Science says: this is why you can't eat with a broken heart

It is simultaneously the best and the worst diet I have ever followed: the broken-heart diet. The last time my heart was broken, those kilos flew off because I couldn't eat out of misery. I was still living at home and I remember my mother doing everything she could to at least get me to eat a few bites. She brought home everything I liked, and after a bite or three, I was done. It was as if my heart was broken into so many pieces that my stomach was filled with the shards, and I couldn't manage to feel even a hint of hunger. In the end, everything turned out fine, but I have always wondered why your appetite goes on strike temporarily after a break-up.

According to science, here's how it works. Immediately after you break up, your body goes into fight-or-flight mode. This causes you to experience a higher heart rate and increased levels of cortisol and adrenaline, leading to sleep problems, stomach pain, and a lack of appetite. Your body is essentially in survival mode. You find yourself in a high-stress situation, so your sympathetic nervous system kicks in, making hunger a much smaller priority and suppressing the feeling of hunger by slowing down your digestion.

For the emotional eaters among us, there is also an explanation. If you do feel like eating during your break-up, you are more likely to reach for fatty foods to compensate for the lowered oxytocin levels in your body that occur when a relationship ends. Even when the initial shock has passed and you slowly start to feel like eating again, you will notice that you crave sweets, fats, and salts. This is because your body is trying to compensate for the calorie deficit from your temporary (involuntary) hunger strike. My advice? Just give in to it. Your ex clearly no longer gives you love and joy, and as far as I'm concerned, that's the perfect time to bring in Ben and Jerry to take over that task.

Source: Banana bread waffles