Few things can mess up healthy eating habits faster than a bout of stress, not to mention a lifestyle built around it. The inevitable release of cortisol that accompanies a stress-trigger kicks off a veritable roller coaster of blood sugar highs and lows. To keep energy up, you seek the quickest path to the nearest sweet food. Researchers at the University of Michigan found that sugar craving as much as tripled in response to increased stress hormone levels and concluded that this opens the door to compulsive eating as well as other behaviors, such as taking drugs.