Why Your Diet Might Be Causing You Stress

Did you know that diet is a critical factor in managing our stress levels and that some foods actually make us more stressed? It’s true. Everything we put in our bodies affects how we feel and function. Some foods cause our bodies to pump out more hormones that cause stress, while others have the opposite effect.

Here are the three worst offenders and the reasons they increase stress levels.

Caffeine

It gives many of us the energy we need to get through the day, but it can also make us more stressed if we have too much. How? Caffeine is a stimulant. It boosts energy levels, raises our heart rate, increases blood pressure, and induces our bodies to pump out more of the primary stress-causing hormone cortisol.

It’s best to avoid caffeine altogether, but if you can’t, at least cut back and set a firm daily cut-off time, such as 2 pm. Otherwise, it will affect your sleep patterns, which will make you even more stressed!

Sugar

Sugar might be even worse than caffeine when it comes to causing stress. Not only that, but we tend to crave sugar when we’re stressed out. If we give in to the craving, we end up more stressed.

How does sugar increase our stress levels? Sugar is a basic form of energy for the body. When we eat something with a lot of sugar, it is metabolized quickly, our bodies get a fast jolt of energy and our blood sugar spikes. This isn’t good for us physically, so our body responds by releasing insulin and cortisol to bring down blood sugar.

The result is a spike in our stress hormones followed by a blood sugar crash. So we end up more stressed and craving more sugar because our blood sugar is low. How’s that for unintended consequences?

If you want to feed your sugar craving healthily, eat some fresh fruit. The fiber and nutrients will counteract the sugar while satisfying your sweet tooth.

Processed Carbs and Fat

In other words, junk food. Yes, these are two separate foods, but they are often found together, and we tend to seek them out together when we’re stressed. Whether it’s a bag of potato chips or fried chicken, neither is good for us or our stress levels.

The reason is two-fold: first, processed carbs are broken down to be easily digested in the factory. This effectively makes another form of sugar. Second, it’s no better than eating a candy bar or a piece of cake.

Too much fat, especially saturated fat, also raises our blood sugar, makes our bodies produce more cortisol, and creates arterial plaque to boot. Healthy alternatives include whole grains and olive oil.

All of these foods are okay in moderation, but it’s important to avoid them when we’re stressed so we don’t make the situation worse.