How to Stop Stress Eating: 9 Tips to Gain Control

Maybe you stock up on ice cream after a difficult day at work or reach for chocolate after a disagreement with your partner. Occasional emotional eating is normal and nothing to feel guilty about, but if it’s become a pattern, you might be wondering how to stop stress eating so much.

Below, we’ll dive into the causes of stress eating and provide tips — like focusing on nutritious foods, finding a support system, and managing stress — to help you regain control of your eating habits.

Stress eating is when you compulsively snack or binge eat to suppress, soothe, or distract yourself from negative feelings that come with stress. It’s also known as emotional eating.

Essentially, if you find yourself reaching for food when stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed — but not hungry — you might be stress eating. 

Is stress eating a disorder? Not exactly. You might have heard of stress eating disorder, but stress eating isn’t classified as an eating disorder in the same way binge eating disorder or anorexia nervosa is.

It’s a form of disordered eating, though, and it can affect your health and well-being. 

Stress eating can lead to physical health issues, like obesity, prediabetes, and diabetes. It can affect your mental health too — especially if you feel guilty or anxious about stress eating. 

It’s easy to trigger a vicious cycle — stress eating can lead to more stress, which can lead to more stress eating, and so on.

Stress eating isn’t simply a lack of self-discipline or self-control. There are many factors behind the scenes that can drive you to stress eat. 

Some research theorizes that the more stressed a person is, the more likely their brain will associate food with a sense of reward — especially high-calorie foods.

It’s also possible to get addicted to comfort foods (often high in fat and sugar). This can get you stuck in a stressful eating cycle, as these high-fat, sugar-laden foods may dampen feelings of stress and make you feel good temporarily.

And chronic stress — severe stress experienced over a long period — can result in overeating.

When you’re stressed, your body releases cortisol, a hormone that helps you respond to a stressor. But if cortisol levels are too high too often (like from a demanding job or young children who require your constant attention), it can increase your appetite and cravings for comfort foods. 

This, of course, makes it hard to stick to nutritious food choices and healthy portion sizes.

You might not stress eat the moment you feel emotions like stress and anxiety. The time of day can play a role in your appetite and food cravings, with afternoons and evenings being risky periods for overeating — especially if you get stressed out during the day (like at work).

Whether you’ve just finished a long workday or a mega-fight with a loved one, stress can easily sneak up on you and trigger binge eating or unhealthy eating. But learning how to avoid stress eating is possible.

You can try:

• Practicing mindful eating

• Reaching for healthy snacks

• Eating more nutrient-dense foods

• Examining your eating habits

• Stress-management techniques

• Prioritizing sleep

• Staying hydrated

• Leaning on a support system

• Reaching out to a healthcare provider

Keep scrolling for more details on these tips and coping strategies.

1. Practice Mindful Eating

Mindful eating simply means paying attention to what you eat and how you feel while eating it.

When you sit down for a meal or have a snack, take a moment to observe your emotions. Are you anxious? What’s your current stress level? Then ask yourself if you’re really hungry or just eating to soothe negative emotions. Wait a few minutes to determine your true physical hunger levels. 

Mindfulness can also help you identify your stress eating triggers and work on reducing them.

2. Reach for Healthy Snacks

If you still feel hungry following a meal or after waiting a few minutes to check your true hunger levels, or you really just want to munch on something, opt for a healthy snack.

Ideally, snacks will focus on a balance of protein, fiber, and healthy fats to satisfy hunger and provide essential nutrients. But sometimes, convenience is key, so grabbing something easy like an apple or a cup of Greek yogurt is great too.

Healthy snacks include: 

• Greek yogurt 

• A piece of fruit or handful of dried fruit 

• A hard-boiled egg 

• Air-popped popcorn 

• A handful of nuts or seeds

Having these snacks on hand at home can help you form healthier eating habits.

3. Eat More High-Protein, High-Fiber, Nutrient-Dense Foods

Managing stress eating doesn’t necessarily mean you need to eat less or stop enjoying your favorite foods — and for many, this isn’t the best approach.

You can still eat your go-tos. But to avoid overeating, try pairing smaller portions of high-fat, high-sugar foods with larger portions of nutrient-dense, high-fiber, high-protein foods.

Go for: 

• Lean proteins like chicken, tofu, tempeh, and fish 

• Fiber-rich foods like whole grains, veggies, lentils, and chickpeas 

These foods can keep you full and satisfied throughout the day. 

For those concerned about weight gain from stress eating, research has shown that a combination of portion control and loading up on low-calorie, water-rich fruits and veggies can be effective for weight management.

4. Examine Your Eating Habits

Pay attention to your eating habits after a long day of work, while studying for a final, when you’re short on sleep, or following a tense conversation with your partner. Do you eat more during these times or tend to choose not-so-healthy foods?

It might be helpful to prepare snacks in advance. Of course, you don’t always know when stress will arise. But if it’s ongoing, planning your daily snacks with smaller portions and healthier choices could help you avoid last-minute stress eating.

Beyond snacks, it can help to prepare healthy meals ahead of time. That way, you can get home to a quick and easy nutritious dinner without the added stress of grocery shopping, cooking, or figuring out what to make.

5. Try Stress-Management Techniques

Try targeting the root cause of the problem: stress. 

To manage your stress levels in healthy ways, you can try: 

• Breathing exercises 

• Meditation

• Journaling

• Yoga 

• Physical activity  

• Picking up a relaxing hobby 

If you do one thing today, go for a walk outside. Research shows that nature walks can reduce anxiety levels, perceived stress, and rumination (dwelling on the causes or consequences of negative feelings). 

For more tips, check out our guide on how to handle stress.

6. Prioritize Sleep 

Getting enough sleep can be tricky when you’re stressed — and even when you’re not. But, as much as you can, try to get seven to nine hours of sleep each night.

To improve your sleep, try: 

• Keeping a regular sleep schedule

• Cutting back on caffeine 

• Taking time to unwind before bed, ideally without screens 

• Making your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet

Sleep deprivation can increase your appetite and food cravings, especially for starchy, sweet, and salty foods.

7. Stay Hydrated 

Your body can mistake thirst for hunger, so try to stay on top of your hydration to avoid overeating.

To drink more water, you can:

• Set reminders on your phone

• Carry a reusable water bottle with you 

• Add lemon or cucumber to water to add some flavor

If you’re full and satisfied from nutritious foods and plenty of water, you might find yourself reaching for snacks and seconds less often, even when stressed.

8. Lean on a Support System

Find a good support system of friends and family to talk about your stress and anxiety rather than using food as a coping mechanism.

Your loved ones may also be able to provide accountability if you tell them you’re trying to avoid overeating and replace it with healthier activities.

9. Reach Out to Healthcare Providers

There are a few different healthcare providers who can help you get stress eating under control.

First, consider counseling with a mental health professional. Therapy can be useful to learn how to manage stress and anxiety, and interventions like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) may help you recognize your stress eating patterns and break them.

You might also think about meeting with a dietitian. They can help you take a closer look at your eating habits and create a healthy nutrition plan.

And finally, if stress eating is contributing to excess weight or obesity, a healthcare professional can talk you through ways to lose weight, including weight loss medications, such as injections and oral medications, if suitable.

Weight loss medications can: 

• Reduce your appetite

• Curb cravings

• Reduce food noise — constant mental chatter about food

If you’re interested in weight loss medication, see what’s available on our telehealth platform.

Staring into your third bag of chips and wondering, Why am I eating so much?! Stress might be to blame. The good news is you can learn how to stop stress eating.

Here’s what to keep in mind:

• Stress eating is a way to cope with or distract yourself from feelings of stress or anxiety. You may feel the urge to eat comfort foods high in calories, sugar, or fat or overeat in general.

• You can get stuck in a vicious cycle. Frequently eating large portions of high-calorie foods with minimal nutritional value can cause a cycle of stressed overeating and lead to an increased risk of health problems like weight gain, obesity, and diabetes.

• Practice stress management techniques. To reduce stress eating, try managing stress in healthy ways with things like meditation, journaling, or walking outside.

• Pay attention to your eating habits. Try to be mindful of how you feel while eating or craving certain foods, and reach out to your support system for help.

Talking about what you eat can be tricky and sometimes uncomfortable. But you can manage both overeating and feelings of stress to improve your mental and physical health.

Consider seeking medical advice from your healthcare provider or meeting with a dietitian to develop a healthy meal plan. You can also take our free weight loss assessment to learn more about weight loss medications and ways to manage your weight and eating habits.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. The information contained herein is not a substitute for and should never be relied upon for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of any treatment. Learn more about our editorial standards here.