• While under quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic, you may be feeling stressed, bored, or frustrated with your situation. These feelings can lead to binge eating processed and palatable foods.
  • Although this can temporarily make us feel better, it can have long-term effects on our physical and mental health.
  • Binge eating can create a vicious cycle of eating and depression.
  • Awareness and preparedness can help us avoid falling into this trap.
While practicing physical distancing due to COVID-19, many of us find ourselves stuck at home, stressed out by financial worries or concerns about the virus itself.
In addition, we may simply be feeling bored or frustrated by the disruption in our normal routine.
When under stress, some people may binge eat foods that are tasty but full of fats and sugar as a way of coping with those feelings.
While this may make you feel better for a while, experts say it can ultimately set you up for a cycle of depression and even more binge eating.
However, understanding why we binge eat in response to stress can help us make better choices and avoid the mood changes associated with it.

According to Jennifer Lentzke, MS, CEDRD, a registered dietitian and triathlete, stress raises the levels of a hormone in our body called cortisol.
Cortisol sets off a cascade of events that changes the chemistry of our brain, especially in relation to those chemicals that regulate mood, appetite, motivation, and sleep.
In order to offset this imbalance in hormones, our body causes us to crave high-carbohydrate or highly palatable foods in order to increase these important chemicals.
These foods often contain some combination of fat and sugar, or fat and salt, Lentzke explained, which trigger the pleasure centers of the brain, making us feel more calm, content, or even somewhat euphoric.
In the short term, this is helpful because it helps raise the level of “feel good” neurotransmitters like serotonin, which help us feel more calm and relaxed.
In the long run, however, it can lead to many problems, including weight gain, poor blood sugar control, and problems with sleep, behavior, and mood.