Stress and the Foods that Help Fight it.

“You are what you eat”, a saying usually applied to the physical effects of the foods we eat, is also applicable to how food affects our emotional well being. Recent studies have shed light on the connection between what we eat and how we feel, particularly how we deal with stress. While stress management often involves psychological counseling, and pharmaceutical therapy, lifestyle changes involving nutrition and exercise can be very beneficial in developing a long-term strategy to handle stress. While most of us use the term “stress” to describe unpleasant anxious feelings, we need a more clinical understanding of the term to understand how food can affect it.

Stress from a physiological view is a neuro-chemical, and hormonal issue. Eating the wrong foods can exacerbate stress by upsetting the hormonal and chemical balances our brains depend on to function properly. Foods that harm your ability to fight stress include those that elevate blood glucose levels such as sugar and refined starches found in white breads and pastas as well as stimulants like caffeine. These foods can have short-term feel-good effects which make us crave them during stressful periods, but the positive feelings are soon replaced by the infamous “sugar crash” or “caffeine letdown” that follows.

Conversely, making better food choices can alleviate the symptoms by helping your body and mind to restore the necessary hormonal balance. The Food and Mood project begun in the UK in 1998 to study the relationship between diet and emotional health produced a survey that highlighted the positive effects of proper nutrition on the mental well-being of the participants. The participants reported that consuming more food “supporters” was a significant factor in improving their overall mood. These supporters in order of importance were: water, vegetables, fruits, oil-rich fish, nuts and seeds, and whole-grain foods. The participants also noted that planning meals and snacks in advance was an important factor in improving mood and reducing stress. Scheduling time for breakfast every morning, and planning meals and snacks in advance rather than making at-the-moment decisions helped to steer them toward healthier choices.

Why are the foods identified as supporters effective in helping with stress? A major factor is the presence of B vitamins in many of these foods. The group of vitamins that make up the B complex support emotional health in many ways, most notably as supporters of neural functions. B₆ helps to regulate blood glucose levels which can lead to a more relaxed emotional state because erratic peaks and valleys in glucose levels can have an associated effect on our mood. Good sources of b₆ include salmon, turkey, and white potatoes. B₂ also know as riboflavin is critical in enabling our bodies to metabolize the other B vitamins and can be found in beef liver, shrimp, and cheese. B complex vitamins are water soluble and are not stored in the body for long periods, (except for b₁₂), so proper hydration as well as frequent ingestion are important.

Identifying B vitamins in food labels can be tricky because some, such as folic acid, are identified by their chemical name rather than with a “B” followed by a number. A chart such as this one is handy to help identify the B vitamins contained in packaged foods.

It is important to remember that managing stress through nutrition is a long-term process. We are often tempted to deal with stressful situations with certain comfort foods, which can in fact provide very short term relief. The urge to grab a cookie or ice cream bar when we are upset was instilled in many of us during childhood. (How often did your mother offer you a soothing slice of beef liver when you stubbed your toe?) The challenge is to remind yourself how often the brief elevation provided by the cookies is followed by the agitation of the glucose spike, and the letdown of the sugar crash. Having healthy snacks available at all times will help in avoiding the spur of the moment decisions that can sabotage your plan. Hummus with whole grain pita triangles and bite-sized raw vegetables is an easy snack to keep on hand, and is much better as a stress fighter than the pre-packaged sugary snack you may be tempted to grab. Raw almonds are a good substitute for chips, providing protein and B vitamins instead of starch and empty calories.

Stress management is a key component of overall health, and proper nutrition is critical to stress management. Planning meals and snacks in advance, avoiding stress accelerators such as sugar and caffeine, and replacing them with foods high in B vitamins such as beef, seafood, and green-leaf vegetables will give you the nutritional base you need to take on the day. Take a long term approach, plan ahead for the inevitable agitations and the snacking habits that accompany them, and prepare to live a more stress-free life.

Sources cited

“vitamin B complex." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 21 May. 2009 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/630998/vitamin-B-complex>.

“Stress Feeds the Need for Comfort Food” Warner, Jennifer. 9 September. 2003 Web MD. 21 May. 2009 <http://www.webmd.com/balance/news/20030909/stress-comfort-food>

“Food and Mood.” Mind. 2009. 20 May. 2009 <http://www.mind.org.uk/foodandmood/info/survey.htm>