How to manage stress in this fast-paced world through diet.

What is stress?

The response your body has to challenges you face daily.

The factors that lead to stress are worrying or feeling mental tension related to work, family life, relationships, or significant life events or changes.

Stress can have a negative and positive impact on your body. It can be damaging when you find it happens daily without control, or it can have a positive effect when it challenges us to work harder to reach goals.

When you feel stressed, your body tends to find a mechanism to cope with the levels of stress perceived. One of the most common ways we manage is through food. I tend to reach for chocolate and binge eat chocolate to relieve my stress and worries. It is not harmful to eat chocolate, but when it becomes my only mechanism to alleviate stress symptoms every day, it can be chronic, and in the long term, it is going to affect my health. The problem with binge eating chocolate, cookies, cakes, and highly sugary foods is that it can become problematic for the body to metabolize these foods effectively when you also feel very stressed—eventually leading to other health-related problems.

It is best to look deep, find the root cause, and address stress, remembering that it will increase longevity and happiness and reduce health-related diseases.

What I have practiced myself to help me reduce binge eating sweet chocolate when stressed is keeping some healthy nutritious snacks like nuts, for example, pistachios, cashews, almonds, and Brazil nuts. I also like to make energy bites with some of these nuts with peanut butter and add dark cacao chocolate instead of reaching for sugary cookies and sweets whenever I feel anxious or worried because of stressful situations.

Another thing I also like is to make some warm tea. My favorite is chamomile for its calming properties and promoting relaxation. All you need is to have some tea bags at work or home, some hot water, and sip into tea, and all the tension will start to feel less. Another thing is that instead of reaching for coffee during the day, replace it with matcha tea. Matcha tea is a vibrant green powder you can add to hot water or milk. Also, carrying fruits on the go, like apples, pears, strawberries, blueberries, and tangerines, will boost vitamin C, promote good energy, and reduce stress. If you feel tired, burned, or overwhelmed, use relaxation techniques like meditation to relieve stress.

Always prioritize meals with good nutrient-dense foods to support your body.

Remember, every little step you take towards feeling healthy and happy counts!