever notice how your strongest cravings for junk food almost 
always hit at your weakest moments... when you're stressed, angry, 
grappling with a tough problem or simply bored or anxious? Now there are
 five tips to lower stress by eating healthfully.

Experts know that the refined sugars and carbs in our favorite snacks might make us 
happier for a few minutes, but then the inevitable crash comes and we 
feel a whole lot worse. The urge that sent us to the kitchen cabinets 
still exists, and now we've devoured something unhealthy and bad for us 
to boot.The good news is that if you're prone to eating like 
this, there are things you can do to make a change and achieve your 
weight loss goals.Emotional eaters will tell you that when they 
feel tense, the desire to eat is automatic, without thought or even real
 hunger behind it. This is especially true, say researchers, if your 
body has a strong reaction to hormones naturally released during 
stressful times.A study in 2010 found that when the level of 
stress hormone (cortisol) was increased in non-stressed, healthy adults,
 they consumed more junk foods.Not only will stress have you 
craving more high calorie, sweet and fatty goodies, but it might also 
have you skipping regular meals and eating fewer of the good foods, 
fruits and veggies your body needs.This sets up a vicious, 
unhealthy cycle that's hard to break. It's no surprise that people who 
eat while stressed gain more weight than those who don't eat for that 
reason.What you need to do is come up with other ways of handling stress and your urge to eat. You might try.

1. Eating regularly throughout the day,
 at least every four to five hours, so that you keep your hunger from 
getting out of hand. This gives you a better foundation for handling the
 inevitable stress when it arrives.

2. Choose complex carbs such
 as oatmeal, raisin bran or another whole grain cereal, or whole grain 
pasta, brown rice, veggies, fruits and non or low fat milk as these 
foods encourage your brain to manufacture serotonin, a chemical that 
helps you manage stress and improve mood.

3. Be aware of what's happening
 so that when stress comes and tries to set off the urge to snack you're
 able to stop and think. Are you actually hungry? Often negative 
emotions might make you feel something like hunger, but it really isn't 
appetite at all. You'll be able to tell by the answers to basic 
questions... how long since you've last eaten? Try mindfulness too... 
using your senses to select foods that are pleasing and nourishing, and 
watch for the physical cues that you've had enough.

4. Have a backup plan
 (or two) that includes keeping healthy snacks on hand for when stress 
hits. Try packets of trail mix or nuts, apples or other easily 
transportable fruits or cut up crunchy foods like carrots, pepper and 
celery for the crunch you crave.

5. Substitute another activity for stress eating
 such as walking outside, listening to a favorite piece of soothing 
music, giving a friend a call, caring for a pet or sitting quietly and 
controlling your breathing.

By using one (or more) of these 
strategies next time you're looking for ways to lower stress, you'll be 
less likely to reach for the junk foods first. Even if you slip a few 
times, just by working to change your behavior you're making progress...
 and with enough dedicated effort to eating healthfully you're sure to 
succeed.