Sadness can be hard to handle. If it leads to depression, you could find yourself unable to eat. A disinterest in food is common for people who are extremely sad. Understanding why that is can help you get the nutrients you need while depressed or sad.

It can be hard to eat when you’re sad. A lack of interest and low energy can prevent you from getting the nutrients you need. Anxiety might send your body into fight or flight mode, causing you to ignore feelings of hunger. The same feelings that make eating difficult for some people, cause others to overeat. When that happens, you can reach for unhealthy options that aren’t good for you.

At ENU, we understand that it’s hard to always get the nutrients you need. That’s why our ENU Nutritional Shakes are convenient and small. You can drink them when you’re sad or depressed to supplement meals, or in place of unhealthy snacks. To try ENU Nutritional Shakes, visit our website or call ENU today at (855) 266-6733.

Why Is It Difficult to Eat When I Am Sad?

Sadness, especially depression, can make it extremely difficult to eat. Your mood has a direct effect on multiple desires, including hunger. Severe sadness can cause a disinterest in once enjoyable things, like eating your favorite foods. Depression and sadness is often coupled with anxiety, which can increase the production of cortisol in your body, masking your appetite. When your brain is distracted, it can ignore certain hormones, like ghrelin, which notifies the brain of hunger. Sadness can cause you to not want to take care of yourself, preventing you from eating or being able to prepare food.

Disinterest

Sadness can be overwhelming. Sometimes, it causes a lack of interest in things that once brought you joy. If you used to love food, maybe your sadness has changed that. Unfortunately, that can prevent you from getting the nutrients you need. It’s not that your body no longer needs food; it’s that you’re simply uninterested. After a while, your feelings of hunger can subside. This can be very dangerous.

Anxiety

Although being sad and being anxious seem like polar opposite feelings, they often work in tandem. If your depression is coupled with severe anxiety, it could become difficult to eat. When you’re stressed, cortisol production increases. Cortisol is your fight or flight hormone. During fight or flight, your body suppresses all things that aren’t necessary in the moment. Sustained anxiety during a depressive or sad episode can cause you to go a long time without eating.

If there was an event that caused your extreme sadness, it could be the focus of a lot of your thoughts. Believe it or not, when the brain is distracted, it can ignore certain hormones. Ghrelin, which is the hormone that notifies the brain of hunger, can be suppressed if you’re distracted. Just like how on busy days you can forget to eat, the same can be said for sad days.

Low Energy

Depression can cause fatigue that makes it very difficult to prepare food. Not only might you be disinterested, anxious, and distracted, you also might be too lethargic. Unfortunately, your energy levels will continue to decrease the longer you refrain from eating. In those situations, you don’t need to cook a huge meal. Instead, try to eat or drink something, no matter how small, that can give you the nutrients you need.

When you have low-energy levels due to sadness, a meal replacement shake can help. ENU Nutritional Shakes can offer vital nutrients you may have missed throughout the day. Sometimes, the prospect of preparing a meal can be daunting, especially when you’re too sad. Just getting those calories in is important. Drinking a meal replacement shake is much better than skipping a meal altogether because you’re fatigued.

Sustained, severe sadness, or depression, can cause significant weight loss in some people. While difficulty eating when sad is common, it’s not healthy. If you’re having a hard time eating because of sadness, speak with a mental health professional about how to get on the right track. It’s just as common for people to overeat when depressed. Eating in excess can help some people cope with their sadness. Not all responses to sadness or depression are the same. Regardless, both extremes can cause health problems.

How Can You Make It Easier to Eat When You Are Sad?

While it’s sometimes hard to eat when you’re sad or depressed, it’s important to try. Failure to get the right nutrients can result in severe weight loss, which isn’t healthy. Try eating small snacks when you can, or drink meal replacement shakes to get nutrients you need.

It isn’t always easy to make yourself eat. However, if you do, you might trigger your appetite. Try ordering your favorite meal or making a snack. Revisiting some of your favorite flavors might trigger hunger. If that fails, don’t get discouraged. You can always turn to a tasty meal replacement shake to get the nutrients you need.

It’s understandable if your sadness has made you uninterested in staying healthy. When that happens, having meal replacement shakes available can help. ENU Nutritional Shakes are only 8.5 fluid ounces, yet have 400 calories per serving. Sipping on a meal replacement shake can help you get important nutrients. You can drink one or two throughout the day, to help spark your appetite. Remember, any attempt to get nutrients is better than nothing when you’re sad.

ENU Nutritional Shakes Can Help Trigger Hunger When You Are Sad

If you’re having difficulty eating because you’re sad, consider drinking meal replacement shakes to get sufficient nutrients. To try ENU Nutritional Shakes today, visit our website or call ENU at (855) 266-6733.