Can what I eat impact my stress levels?
Written by Grace Arrowsmith
Eating and stress are a two-way street.
What we eat can cause strain and stress on the body, and stress may cause us to eat high fat high sugar foods perpetuating the stress physically. So what foods and techniques can we use to optimise what we eat during stress?
Stress places our body in fight or flight mode, in the short term spiking anxiety and causing faltering focus. In the long term causing chronic illness such as heart disease and diabetes. The good news? Food can help!
It’s back to the old balanced diet my friends! But there are a few nutrients to keep an eye on in particular.
Firstly, let’s make sure that we are getting food from all the food groups;
- Plenty of wholegrain, fibrous carbohydrates – wholegrain bread/rice, beans and pulses
- Lean protein – lean meats, eggs, beans and legumes
- Healthy fats – fish, oils, nuts
When creating your meals by having a balanced plate of each food group we can help balance out the blood sugar spike after meals. Please be aware that your blood sugar spiking after a meal is a perfectly normal bodily response! It is the speed at which this spike falls that we want to consider. For example, if you had plain white bread alone your blood sugar would spike quickly and fall quickly resulting in the feeling of a crash. However, if you had some wholegrain bread, with oil and hummus, the spike in blood sugar would gradually fall preventing a crash.
Interested in finding out more?
Read more on which specific foods can help reduce stress, which foods to limit to avoid placing too much stress on the body, & the mind-body connection, on our app. You can download it for free below.
