The impact of nutrition on stress and anxiety

With 85 per cent of us reporting feeling stressed regularly, it’s no secret that it has a negative impact on our food choices.

But at the same time, what we eat has a direct impact on our bodies’ ability to deal with stress – so stress-related bad eating habits can create a vicious circle. 

In this article, MyHealthcare Clinic’s dietician Orli Rhodes-Kendler (below) discusses what stress is, how it impacts on eating habits and how our eating habits affect our ability to cope with stress. 

What is Stress? 

Stress is a reaction triggered when we need to adjust or respond to a ‘stressor’ or unexpected event – whether environmental, emotional or physical. We release stress hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline, to trigger a physical or emotional response to what our brain perceives as danger. 

Although stress is something we tend to view as negative, it is actually a normal bodily function that is vital to our survival. We need a little bit of it in order to function effectively. But when stress actually stops us from functioning in our daily lives, that’s when it becomes a problem.  

Stress and nutrition 

When we are faced with stress, many of us turn to the wrong types of food to help us cope. Carbohydrates in particular offer us a quick fix, causing our bodies to release the ‘happy hormones’ which bring short term relief. While this isn’t harmful occasionally, it can lead to feelings of guilt – resulting in a cycle of more stress and further comfort eating.   

The first step to breaking this cycle is to learn to forgive yourself – and to work on finding more positive coping mechanisms. 

Tips for breaking unhealthy stress-related eating habits 

• Reduce your sugar intake. It can be tempting to reach for the chocolate during times of stress, but eating lots of sugar to cope with stress will cause energy spikes and dips. This ‘ping ponging’ will affect stress/cortisol levels and broader health. Food which provides a steady release of sugars will help prevent these peaks and troughs.

• If you can’t live without chocolate, there is evidence to suggest that eating dark chocolate can improve mood.

• Keep healthy snacks to hand. This can be a useful tool if you do have the temptation to eat when stressed by satisfying your craving without the added guilt associated with comfort eating.  

• Plan ahead. A diet of convenience foods, which are often high in fat, salt and sugar, has been shown to increase stress and anxiety. Get yourself into a routine of meal planning, or better still, prep meals ahead of time to reduce the temptation to turn to comfort food. The act of cooking itself can also help to reduce stress.

• Keep an eye on caffeine intake. It’s no secret that too much of it makes us jittery, increasing heart rate and blood pressure and contributing to feelings of anxiety. You don’t have to cut out caffeinated drinks completely, but try alternating with other hot drinks like camomile tea or green tea.

• Eat seasonal foods. With most foods available to us all year round, it’s easy to forget that once upon a time we could only eat fresh produce at the time of year it was grown in the UK. But seasonally produced food is more nutrient rich and provides us with what our bodies need at various times of the year. This will help your body to be in the best condition to manage your stress levels. It’s also cheaper and more environmentally friendly!

Finally, if you’re finding that stress related dietary habits have become unmanageable, seek the help of a professional.