By Stephanie Solaris, Applied Functional Medicine Practitioner & Founder of SolFuel®
My Hidden Cycle
In the ‘80s, cravings weren’t something we talked about as signals. They were something to conquer.
I remember the green box of over-the-counter diet pills at the drugstore, right next to the mints. I was the prom queen, the homecoming queen, the girl who looked like she had it all together. But behind the scenes, stress and cravings were a hidden part of my daily life, quietly shaping my routines and choices.
Cravings were framed as weakness back then. If you had a stress belly or gave in to food cravings, it meant you didn’t have enough discipline. No one told us that cravings are often messages from stress hormones, blood sugar swings, or the nervous system crying out for help.
Fast forward to my 20s and 30s, and I was living proof of how stress eating can spiral into a cycle that feels impossible to escape.
The Cycle: Crave → Control → Crash
In college, I was burning the candle at both ends: chemical engineering coursework, long study hours, and constant stress. By the time I started my career, the “work hard, play hard” culture felt normal.
It went like this:
- Coffee to wake up
- Sugar to power through the 3 p.m. slump
- Wine to unwind
- Guilt at night
- Repeat the next day
The effects of stress on my physical and mental health were clear—stress influenced my appetite, cravings, and disrupted my sleep. This cycle had negative effects on my overall well-being, making it harder to feel balanced and healthy.
It wasn’t binge eating in the clinical sense yet, but it was stress eating—my body’s way of asking for relief. Indulging in favorite foods and caffeine became my way to handle stress and cope with overwhelming feelings.
I told myself I just “liked wine” or that I had a “sweet tooth.” But the truth was more complex: my eating habits were being hijacked by my nervous system and cortisol levels.
The Breaking Point
By my early 30s, the cycle had taken its toll:
- IBS
- Two bleeding ulcers
- Daily heartburn
- Brain fog
- Weight gain around my midsection (classic cortisol belly)
- Teeth literally falling out
These are just some of the negative effects of stress on both physical and emotional health. Physical health correlates, such as sleep quality and exercise, are often linked to chronic stress and emotional eating.
I blamed myself. I thought I wasn’t disciplined enough. But really, my body was sending red alerts: my cravings, my fatigue, even my comfort food binges weren’t about weakness. They were about survival. Sometimes, I would even feel angry or frustrated, not realizing these emotions were symptoms of chronic stress.
Cravings Are Not Character Flaws
Here’s what I know now after decades of both personal struggle and clinical practice:
Cravings are not moral failures. They are messengers.
- When serotonin and GABA are low → you crave chocolate, wine, or even junk food.
- When blood sugar crashes → you crave carbs, sugary foods, or caffeine.
- When the stress hormone cortisol levels rise under chronic stress → you turn to food to relieve stress, especially craving salty, sweet, or fried foods as a way to cope.
The stress hormone influences eating behaviors by increasing cravings for unhealthy foods during periods of emotional distress. Different emotional eating types—such as eating in response to depression, anxiety, boredom, or even happiness—are shaped by unique psychological factors. These individual psychological differences can determine which foods are craved and how emotional eating manifests.
This is why emotional eating and physical hunger can feel tangled. Stress hormones and the nervous system blur the line between true hunger and emotional eating triggers.
The Turning Point: Listening Instead of Controlling
The shift for me came when I stopped asking, “How do I control my cravings?” and started asking, “What are my cravings trying to tell me?”
That’s when the healing began. This new approach supported my mental health by helping me manage stress and improve my emotional well-being. For some, it may also be important to seek professional help to address deeper issues related to emotional eating or underlying eating disorders.
The Role of Physical Hunger: Learning the Difference
One of the most powerful lessons I learned on my journey was how to tell the difference between physical hunger and emotional cravings. It sounds simple, but in the middle of a stressful day, those signals can get tangled—especially when stress hormones like cortisol are running the show.
Physical hunger is your body’s way of saying, “I need fuel.” It builds gradually, often starting with a gentle rumble or a dip in energy. You might notice you’re open to a variety of foods, not just your favorite comfort foods. This kind of hunger is a natural part of healthy eating habits and supports your overall health.
Emotional hunger, on the other hand, tends to come on suddenly and feels urgent. It’s often triggered by stressful situations, negative emotions, or even boredom. When stress hormones spike, they can override your body’s normal eating patterns, making you crave sugary foods, caffeine, or wine—even if your body doesn’t truly need them.
Learning to pause and ask myself, “Am I physically hungry, or am I feeling stressed?” was a game-changer. If I realized it was physical hunger, I’d reach for a balanced meal or snack to support my healthy diet. If it was emotional, I’d try to address the stress directly—maybe with a walk, a few deep breaths, or simply acknowledging my feelings.
Tuning into physical hunger cues not only helped me stop emotional eating, but also improved my energy levels, mood, and relationship with food. It’s a small shift in awareness that can make a huge difference in your eating habits, stress relief, and overall health.
Natural Solutions That Changed My Life
1. Stop Starving Neurotransmitters
Protein isn’t just for muscles—it fuels brain chemistry. Once I started eating balanced meals with enough protein and healthy fats, my body finally had the amino acids it needed to make serotonin, dopamine, and GABA. According to food science, protein provides the building blocks for neurotransmitters, and including B vitamins in your diet is crucial for supporting mood, reducing anxiety, and improving brain health. Maintaining a steady supply of essential nutrients, including B vitamins, supports brain health and stress resilience. Following the principles of dietetics complete food and balanced nutrition ensures your body gets what it needs for overall well-being.
Composite client story: One client, Sarah, was caught in late-night binge eating after stressful days at work. When she shifted to eating balanced meals with protein throughout the day, her cravings at night dropped by half in just a few weeks.
2. Heal Gut Health and Blood Sugar
Chronic stress and wine were wrecking my gut microbiome, making stress eating even worse. Blood sugar crashes kept me on a rollercoaster of cravings.
- Whole foods, whole grains, and healthy snacks replaced my sugar habit. Certain foods, like those rich in B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, and vitamin C, can help relieve symptoms of stress and cravings by supporting mood regulation and overall mental health.
- Adding fiber helped stop emotional eating patterns.
- Supporting gut integrity with vitamin C-rich foods, such as berries and fruits added to oatmeal, can also aid gut health and reduce stress.
Research backs this up: studies show that blood sugar instability and gut dysbiosis are linked to food cravings and binge eating behaviors (NIH, 2020).
3. Calm the Nervous System
This one was huge for me. I used to think “relaxing” meant zoning out with a glass of wine or sugary foods. In reality, those habits fueled my unhealthy cycle.
Instead, I learned to:
- Practice deep breathing to relieve stress and lower stress levels
- Take brisk walks after meals to regulate cortisol levels, while spending time outdoors for added relaxation
- Use natural stress relief practices like journaling, herbal teas (which can have a calming effect), or simply saying “no” to overstimulation
Spending time in relaxing activities or in nature can further help lower stress and support your nervous system.
Composite client story: Another woman I worked with, Jennifer, had high stress and a pattern of stress eating at night. Once she built in a five-minute nervous system reset—stretching, herbal tea, and a pause before dinner—her emotional eating softened dramatically.
4. Reframe Comfort Food
For years, comfort food meant pizza, chocolate, or chips after a stressful day. But reframing cravings as signals helped me create a comfort menu:
- Herbal teas → soothe digestion + nerves
- Healthy fats like avocado or olive oil → sustain satiety hormone release
- Dark chocolate (in moderation) → satisfying without excess sugar
- Warm meals with whole grains and vegetables → calm cortisol and steady blood sugar
I focus on savoring my favorite foods mindfully, paying attention to their textures and flavors, which helps me enjoy them more and recognize fullness signals. Choosing nutrient-dense comfort foods also provides additional health benefits, supporting both physical and mental well-being.
Now, when I feel the urge to stress eat, I ask: Am I physically hungry, or do I need emotional comfort?
Composite Client Anecdote
Many of my clients—especially women balancing career, caretaking, and weight loss goals—felt stuck in the same cycle I lived through.
- “I come home after a stressful day and head straight for the wine and chips.”
- “I know junk food makes me feel worse, but I can’t stop in the moment.”
- “Binge eating feels like the only way to turn off my brain at night.”
These cravings are often triggered by the body's stress response, which involves the adrenal glands releasing hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. Other factors, such as sleep quality and social support, can also influence stress-related cravings and how we cope with them.
The turning point always comes when they realize their cravings are valid signals—not failures. By learning natural solutions for stress-related cravings, they gain back trust in their body.
Stress, Cortisol, and Cravings
Science confirms what so many of us have lived.
- High cortisol is linked to increased appetite and preference for comfort food (Cleveland Clinic).
- Stress eating is associated with higher risk of binge eating disorder and weight gain (APA).
- Chronic stress disrupts the nervous system and raises blood pressure, creating a vicious cycle of emotional eating.
- Elevated stress levels can contribute to high blood pressure and increase the risk of heart disease, as supported by research published in an international journal.
This isn’t about discipline. It’s about physiology.
The Reframe: I Am Not My Cravings
The biggest shift? I stopped seeing cravings as the enemy. Now, I see them as part of my body’s feedback loop.
- If I’m craving sugar, I ask: Did I skip meals? Do I need protein?
- If I’m craving wine, I ask: Am I trying to calm my nervous system?
- If I’m craving comfort food, I ask: Am I trying to relieve stress?
By responding to cravings with curiosity, I can reduce stress and improve my overall well-being.
That curiosity changes everything.
Natural Solutions for Stress-Related Cravings
Here’s what consistently works for me and my clients:
- Balanced meals throughout the day – Prevent blood sugar crashes that trigger emotional eating.
- Healthy fats + protein – Support satiety hormones and steady cravings.
- Nervous system regulation – Deep breathing, mindfulness, and stress relief practices.
- Gut health support – Fiber, probiotics, and reducing unhealthy foods.
- Stress management – Brisk walks, saying no, journaling, or professional help when needed.
Composite client story: One woman replaced her nightly glass of wine with magnesium tea and a five-minute journaling ritual. She told me within weeks, her binge eating disorder patterns began to shift into something more manageable.
External Research Sources
Ready to Reset Your Cravings (Without Shame)?
You don’t need another diet or detox. You need understanding, compassion, and natural solutions that work with your body—not against it.
Try This:
- Explore the SolFuel 365 Reset Program
- Book your Free 1:1 Consult
Because cravings aren’t curses. They’re your body’s way of asking for help.
And once you start listening? You’ll find that panic softens into peace, shame transforms into understanding, and stuck becomes empowered.