Stay Calm, Stay Productive: Easy Nutrition for Stress Relief

All of us suffer from stress, some more than others. What is less known is that we can relieve or avoid stress by what we eat, alumna and nutrition and lifestyle coach Rashmi Hayes writes.

Among the many things we have learnt from Sir David Attenborough’s nature documentaries is how living creatures adapt so well to their living conditions. Key to their survival, strength and vitality – although it may be obvious to say this – is the food that they eat.

We humans could learn from them. Over the millennia, we have flourished on literally thousands of different types of local cuisines, but, in the past few decades, we are increasingly struggling with our health. It does not seem to be a simple coincidence that the more our food production has industrialised, the worse it has become for us.

What has all this got to do with managing stress? The simple answer is that you can build resilience in your body against the daily stresses by ensuring your body is functioning well at the cellular level. Something that is often forgotten is that the food we eat literally goes into the cellular make-up of our bodies. Food is not simply a source of energy to be burned off or a supply of vitamins and minerals we extract for essential chemical reactions. Our food also goes into making the very structure of every cell in our body, whether that’s a cell in our heart, liver, bowel, hair, skin bone etc. The better your individual cells are constructed, the better they work together as part of the organ they form and, consequently, as part of your whole body. 

While stress is often considered a mental or emotional state, it is fundamentally a physical state in the body involving hormones and cellular function. If you understand stress this way, then you can understand that different foods can change the state of your body to either raise or lower stress levels.  

Understanding Stress

Stress triggers the body's ‘fight or flight’ response, a survival mechanism hardwired into our DNA. When faced with a perceived threat to life, our central nervous system signals the release of stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones prepare the body to react to the threat quickly by increasing heart rate, raising blood sugar levels for energy and heightening mental alertness. This response is vital in short-term emergencies. However, in today’s world, many stressors are chronic. When stress becomes prolonged, the body remains in a state of heightened alertness which can only be maintained for so long before negative consequences set in.

One of the critical factors in managing stress is maintaining stable blood sugar levels. Blood sugar, or glucose, is the primary energy source for the body. If blood glucose levels fluctuate dramatically, our brain function suffers leading to irritability, difficulty concentrating, anxiety and, for some, the mid-afternoon slump.

The body's ability to regulate blood glucose levels is not precise, and when everyday stresses combine with regular missed meals or meals that are high in refined carbs, low in quality proteins/fats, it often results in repeated spikes and dips in blood glucose levels. These fluctuations trigger the release of more stress hormones as your body works harder to bring glucose levels under control, leading to feelings of being overwhelmed and a vicious cycle of anxiety and exhaustion.