How Stress Disrupts Our Eating Patterns?


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Many people are affected by stress and they find that food is the source of comfort. In general, food can help lift a bad mood, soothe our tension and even make difficult time to pass faster. It’s one of the indulgences that can bring us instant and temporary happiness. Just the smell of the food and the first chunk of delicious food, could trigger the quick release of serotonin. It’s a type of hormone that elevates our mood and it’s produced by our brain. As a result, distressed people may associate great food with good feeling. They will start to ignore proper eating pattern and healthy food. These kinds of activity may set off a dangerous chain reaction that may cause different kinds of problems in our body. Improper eating pattern may leave us feeling somewhat sluggish and also a bit off.

Stress, lack of physical activity and disrupted eating patterns can be quite deadly when they occur for more than a few years. Modern people tend to become less active due to various modern conveniences. Bad food also ensnares us with wonderful smell, juicy texture, vibrant colors and unforgettable taste. It’s a huge challenge to have a peaceful mind, active body and healthy eating pattern in the modern society. We should be aware when our brain starts to become accustomed to an eating pattern that is intended to soothe mental disturbance. Comfort shouldn’t become the primary reward of any eating session. Our goal should be to replenish energy and nutrients; while comfort should become only the secondary, non-essential objective.

Our first step is to have correct food combination and we need to strengthen our mental fortitude to cope with daily stressors better. It is better to suppress untimely release of stress-inducing hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline, than indulging ourselves with happiness-related hormones, such as serotonine and dopamine, through constant consumption of comfort food. If our eating pattern has become somewhat disrupted, we should eat more food with complex carbohydrate, which is digested more slowly. It means that our blood level could become steadier and our body won’t be flooded with the secretion of serotonin.

It is also a good thing if we regularly crunch on raw veggies. Good options include radishes, celery and carrot, which taste quite good when they are raw. Eating crunchy, healthy good should help to relieve much our mental distress and tension in the jaw muscles can also be released. If we want to manage improper fluctuation of stress-inducing, it is also a good thing if we consumer enough Omega 3 fatty acids from salmon, tuna, pine nuts, walnuts and flaxseeds. With good fat, we should be better protected against depression and other mood disorder conditions.  Omega 3 is essential if we want to manage proper brain functions and we will be able to cope with stressors better.

However, the problem can be handled more effectively if we can identify unnecessary stressors in life and remove them quickly. Stress is useful for personal growth in a manageable level, but we should be aware when it has become excessive.