The Worst Foods for Stress are Named

Most likely, cabbage salad is not the first dish that comes to mind. Imagine this: you’re in a spiral of stress, and you’re overcome with hunger. Most likely, a kale salad is not the first dish that comes to mind. But opting for a cheeseburger and fries might not be the best answer-and might even make things worse. New research suggests that what we eat can relieve or fuel stress. This idea has its roots in nutritional psychiatry, a thriving field that explores the role of diet in mental health and well-being.

“The foods we eat are converted into protein building blocks, enzymes, neurons, and neurotransmitters that transmit information and signals throughout our bodies,” says Rachel Naar, RD, a New York City-based dietitian and founder of Rachel Naar Private Practice. In this sense, we are what we eat, and our eating patterns affect the functions of our brains and body.

Research confirms the link between food and mood. According to a study, a Mediterranean-style diet (in addition to pharmacological treatment) significantly reduces depression symptoms in people with clinical depression. What’s more, about a third of people who followed the Mediterranean diet had their depression symptoms disappear within 12 weeks.

It’s clear that food can affect how we feel. And while certain foods can make us feel better, some foods can have the opposite effect. Below, we highlight four of the worst foods and drinks to eat or drink when stressed, as well as alternative nutrients to help you eat to calm down.

Overprocessed foods

“Increasing the amount eaten at a meal, snack, or throughout the day due to stress and anxiety is very common, and most people don’t eat more broccoli,” says Sydney Green, a nutritionist, and founder of a private practice. “In fact, it’s well known that people turn to what the research calls ‘very tasty foods,’ which are foods that are high in fat or sugar.”

According to Harvard Health Publishing, highly palatable foods are ultra-processed foods, or UPFs, which are packaged foods high in sugar, hydrogenated fats, sodium, coloring, and/or artificial flavors and preservatives. Think frozen pizza, chocolate bars, sodas, flavored potato chips, snacks, and other plastic-wrapped sweets – basically, any packaged food with a long list of ingredients.

UPFs are undoubtedly convenient-and, let’s be honest, delicious-but research shows that there is a link between them and poor mental health. According to an October 2018 study in Public, people who ate the most ultra-processed pro-inflammatory foods were 23% more likely to develop depression than people who ate the least amount of pro-inflammatory foods.

Ultra-processed diets are also associated with higher levels of a powerful inflammatory biomarker called c-reactive protein, or CRP. Perhaps not coincidentally, according to a January 2018 study in Antioxidants & Redox Signaling, CRP levels are commonly elevated in people diagnosed with clinical depression.

It is unclear whether UPF causes stress or stress causes the urge to eat UPF. While it’s likely a complex combination of the two, experts agree that eating foods that are virtually devoid of nutrients is definitely not conducive to mental well-being.

“Over time, eating overly palatable foods during stressful situations can contribute to disordered eating and strengthen links to hedonic or pleasure eating,” says Green.

Alcohol

When you’re under a lot of stress, reaching for a drink may seem like an easy task. After all, according to the National Library of Medicine, alcohol acts as a central nervous system depressant, which means it slows down brain activity-a welcome respite from all-consuming anxiety.

Yes, an adult beverage can calm us down at the moment, but in fact, alcohol can increase stress in the long run.

“It’s pretty clear that alcohol is a known depressant that can cause mood changes during drinking, as well as 6-48 hours after drinking,” explains Green. “Typically, after binge drinking, you feel anxious, sad, depressed, or lonely.”

Indeed, animal studies have shown that rodents forced to go into alcohol withdrawal show higher levels of stress and anxiety compared to their peers who continue to drink, according to an October 2019 review in Alcohol Research. In other words, once the hangover wears off, excessive drinking can increase stress levels. (But to be clear, this study was conducted on animals, and we can’t assume it will have the same effect on humans.)

Drinking alcohol during stress can also disrupt your metabolism.

“Alcohol is a toxin in the body, so when it’s consumed, its metabolism and elimination from the body becomes a higher priority,” explains Green. In essence, the body stops digesting other substances and instead mistakes eliminating alcohol from the system. “This puts a lot of stress on our liver and effectively stops our metabolism,” says Green.

Ice cream (including low-calorie ice cream)

There’s a reason ice cream is an ideal choice for emotional eaters: it’s delicious and easy to eat. While ice cream can evoke positive emotions at the moment, very large portions can cause discomfort. After all, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates that 30 to 50 million adults in the United States are lactose intolerant.

Not to mention, “the sugar alcohols in these products (low-calorie ice cream) often cause terrible gastrointestinal upset, which in turn is a concern because most of the feel-good neurotransmitter serotonin lives in the gut,” Naar explains.

If ice cream is your favorite snack when you’re stressed, Naar suggests enjoying it during less stressful times. “I recommend actually taking the time to eat ice cream when you’re not stressed so that you don’t reinforce the brain associations that anxiety [causes] ice cream,” Naar says.

If you find yourself putting down a spoonful to calm yourself down, be kind to yourself. “Sometimes you reach for ice cream, and that’s okay, but remember that food can be your ally in how you feel,” Naar says. “You may feel better eating one or two scoops of ice cream with peanut butter for extra protein, and it will fill you up compared to a whole pint. “4 Caffeine. The fact that caffeine can cause nervous tremors is not a sensation. But why?

Caffeine is structurally similar to adenosine, a compound that accumulates in the body during the day and causes drowsiness in the evening. “When we drink caffeine, it binds to the adenosine receptors in our brain and blocks its action,” Naar explains. “This allows dopamine to flow, causing a feeling of intense alertness. In some people, this can manifest as tremors, irritability, and stomach upset.”

For people prone to panic attacks, caffeine has an even more serious effect. The stimulant can cause heart palpitations, high blood pressure, insomnia, and increased anxiety, according to a September 2019 study in Clinical Practice & Epidemiology in Mental Health.

Although caffeine tolerance varies greatly from person to person, Naar recommends controlling your intake for a stable mood: “If you drink coffee, I recommend no more than two cups a day and drink it with meals.”

It is also useful to note: “if someone’s stress or anxiety manifests as a gastrointestinal upset, I often recommend cutting out caffeinated beverages and working on other grounding techniques that will help reduce anxiety and increase alertness,” Naar says.