How Stress Can Impact Nutrition
While it may not be the first thing that you think about, stress can directly impact your nutrition. So, instead of wanting to just change what you eat in hopes that it will then fix many of the nutrition-related problems that you have (or think that you have), you also have to work on first managing stressors in your life.
Let’s talk about stress. Whether it comes from your job, your lifestyle, your friends, your family, or your negative thoughts about how you look, stress can truly impact everything from your gut to your sleep to your neuroendocrine system (hormones, intestines, lungs, colon).
>>So, what does that mean? The effects of stress can then cause issues such as poor food breakdown and absorption; difficulties in the GI tract; raised blood pressure; poor metabolism of glucose in the blood; and increased difficulties in bone and muscle health/recovery.
>>Want to break it down even more? When it comes to the hormones that stress can impact, we’re talking serotonin, gastrin, epinephrine, cortisol. And each of these hormones plays an important role. When stress impacts your hormones, this then impacts your digestion and GI (serotonin, gastrin), your adrenaline in relation to higher heart rate and blood pressure (epinephrine), your sleep, inflammation, your fight or flight response, and proper nutrient usage (cortisol).
>>What is the main conclusion to all of this? Yes, you can eat foods that will help to lower cortisol levels, help to keep inflammation at a manageable range, even help to adapt to heavier loads of stress, all of which are beneficial. But what I want you to keep in mind is that it is important to remove the stressors that you can or find ways to deal with those stressors so that they don’t overtake every thought. This could look like meditation, movement, dedicating more time to your selfcare, or having difficult talks with those around you in order to focus more on you. All of these are examples of ways in which you can make changes outside of nutrition in order to have a better end result with your food.
>>What are some anti-inflammatory foods? There is quite a variety of foods that are high in antioxidants and polyphenols, such as dark leafy green vegetables, berries, apples, citrus, nuts, whole grains, fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and mackerel. All in all, having diversity in what you eat and the foods that you consume, as well as enjoying what you’re eating, is going to be the #1 recommendation around stress and nutrition! If you’re looking to add supplements to your daily diet, you can find many amazing options in teas, such as chamomile, peppermint, and lavender. Other helpful options can include B-Complex, Magnesium, Ashwagandha, and Vitamin D, to name a few.
This being said, I do highly recommend working with a health or nutrition professional when looking into supplements, as there is quite a bit of information out there, and whether it is misleading or simply overwhelming, this will be the best bet to choose what works best for you and your body!
Working towards managing the stress in your life should be your top priority in order to help manage your nutrition and find peace through food. You can eat the most nutrient dense foods each day, but it may not change the effects on your body when there is ongoing high stress. Focusing on both lowering stress and having a better relationship with all foods is the perfect combination for the body and mind.
Managing stressors on your own can be challenging, but we’re here to help. Pace Yourself Counseling Collective offers therapy and nutrition counseling to help you begin to work on your relationship to stress, food, and eating. Reach out today to see if our providers are a good fit for you!