When starvation strikes while you’re in a stress vortex, vegetable salad isn’t the first meal you think of! However, opting for burgers and fries may not be the best solution, and may even make matters worse and more complicated.

Recent scientific research has indicated that the food consumed has the ability to either calm or exacerbate stress. In this context, nutritionist Rachel Nar, from New York, commented, “The food consumed turns into the building blocks of protein, enzymes, neurons and neurotransmitters, which transmit information and signals about the body. Thus, dietary patterns affect brain and body function.”

She continued, “Studies support the relationship between food and mood. According to a 2017 study published in BMC Medicine, the Mediterranean diet, in addition to drug treatments, was able to reduce symptoms of depression in depressed people. It is clear, then, that food has the power to influence emotions. And if certain foods improve human feelings, then it means that there are other foods that have the opposite effect.”

Here are the worst foods and drinks to eat or drink when experiencing stress:

Ultra-processed foods

It is common to increase the amount of food consumed during the meal, snack, or during the day due to stress and anxiety, and it is interesting that people tend to ultra-processed foods that contain a high dose of hydrogenated fats, sugar, sodium, dyes and/or artificial flavors and preservatives. Based on Harvard Health Publishing. These include frozen pizzas, candy bars, soda, flavored chips, snack cakes, other desserts that are wrapped in plastic, and generally any canned food with a long list of ingredients on its packaging.

Research has suggested a link between these types of foods and poor mental health. A 2018 study published in Public Health Nutrition found that people who consumed the most ultra-processed, inflammatory foods were 23 percent more likely to be depressed than their peers who got the lowest dose of these substances.

– Alcohol

While these drinks may calm negative emotions at the moment, they may exacerbate stress in the long run. Alcohol is a well-known depressant that can cause mood changes while drinking it and also 6 to 48 hours after drinking it. It’s common to feel anxious, sad, tired or lonely after bouts of drinking.

Indeed, a 2019 review published in Alcohol Research found that rodents who were forced to withdraw from alcohol reported higher levels of stress and anxiety than their peers who continued to drink. In other words, heavy drinking can increase stress once the hangover wears off. But to be clear, this research was conducted on animals, and it cannot be certain that the same effect will occur in humans.

– ice cream

While ice cream may bring positive feelings at the same moment, its abundance may accompany discomfort. After all, it is estimated that 30 to 50 million adults in the United States are lactose intolerant, according to the National Institutes of Health, without forgetting that the sugar alcohols found in low-calorie ice cream products often strain the digestive system. Which in turn increases anxiety and stress since most of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which ensures good feelings, lives in the gut.

– caffeine

Structurally, caffeine is similar to adenosine, which builds up in the body during the day and causes drowsiness in the evening. When you drink caffeine, it binds to adenosine receptors in the brain and blocks its effects. This allows dopamine to flow, which brings on feelings of intense alertness. For some people, this can manifest as nervousness, nervousness, and upset stomachs.

In people prone to panic attacks and anxiety, the effects of caffeine are more serious. This stimulant can lead to an increased heart rate, raised blood pressure, insomnia and increased anxiety, according to a 2019 study published in Clinical Practice & Epidemiology in Mental Health.

Although tolerance to caffeine varies greatly from person to person, it is recommended to control the dose consumed for a stable mood. When drinking coffee, you should have no more than two cups a day.

– What do you eat then?

When it comes to eating to combat stress, experts advise choosing foods rich in vitamins, minerals and other brain-friendly nutrients, specifically omega-3 fatty acids found in walnuts, flaxseed, salmon… and prebiotic sources like onions, garlic, asparagus, oats, bananas, apples, and fruits and vegetables that have been linked to improved health. The mental health, especially green leaves full of folate, which helps produce dopamine, and avocado, which in turn is anti-stress thanks to its richness in vitamin E, potassium and vitamin B6.

Cynthia Awad – Republic