The close relationship between stress and our eating habits finally began to receive some press in recent years.

With the publication of a book “The Cortisol Connection” and the explosion of cortisol-controlling supplements like “Cortislim” and “Relacore”, the public eye turned towards the connection between our diets and the cortisol creator - stress.

But what is cortisol? And how is it related to stress management and the food we eat?

Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands in response to stress – stress is the cortisol creator.

The adrenal glands which sit on top of your kidneys are the same glands that produce adrenaline in response to stress.

Most of you remember learning about adrenaline in middle school biology class – it’s the chemical released by the body in stress-induced “fight or flight” situations which provides a short-term boost of energy to the body.

Cortisol is released by the same glands for the same general purpose.

Essentially cortisol’s job is to provide an abundance of glucose, or sugar, in the body to fuel the boost of energy sparked by the adrenaline produced during stressful situations.

The problem occurs when you are continually subjected to chronic stress and the adrenal glands continue to produce cortisol, which increases the amount of glucose in the body.

You’re not a caveman living in the jungle, where you would burn all that extra glucose running from predators or chasing down your dinner. So guess where all that extra glucose goes?