Binge eating may be driven by a need to increase serotonin, a brain chemical that produces a feeling of relaxed calmness. Serotonin levels increase when we eat carbohydrate foods. That is why, compared to protein or fatty foods, carbohydrates such as pasta, bread, and chocolate have a soothing, mood-altering effect on us.
Some experts feel that we binge on certain foods to increase serotonin to soothe us. That is why you want to eat when you’re stressed out. Food becomes your antidepressant or antianxiety medication. It may be that your brain does not produce enough serotonin and you are driven to eat in order to get more. It may also be that you enjoy the mood changes resulting from serotonin more than others.
Jackie, a 46-year-old woman from Atlanta, described her reaction to chocolate in this way:
When I eat candy I feel like a totally different person. It calms me. I feel tranquilized. It’s a drowsy, relaxed sensation. My body feels warm and heavy. I hate to admit this, but chocolate gives me a mental and physical pleasure that I don’t get from anything else. I feel like a drug addict.
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