First aid for stress eating

Many people regularly experience tension or stress. In itself, this is not bad or wrong. After all, we need a certain amount of stress to function properly. But if the stress persists for a long time or even becomes chronic, it can lead to very unpleasant symptoms. Moreover, it can cause your relationship with food changes. Some people will eat less due to stress, but others will eat more: stress-eating we call it. Fortunately, there are things, you can do, to prevent stress eating and there are ways to deal with eating the reduce feelings of stress.

Stress-Eating

To kick in an open door right away: stress eating is eating because of stress. You then not only eat when you are hungry and need it, but you also eat when you are not hungry. It may also be the case that you feel hungry more often, due to your cortisol levelsare constantly higher and thus your body is constantly in a state of alertness and readiness is. In addition, eating in times of stress can also (temporarily) make you feel better; a sense of calm and security. So you then start eating to feel better or calmer. So stress eating is caused by stress on the one hand, but is also sometimes a coping mechanism to deal with stress.

Comfort food vs. Healthy nutrition

Stress-eating in itself would not have to be a problem if it were limited to healthy eating , such as cucumber, bell bell pepper and tomatoes. Mostly, however, it is unhealthy food and comfort food, such as chips, cookies, donuts, hamburgers, soft drinks, etc. Foods full of sugar, fat and salt. Nutrition, which therefore has a negative effect on your health, putting you in a downward spiral ends up. In fact, deteriorating health creates even more stress and negative feelings. The key is precisely healthy nutrition. The better you take care of your body and the more good food you ingest, the better your body can recover. A healthy body and healthy eating also provide more energy and a fitter feeling , also making you more mentally able to cope with the stressful situation(s), you are facing.

First aid

But how do you do that? Healthy eating instead of unhealthy stress eating? There are a number of things you can do. The most obvious, of course, is to avoid bringing in the unhealthy products that you prefer to eat during stressful times. Stock up on healthy produce and healthy snacks. Although that symptom relief is, it can be enormously helpful. After all, you can’t eat something that isn’t there. It is also important to insight to gain insight into the relationship between stress and eating And your patterns therein. Try keeping track of what you eat when and what the situation was like at or before that time. When you gain insight into the moments, that you really stress-eat, you can try to redirect those moments by very deliberately different choices make. By not giving in to the unhealthy food craving at that moment, but eating/drinking something else or doing something else. Also try to ask yourself at every eating moment: am I eating this because I am hungry, or because I am stressed? The answer then determines whether or not you can eat it.

Stress-reducing foods

There are also foods , which are said to reduce feelings of stress. These include avocados, bananas, legumes and oily fish. At avocados is high in magnesium. This mineral helps muscles and nerves relaxed. When you experience a lot of stress, you quickly run out of magnesium, and by eating avocados, you replenish that supply. Bananas In addition to magnesium, bananas also contain a lot of potassium and tryptophan. These minerals also help your muscles relax. At legumes, such as brown beans, chickpeas and lentils, are high in vitamin B. This supports your blood sugar and hormone balance, including the production of serotonin (the so-called happiness hormone). You will also find plenty of vitamin B in whole grain products, eggs and milk. In fatty fish after all, contains a lot of omega-3. This reduces the production of cortisol: the stress hormone. So eat plenty of mackerel, tuna and salmon, but chia seeds and walnuts are also high in omega 3.