Page 19 - Leisure Living Magazine: August 2020 Edition

Caregivers: How To Deal With
Impulsive Eating Caused By Stress
By Theresa Bowen, Ph.D., Email - theesajb@gmail.com
Impulsive eating is common in family caregivers. Caregivers often turn to unhealthy foods to convince themselves it will lead to emotional well-being. Many of us learned when we were very young
that a sweet taste meant
comfort. Sometimes
sweet desserts were
offered as a reward
for good behavior.
When you become a
caregiver, especially a
24/7 caregiver, stress
and anxiety increases.
Stress and anxiety
can lead us to the
fridge. Many studies
show that when stress
increases you may
immediately crave
salty and sweet foods
because they can bring
about quick energy (sweets) and pleasure (salty). Impulsive eating habits are more than having cake and ice cream for your birthday. It is a means of coping with fatigue, stress, and monotonous chores while caregiving. Often being exhausted disguises itself as hunger.
Since we are all under many points of national stress in these pandemic times we can try some of these tips from AgingCare.com, AARP and Guideposts.org. These tips may help us evolve into thoughtful eating habits. It is suggested that we find a way to create a new type of reward other than eating. This new reward may be watching a favorite movie with your loved one, taking a walk outside (positive exercise), listening to music or all three. Since you may be keeping track of your loved one’s schedule it might be a good time to keep track of what you have had to eat during the day or night and try to determine why you ate a chocolate bar at 10:00 P.M. A food diary can be very helpful but remember to reread it to discover your emotional eating habits.
Do an inventory of your refrigerator/freezer
and cabinets. This is a tough one. My music teacher in college would tell us she would scour her cupboards to find a snack after hours of practicing piano. Sometimes it would be as simple
as a soda cracker and she enjoyed every bite. Give away or donate those favorite snacks and replace them with healthy alternatives. Remember to allow yourself to eat when you are hungry. Eat slowly without distraction and try to focus on how the food makes you
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Seek emotional support from family and feel. AARP suggests
friends to deal with stress.
eating fruits that are high in Vitamin C like oranges and
strawberries. Sunflower seeds, almonds, and whole grains are high in magnesium. Magnesium helps to support a healthy immune system along with supporting healthy bones. Walnuts are very good for you and are rich in omega 3 oils. They can be stored in the freezer for up to a year to maintain their nutritional value.
AgingCare.com suggests finding emotional support by talking to family and friends. To join any of their online forums go to www.agingcare. com/caregiver-forum and log in. To log in provide a simple screen name, email address, and simple password. There are many other questions asked while doing the log in but they can be skipped. Just click on skip or next. You can then join any of the online forums they offer. You can post a comment or question or just read other posts. Connect as much or as little as you like. If you feel like you need more support Guideposts. org suggests contacting The Emotional Eating Organization at www.emotionaleating.org or by calling 718-788-6986.