Surely you’ve heard the saying “A healthy head in a healthy body. Beyond being a saying, this quote holds within it the key to health.  It is well known that nutrition is paramount to the body’s comfort. Eating a balanced diet not only assists in sustaining the right energy settings; it also combats negative mental states, such as stress.

Before we go into this matter we must begin by understanding :

what stress is.

Stress is a feeling of physical or emotional tension. It can come from some circumstance or thought that leads one to feel failed, angry or nervous; On a psychological level we understand it as the response that gives an individual to face a very demanding circumstance, which exceeds their personal elements.

We are talking about a natural announcement that serves our body to become alert in front of a risky circumstance. It is a response of great impulse, but if any occasion arises or if we do not have the possibility to monitor it, it can represent a disadvantage.

When we have periods of stress and anxiety, we are very emotionally drained.

The signs have the possibility of being different and of various types; but undoubtedly, one of them is our relationship with food, which in parallel can bring changes in our physical health; A state of uncontrolled stress helps the adoption of bad eating habits.

If you are one of those people who are mortified all the time, feel like you can’t keep up with all the busyness of everyday life and sometimes you need a break, you might want to start by looking into the way you eat.

To guide you, in this text we will talk about the relationship between nutrition and stress, as well as the consequences for the body of consuming certain types of food.

What is the importance of nutrition?

Nutrition goes beyond consuming “healthy” food at all times. It is more related to bringing together different properties or functionalities at the moment of eating. The consideration of a balanced diet lies in a correct selection and consumption in ideal proportions.

Nutrition is the criterion that refers to the development by means of which the organism assimilates nutrients from foodstuffs through a sequence of spontaneous phenomena, such as digestion, the absorption of nutrients into the blood through the digestive tract and the absorption of these nutrients by the cells of the organism.

And that is why, by means of these phenomena carried out by nutrition, the energy required to be able to perform the rest of the vital functions, as well as to carry out the daily occupations, is taken. […] of Importance.

How is stress related to nutrition?

We must understand that organisms are systems that everything that composes them is related to something. Among other things, emotions are directly related to the quality of habits, and nutrition is no distinction.

When there is stress, hormones that drive anxiety are developed. This affects our way of consuming food, creating an abuse or, on the contrary, a significant reduction of food intake.  The difficult thing about this circumstance is the consequences it can bring, such as overweight, obesity, diabetes or malnutrition.  Therefore, we must understand and be aware of our eating habits, become aware of the consumption patterns we have and think about any change, no matter how insignificant it may seem.

 Stress can cause two food-related responses:

• It increases our food intake:

Not only can it lead us to eat more, but it can lead us to eat compulsively, even without the sensation of hunger. Stress can ignore the feeling of satiety, so we eat much more than our body requires. In addition, foods eaten in times of stress tend to be hypercaloric, with high contents of refined sugar, salt and saturated fats, which represents a compromise for physical health.

• Decreases our food intake:

Stress is with the capacity to lower the appetite considerably, sometimes even without this being conscious, since our head is occupied in the occasions that cause us stress or anxiety. In addition, it usually happens that we have the possibility of feeling hungry, but assuming to consume some food can cause nausea or stomach pains.

A reduction in the quantity and quality of the food we eat can result in nutritional deficiencies that have the potential to negatively impact our health.

How can it be avoided?

The best way to avoid these signs is to consult an expert. It is requisite to attend with a professional who has the precise understandings to treat each tolerant in a special way.  There are some food groups that are favorable for reducing stress scenarios, as well as others that need to be limited.

And it happens that the brain works under chemical processes that are driven by emotions, food, habits and thoughts.  First you have to detect the cause of stress and the ways of proceeding it causes, the feelings produced and how they are reflected in everyday habits. When you live under stress all the time, you overstimulate your nervous system.

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