Stress and Food: What you need to know.

When it comes to stress, most people focus on things like therapy, meditation, movement, or getting better sleep.

And while those are powerful tools for improving your relationship with stress, there’s another stress-management tool that doesn’t get talked about as much—nutrition.

Here's 3 ways nutrition impacts your stress levels—and what you can do about it.

1: The truth about calorie restriction and stress

Here’s something the diet ads don’t tell you: Restricting calories can cause stress.

Yes, most people can get away with eating a little less than their bodies need (which can help them lose weight and body fat without sacrificing performance or wellbeing).

But eating a lot less, especially for a long time, and especially when you have major recovery needs—like hard athletic training or recovering from surgery—can start to cause problems.

An excessive or chronic caloric deficit can impair performance, decrease lean muscle mass, and lead to a host of other issues ranging from hormonal imbalances to immune deficiencies.

This can happen when people:

• Are often “on a diet” and purposely eating less

• Have very high energy demands and find it hard to eat enough to support their physiological needs (example: athletes)

• Don’t eat enough due to other stressors (travel, high workload, or grief)

• Take certain types of medications

• Experience changes in their eating habits or nutrition due to aging

Sometimes, even when you have a weight loss goal, it may be better to focus on stress management or sleep habits first before eating less calories.

Because if you are already quite stressed, adding to that stress with a calorie deficit could actually backfire.

That’s not to say you can’t work on the nutrition front at all. But maybe it’s a time to focus on eating slowly, or eating more whole foods, instead of eating smaller portions.

2: Foods that stress you out

Highly-processed foods get a lot of bad press. So maybe it’s no surprise they can be a nutritional stressor.

These “junk” foods tend to be high in sugar, chemical additives, and other substances that can contribute to health problems—for instance, by harming the microbiome, or the delicate balance of microorganisms in the gut.

Highly-processed foods are also associated with increased systemic inflammation.

Importantly, this isn’t just about the occasional slice of pizza or dish of ice cream. Those may actually relieve stress in other ways—for example, by socializing with friends and family,

Rather, the nutritional stress comes from:

• Eating a lot of highly-processed foods in total

• Having those foods make up a large proportion of our diets (that is, more than an occasional treat)

It is especially important to eat whole, minimally processed foods more often than not!

You don't have to demonize tasty treats. It’s all about maintaining balance, having a plan for success, allowing for some flexibility, and having self compassion.

3: Sneaky nutrition stressors

The way you think about food can affect your stress levels, too; “cognitive dietary restraint.”

Cognitive dietary restraint, involves a constant preoccupation and worry about eating less, even if you aren't actually eating less.

Thanks to the close link between body and mind, even just thinking about restricting food—especially if anxiety goes along with those thoughts—can result in the body behaving as if a person were really deprived.

I say it over and over again:

The goal is to eat in healthier ways more consistently.

By applying nutrition principles around how to eat, rather than rigid dieting “rules”, you'll be able to make lasting changes—and less likely to binge eat or restrict calories because you “fell off the wagon."

Stress plays a crucial role in our overall health and in maintaining a healthy weight long term.

Need help creating a plan that doesn't stress you out and that you'll find long term success with?

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