A couple of years ago, I was a guest on Rich’s podcast “Stress Free Diet,” where we dived into the subject of stress. My research into stress highlighted its negative AND long-reaching effects, which include driving poor food choices and weight gain. I was, therefore, delighted when Rich asked me to read his book and see if I’d consider writing the foreword.

The world is drowning in ineffective but best-selling diet books, products and programs. The weight loss market is worth about US$299.39 billion today and has been growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.5%. It’s estimated to reach about US$415.95 billion by 2027.

Clearly what the weight loss industry sells isn’t working. Or, it works for those selling the products, but not for those buying them! Humans are hardwired to eat because our survival depends on it. However, eating is a complex endeavour, because it involves a fascinating interplay of several hormones and neurotransmitters. These compounds work together to let us know what tastes good, when we’re hungry, and when we’re satisfied.

However, when our stress levels rise and stay high for extended periods, this complex chemical interplay becomes dysregulated. Dopamine, our “anticipation, motivation and pleasure” neurotransmitter, starts undermining our natural capacity to stop eating when we’re full. In other words, it’s easy to gain weight when our need to eat for survival becomes derailed by the pleasure of eating, due to high stress levels. We start eating because our emotions and stress hormones drive us to, not our natural and healthy instincts.

Adding insult to injury, factory food manufacturers spend billions of dollars on getting the “mouthfeel” of their products just right. Neuroscientists taught them about how the right combination of fat, sugar and salt, along with flavour enhancers, entice our tastebuds (and brain) to return for more … and more … and more of their products. They even engineered their packages to open very quickly as that increases the addictive potential of their contents.

And who wants to eat these foods? People who feel stressed and overwhelmed - and they become more so as those foods also interfere with the complex interplay of chemicals that drive healthy eating and keep stress levels low. In this book Rich clearly and simply explains how stress drives poor eating and more importantly, how to lower our chronically high stress levels. He shines a powerful light into the many places stress sneaks into our lives. And has graciously shared his own personal journey so that others don’t have to learn the hard way.

And, in case you were concerned that your future will be filled with bland, boring food, don’t be! Healthy foods, prepared with “mouthfeel” in mind, provide pleasure AND nutrient-density! Life is certainly becoming more and more complex, and uncertainty is rising everywhere, with stress levels rising too. But there are many things we can control, to lower our stress levels, which Rich shares with humour, insight and wisdom. If you want to address your ongoing stress AND find the solution to permanent weight loss, you’re in the right place!

Delia McCabe, PhD