STRESS AND HOW IT AFFECTS WEIGHT GAIN
Stress is something that every person deals with in their life and even at times on a daily basis. Dealing with stressful jobs, taking care of aging parents, and worrying about our teenagers can all take a toll on our bodies. Unfortunately, stress is a significant factor in weight gain. Stress impacts every part of the body and it impacts nutrition as well. When we are under stress it compromises the ability of the body to digest, absorb, metabolize and eliminate nutrients because the body is in a state of “fight or flight”.
Have you ever found yourself craving sugary foods or comfort foods that are high in saturated fat and carbohydrates when stressed? This is actually the body’s response to stress. Once you can recognize your body’s response to stress, you can make a conscious effort to reach for better food choices that will fuel your body’s need for nutrition while under pressure.
According to Dr. Brian Luke Seaward, there four dominoes in the theory of how stress and nutrition are related:
Domino 1: Initially, stress begins to deplete nutrients (such as water-soluble vitamins and several essential minerals) in the body.
Domino 2: As stress continues, nutrients depleted by stress are not restored. The consumption of calorie-rich, nutrient-poor foods (such as comfort foods, junk foods, fast foods, and processed foods) often accompanies stress. Combined with nutrient depletion, foods low in nutrients further stress the body, which is already trying to compensate for the malnourishment it is experiencing.
Domino 3: The stress response remains chronically elevated when an individual continues to eat caffeine, sugar, processed flour and salt. Healthy nutrients remain depleted, and unhealthy food consumption contributes to obesity and the ingestion of toxins. Elevated stress may also lead to alcohol consumption, further taxing the liver (which filters toxins from the body). The effectiveness of the body’s immune system continues to diminish.
Domino 4: Stress effects are reaching peak, poor food choices continue, immune function is in severe decline and, when this domino falls, health is greatly compromised and can result in potentially serious health conditions (e.g., cancer, diabetes, colds, flu etc.).
It is also important to note that typically when we are stressed we are under a time crunch. When we are under pressure to get too many things done in too little time, we tend to take the easy short cuts by ordering food at a fast-food chain. Fast-food restaurants make it easy for us when we are stressed to make decisions to “save time” by grabbing a “quick bite” at a restaurant that has food high in sodium, sugar and saturated fats rather than having something more nutritious from home. Over time, eating these foods can lead to high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity.
If, however, we can recognize when we are stressed and recognize our eating patterns when we are stressed, we can make a conscious effort to make better and more nutritious choices with food in order to combat the pressure we are under. And when we take the time to eat real food rather than processed food our bodies will respond with having more energy, feeling less lethargic and feeling better overall.