The influence of nutrition on stress resistance

04.01.2024 19:12

Many people turn to sweets when stressed because the sweet taste is calming, but most foods contain sweet taste, so you don't need to eat candy to get it.

Foods that increase stress: milk porridge, instant oatmeal, sweet yogurt, croissant, fruit smoothie or juice...

What do these products have in common?

Nutritionist Maria Milenina told how nutrition affects stress resistance.

All of them have a bias towards fast carbohydrates, which threatens not only excess weight.

young woman
Photo: Pixabay

If we are under stress, simple carbohydrates and, in principle, large amounts of them can aggravate it. Why?

Fast carbohydrates (sweets, white bread, fruit juice) cause a sharp rise in blood sugar and trigger the release of insulin.

Frequent fluctuations in insulin levels in the blood affect the functioning of the entire hormonal system and cause stress!

At the same time, the opposite is also true - against the background of acute or chronic stress, fast carbohydrates will give higher sugar peaks - and a more rapid fall!

Therefore, typical symptoms of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) include:

  • hunger,
  • irritability,
  • fatigue,
  • anxiety,
  • headache,
  • difficulty concentrating,
  • excessive sweating,
  • dizziness caused by stress can be felt most strongly.

The desire to throw in new carbohydrates against the background of such a jump is very typical. Thus, “under stress” it is easier to fall into carbohydrate addiction, which can lead not only to weight gain, but also to insulin resistance and diabetes.

Hence the conclusion - a balanced diet without added sugar, but with long carbohydrates, proteins and necessarily healthy fats is especially important during stress and fatigue!

Earlier we talked about what you shouldn’t eat if you have cold symptoms.

Valeria Kisternaya Author: Valeria Kisternaya Editor of Internet resources