The scientific reason your food cravings peak during the holidays

When faced with last minute gift shopping stress, changing weather, and hectic family visits, it's common to turn to your two best friends for comfort during the holidays — Ben & Jerry’s.

While the holiday season may cause you to indulge in your go-to comfort foods, experts advise that mindful eating should also have a seat at the table. Unless you’re including nutrient-dense foods on your plate, excessive eating around the holidays may actually hurt you in the long run, Dr. Eva Selhub, a physician specializing in mind-body medicine, tells TODAY.com.

Research shows that weight gained during the holidays is usually not lost and can even account for more than 50% of total weight gain throughout the year. This can increase the risk for heart disease, diabetes, respiratory issues and more.

Fortunately, there are ways to still enjoy your favorite treats without long-term health consequences.

Why do food cravings spike during the holidays?

People are most likely consume large amounts of high-calorie foods while exercising the least during the fall and winer, research shows.

That's in part because the holiday season sends a message to our bodies to eat a lot simply out of habit, Joan Salge Blake, registered dietitian and professor at Boston University, tells TODAY.com.

“We all were born with a unique desire for sweets, but there’s also a psychological and physiological thing going on,” Blake explains. “The psychological is the memories and habits. When the holidays come around, it’s just all these memories of wonderful food.”

Celebrations, such as Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's, where sugary drinks, desserts and alcohol are front and center, beckon our bodies to participate and also release certain hormones, Selhub notes.

“The excitement and the nervousness that comes around both create cortisol and adrenaline release,” Selhub says. 

Cortisol is the hormone in the body that is directly responsible for handling stress. When stress hormones are released, the body then has to cope with the heightened excitement or anxiety.

“So, if you don’t have coping mechanisms put into place, you’re going to go to the one that’s easiest, which is food,” Blake adds.

Alongside the release of stress hormones, another culprit for increased food cravings during the holidays can be a lack of sleep.

“When you don’t sleep, there is an increase of a hormone called ghrelin. It’s known as the hunger hormone,” Blake says.

Seasonal cravings and stress

After you eat your favorite winter treats or comfort foods, you may experience temporary stress relief, followed by fatigue or even increased anxiety.

“Food is a coping mechanism, and it does relieve stress. It’s just what we call maladaptive,” Selhub explains.

Maladaptive coping is when the body responds to stress by using ineffective strategies, such as substance use, to handle difficult emotions. Selhub says food can act like a numbing agent.

“Eating is helping me cope, but it’s not actually solving the problem of why I’m anxious. I’m just coping and ignoring," Selhub explains.

Research shows that consuming foods you love can raise dopamine and serotonin levels in the brain, temporarily turning off your stress responses and enabling you eat more. However, while the body’s stress response may be turned off, the underlying cause of the stress is still present.

Selhub recommends habits like meditation, breathing techniques, walking and mindfulness practices to keep yourself feeling balanced through the holidays and other stressful periods.

How to control cravings while keeping the holiday cheer

You don’t have to sacrifice your favorite holiday foods in order to keep your mind and body healthy this time of year. 

In fact, the experts say the goal shouldn’t be to completely ignore your cravings but rather to integrate the foods you want into your daily nutrition goals.

Here are some tips to satisfy your cravings in a healthy way this holiday season.

Find healthy ways to manage holiday stress

Instead of numbing the body through maladaptive coping mechanisms, nurture your body with stress-relieving activities.

Meditation, counseling, spending time with loved ones and going for walks are all activities that can help us feel more nurtured.

“It’s not necessarily going to take the craving away, but it’s going to soften it,” Selhub says.

Incorporate some healthy holiday swaps

Food swaps that are enjoyable but also nutrient-rich are key to controlling cravings. 

“Let’s take what Mother Nature has given us for sweets, and that’s fruit. So let’s make ... dessert more fruit based,” Blake suggests.

Chocolate fondue with an accompanying fruit platter is a great way to enjoy a sweet treat at a holiday party with a nutritious base. To top it off, try Greek yogurt instead of heavy or whipped cream.

“It’s full of fiber and water because of the fruits there, so (it's) more likely to fill you up before it fills you out, but you still have that sweet chocolate taste," Blake adds.

Vegetable chips that you can pop into the air fryer with very little oil are also a great substitute when looking for something salty.

Try eating mindfully 

When you enjoy less nutritious food over the holidays, do so with intention and savor it to help delay future cravings, the experts say.

“Savor the smells, the taste, the aromas, the experience,” Selhub advises. “Eat it mindfully and ... enjoy it. Shame is going cause just as much inflammation as the food.”

Being mindful around the holidays also means not skipping meals, which helps you more easily control your hunger. 

“We don’t want to skip meals because when your blood sugars go down, there’s a need to bring them back up with carbohydrates or a grab-and-go (snack),” Blake says. “Those food choices are most likely not going to be the most healthy.”

Sleep enough

Adequate sleep can help you control cravings. Research shows that a good night’s sleep can increase satiety, or feeling full and satisfied.

Don’t fall into a shame cycle

Instead of counting calories, prioritize finding joy in celebrating the holidays with beloved friends and food.

“The first thing that I like to tell people is don’t shame yourself,” Selhub says. “And don’t be looking at calories because that's just going to make you feel worse, (and) then you’re back in the cycle.”

Instead of putting yourself down for craving comfort food, look for ways take in the deliciousness of the season, in moderation.

“This is grandma’s pecan pie. For goodness gracious, enjoy it,” Blake quips.

This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:

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