step 4: food and stress
by Gladeana McMahon
We are what we eat, according to the old saying. The evidence linking what we eat to how stressed we feel is still being debated. Yet various studies suggest that our daily diet can effect how we manage our stress levels.
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One 15-year study of the effects of diet on stress, organised by the Massachusetts Information Technology Centre, concluded that eating a carbohydrate snack can ward off tension as well as hunger. Other stress experts also believe that eating a healthy diet helps combat stress.
the sugar principle
When we are stressed our bodies produce stress hormones, which release fatty acids and sugars to help us cope. When this happens our blood sugar levels can become disrupted. Blood sugars help us regulate our body's fuel requirements – what we eat and drink.
Some people eat more when they feel stressed while others feel they cannot face food. If you do not eat, your blood sugar level drops, causing reactions in the nervous system, which can create feelings of anxiety. You may also feel light-headed, tired and irritable. It is not uncommon for some people to develop panic attacks when they are exposed to prolonged stress. If this is the case, not eating regularly and/or taking excessive doses of stimulants such as caffeine can contribute towards the onset of these.
Some experts in the stress management field believe that if your regular diet contains large amounts of refined sugars (such as chocolate, cake, biscuits and sugar-based foods) or is low in protein or fat, or you are using too many stimulants, such as coffee or cola-based drinks, this may aggravate stress reactions in certain people.
Eating food that is high in refined sugar produces a quick surge of energy that may make you feel better in the short term. But your body has to produce extra insulin to deal with the influx of sugar and this causes a drop in blood sugar levels, leaving you soon feeling more tired and in need of something to perk you up. A self-defeating cycle is set up. A research project in Connecticut in 1978 highlighted the negative effects of sugars on stress.
The situation for people with diabetes is different. People with diabetes are not able to regulate their blood sugars naturally and need special diets, medication or insulin injections to do this. For these people, blood sugar levels which are too low or too high can cause serious problems.
food demons
Stress may be made worse by:
- too much sugar or sweet foods
- not enough protein or fat
- too much coffee or cola-based drinks.
how vitamins and minerals affect stress
Although there is still some dispute about the role of vitamins and minerals in relation to stress, there are a growing number of nutritional practitioners who believe that mineral and vitamin deficiencies can contribute to feelings of anxiety. Insufficient magnesium, zinc and the amino acid tryptophan (found in vegetables, fruit and milk) may have this effect. Alternatively, too much of some nutrients may speed up your nervous system and also lead to feelings of anxiety. Vitamin B6 may combat some of the symptoms associated with stress such as headaches and depression, according to a study reported in the Annals of the New York Academy of Science in 1990.
adrenal gland problems
Although some people may suffer from diseases that affect their adrenal system, stress may also take its toll. The adrenal gland may become overactive due to stress. Taking too many stimulants, such as coffee, can encourage the adrenal system to worker harder than it needs.
relaxation to diet for
Although there is still much debate about the relationship between stress and diet there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that what we eat can help or hinder the way we deal with stress. If you feel stressed it makes sense, therefore, to make sure you eat a healthy, balanced diet to give your body every chance of managing your stress levels better.
changing your diet to reduce stress
If you have any concerns at all about your health, it is important to consult your doctor. You should make sure you have ruled out the possibility of any medical conditions before consideriing the possibility that your symptoms are due to stress alone.
But there are some changes you can make to your diet which nutritionists believe may help you to combat stress. Here are some diet tips:
- Drink plenty of water. Not only is water good for your skin, it also helps flush out toxins and keeps your kidneys in good working order. Around eight (not large) glasses a day is recommended by nutritionists. Current medical advice suggests a total of 1.5-2 litres a day. There is nothing wrong with flavouring the water if you are not a keen water drinker. Avoid sugary flavourings, as this will defeat the object by encouraging your body to produce more insulin, as mentioned earlier. Drinking fruit teas is also a good way of getting water down you.
- Try to eat little and often by making sure you have something at least six times a day. Health and fitness experts believe this eating pattern helps to boost the metabolism, ensure adequate food intake and even out the body's fuel requirements. Have breakfast, a healthy mid-morning snack, lunch, a nourishing mid-afternoon snack, tea and dinner.
- Keep healthy snacks around you and plan ahead for days when it may be difficult to find healthy meals.
- Try to avoid 'fast food' as it usually contains more fat and additives than are good for you. Certain food additives may aggravate stress and there is usually more salt in 'fast foods' which can contribute to raised blood pressure and heart problems. Too much fat has a similar effect.
- Avoid coffee, tea, cola drinks and chocolate as all these contain varying amounts of caffeine. It would be a sad world, however, if you could not occasionally allow yourself a little of what you fancy, so if you want chocolate now and again, buy the more expensive kind. Although this has a greater concentration of cocoa solids, and therefore a higher caffeine level, an analysis of research by Professor John Stein at Oxford University concluded that higher levels of cocoa solids make it harder to eat enough chocolate to overload your caffeine intake.
- Try to avoid saturated fats as these can lead to health problems generally. A diet that is high in fat may lead to raised levels of cholesterol which has been linked to coronary heart disease and high blood pressure. Since stress is also believed to be a cause of heart problems and raised blood pressure you should take extra care to avoid diet risks.
- Try to avoid an excess of alcohol. Alcohol dehydrates, acts as a depressant and can increase mood swings, depressive symptoms and aggression.
- Avoid excessive amounts of salt (sodium) which can also raise your blood pressure, leading to possible heart problems. About a quarter of the salt we need is found naturally in food. However, many processed foods contain unhealthily high levels of salt. We require so little that we can quite happily survive on what occurs naturally in our daily diet.
foods which aid relaxation
You need to eat as varied a diet as possible to keep healthy. Here are some guidelines suggesting a range of foods from the main food groups that can help improve your physical and psychological health – protecting you against stress and stress-related illnesses.
protein
Protein is useful as a muscle-maintaining and strengthening food.
- meat, chicken, fish, shellfish
- eggs, cheese, milk
- dried beans, soya products
Find out more about soya in the mind section.
carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are an energy food and are best when taken in complex form – as in rice and pasta – rather than in highly refined format, as in sweet foods such as sugar, preserves, cakes and biscuits.
- wholegrain bread, pasta, rice
- peas, beans, potatoes, other vegetables
calcium
Calcium helps maintain bones and teeth as well as the transmission of nerve impulses and muscle fitness.
- milk, cheese, yoghurt
- fish
- broccoli, spring greens, leeks, cabbage, parsnips, potatoes
- blackberries and oranges
potassium
Potassium minimises the effect of sodium (salt) and helps prevent raised blood pressure.
- potatoes, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, sweet corn, avocados, leeks
- fish, especially sardines
- pork, chicken
- breakfast cereals,
- natural yoghurt
- bananas, rhubarb
iron
Iron is essential for the transport of oxygen in the blood. Lack of iron can lead to poor work and lower intellectual capacity.
- eggs
- lean meat
- wholegrain cereals
- peas, beans, spinach, leeks, broccoli, spring greens, potatoes, avocados
- dried fruit
zinc and copper
Zinc helps metabolise proteins. Lack of it can lead to retarded growth. Some research has suggested that lack of copper can harm cardiovascular function.
- liver and kidney, chicken
- oysters
- soya flour, cocoa powder
- rice, bulgar wheat
- beans, parsnips, plantain
- pears
an apple a day keeps stress away
It is worth spending a little time looking at your dietary habits and thinking about how these could be affecting your stress levels. You could try keeping a simple daily diary noting your food intake and stress feelings. Perhaps some small changes in your eating style could keep the stress manager away!
For more information on food, eating habits and health, check out the food section.
help and info
Channel 4 is not responsible for the content of third party sites.
For information on anxiety and other mental health issues, check out the mind section.
Want to find out more about stress management? Take a look at our feature on stress management.
Do you think a stress management counsellor might help you? You can find names of stress management advisors in your local area via the International Stress Management Association website www.isma.org.uk. The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy also has details of practitioners which can be accessed via its website on www.counselling.co.uk. The British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies is another organisation that provides details of therapists which can also be accessed via its website www.babcp.com.
organisations
British Dietetic Association
5th Floor Charles House
148/9 Great Charles Street Queensway
Birmingham B3 3HT
Tel: 0121 200 8080 (Mon-Fri 9am-4.30pm)
E-mail: info@bda.uk.com
Website: www.bda.uk.com
The professional association for dietitians. Offers impartial advice on nutrition for good health, how to combat disease with diet and suitable
diets for food-related problems.
British Association of Nutritional Therapists (BANT)
27 Old Gloucester Street
London WC1N 3XX
Tel: 08706 061284
E-mail: theadminstrator@bant.org.uk
Website: www.bant.org.uk
BANT can help you find a nutritional therapist to advise you on optimal health and wellbeing. They hold a register of practitioners who are fully qualified in both the science of nutrition as well as clinical practice.
National Farmers' Retail and Market Association (FARMA)
PO BOX 575
Southampton SO15 7BZ
Tel: 084545 88 420 (Mon-Fri 9.30am-4.30pm)
E-mail: justask@farma.org.uk
Website: http://farma.org.uk
FARMA enables you to buy local food and save the planet! It helps with direct sales from farmers to customers through all types of retail outlets, from markets to home delivery. It also inspects farmers markets and retail outlets to check that they are the 'real thing' and encourages more environmental production practices, such as organic or pesticide-free.
Soil Association
40-56 Victoria Street
Bristol BS1 6BY
Tel: 0117 314 5000 (Mon-Fri 8.30am-5.30pm)
E-mail: info@soilassociation.org
Website: www.soilassociation.org
Offers help and information on anything related to organic food and farming, including an online library, a consumer guide to shopping locally for fresh food and advice on the issues involved in food production.
websites
Feed Me Better
www.feedmebetter.com
Rubbish food at school? Get involved. Start a revolution in your school dining hall. Order the Feed Me Better pack on the FMB Hotline 0871 222 5678.
Fighting Foods
www.ivillage.co.uk/health/hlive/eat/articles/0,,181168_579704,00.html
Simple advice on fighting stress by eating the right foods and taking some key supplements.
Smart Nutrition
www.smartnutrition.co.uk/workshop.asp#
Run workshops entitled Beating Stress and Restoring Energy, designed to teach the benefits of good nutrition in combating the onset and effects of stress.
reading
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Body Foods for Life by Jane Clarke (Cassell paperbacks, 1999) |
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Cook Energy by Leslie Kenton (Ebury Press, 2001) |
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The Food Doctor Everyday Diet by Ian Marber (Dorling Kindersley, 2005) |
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The Food and Mood Handbook by Amanda Geary (HarperCollins, 2001) |
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(March 2002, resources updated June 2005)
