When the demands of stress are too great and for too long, the body needs to work harder to recover from the stress. This can cause other areas of health to deteriorate.

Short term it can cause changes in our appetite, cause gastrointestinal upset, increase cravings for indulgences/comfort foods.

Long term it can cause impaired immune function, disrupted sleep, increased levels of fatigue, increased water retention, and potentially lead to weight gain.

Stress and Food Choices: 

Under stress, people tend to eat a more westernised dietary pattern with more emotional overeating, overconsumption of high-fat, high-salt, high-sugar foods and reduced intake of fruit and vegetables.

Now we have an understanding of the impact stress has on our health, our body composition, our goals and our sleep. The next step is to look at strategies to cope with stress in relation to your nutrition.

1. Identify if you are a stress eater 

2. Identify your stressors. What is causing you stress? 

3. Try your best to mitigate the stress. Can you control it, avoid it, reduce it, fix it? If it is uncontrollable, can you try your best to put a plan in place to control it. Making a plan can help you mitigate the stress and even if it doesn’t it will give you the sense of control. Try mindfulness meditation (See below for options)

4. Replace the stress eating with a positive behaviour. Enjoyable things you can do that are more constructive. Reading, catching up with friends, exercise, walking, writing, playing music? 

5. That old chestnut of controlling your environment. Remove the calorie dense items from your personal surroundings, home and work. In the absence of highly rewarding foods, there is less incentive to eat them to self-medicate your stress. You can’t eat what isn’t there.