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Why does your hand reach for ice cream or chocolate when you're nervous? However, some people lose their appetite from stress - an individual reaction related to the hormonal background of our body.

People react to stress in different ways. Classically: they freeze, attack or "run". There are other reactions as well: taking extra care of loved ones, over-cleaning, and household chores. And probably most of you are familiar with fluctuating appetite in response to stress. For some people it completely disappears, they say: "a piece in the throat does not fit. In others, on the contrary, it increases, and they start to "eat" stress intensively.

Cortisol is to blame.
At least studies have found a link between spikes in the stress hormone and appetite. Premenopausal women were subjected to stress in the lab, determined how much each one released cortisol in response, and sent home for two weeks to live a normal life. Those who initially showed a high cortisol response to stress in the lab ate more in response to everyday stressors.

"As you can" and "only you can."
There are different approaches to stress behavior. On one side, "How can you eat in a situation like this?!" Such people focus all of their attention on the threat and simply can't eat because distractions are not allowed, because the "enemy" can take advantage of the weakness. Food can be thought of when the person is safe. Another reaction is "all you can do is eat. Chewing under stress is a kind of avoidance. The person tries to shift the focus of attention to the food, ignoring threats, as if "switching off". Food calms and relaxes him.

An ever-evolving trend is "sustainability" in relation to the environment. Offices are reducing paper and plastic consumption, people are striving for zero waste, volunteers are planting trees, and so on. The trend has come to food, too. Here are some recommendations on how to reduce waste in cooking and do less damage to the planet with food.

It seems very difficult to apply sustainability principles to food. Where do you take the time to plan for "healthy" shopping for the right foods, choosing containers, cooking in some special way to reduce emissions and waste...? In fact, it's real if you have a plan. Chef Palak Patel, owner of vegan Indian street food restaurant Dash & Chutney in Atlanta, who heads up the Well + Good 2022 ReNew Year program, offers a week-long guide to transitioning to a sustainable kitchen , she explains how to organize a "sustainable" kitchen, keep food fresh longer, minimize waste, and recycle what you have too and make delicious meals with it. Here's a guide to action by day.

Day 1.
Research your neighborhood markets and bases and find out what foods are realistic to buy in bulk. Make a list and head to the store for an eco-friendly purchase. You can also research online stores and find what you can order in a big bag instead of plastic pre-packs and use for a long time (nuts, cereals, pulses, flour, and so on). But it is profitable to buy in bulk products that you eat all the time. But if you need something for once, in this case, buy the minimum, so that it does not store and does not spoil. For example, one garlic or a few bay leaves by weight.