It's no secret that stress and eating more are linked. "Comfort foods" such as macaroni and cheese, fried chicken and peach cobbler have always been popular.
When we encounter stress, we tend to seek things that are less stressful. We might spend down time in front of the computer, watching TV or shopping. Other times, we might satisfy this same "need" with food. But a normal amount of food doesn't give us an extra kick to get through the stressful time; we're already used to the satisfaction of our usual amount of food. So, we have to increase it to soothe the extra stress that we feel.
