Poor eating habits, lifestyle, diet, including a high body mass index, have all been linked to stress. When you are dealing with a difficult situation or with more than you are used to, you will experience stress. Your body reacts as if you are in danger and it produces hormones that cause your heart to beat quicker and your breathing to quicken.
During times of stress, people choose to seek out high-calorie foods, despite the fact that the body stores more fat when you are worried than when you are feeling relaxed. According to a recent survey done by the UK Trade Union Congress, 62 percent of workers are stressed at work. Many unfavorable health consequences have been linked to stress including obesity from stress eating, heart diseases, and diabetes.
Why do individuals stress eat?
Depression and anxiety are among the mental symptoms of stress which can vary from insomnia to more severe cases such as suicide and clinical depression. Other consequences include nausea, appetite loss, or gain to heart diseases and strokes.
Your body produces cortisol when you are stressed, which is also recognized as the stress hormone. People tend to stress eat because their brain believes it requires fuel to battle whatever threat is triggering the stress. Additionally, the cortisol that is produced because of the stress can make you desire high-fat and high-calorie foods.
According to a survey done by the American Psychological Association (APA), stress causes 38% of individuals to overeat or eat unhealthy meals once a week or more frequently. In addition, it can also suppress appetite. The neurological system instructs the adrenal glands to release the hormone epinephrine, which aids in the activation of the body’s fight or flight response, therefore, halting the appetite.
The American Psychological Association (APA) also says that 30% of individuals say they have skipped a meal due to stress in the last month whereas, 41% of individuals who miss a meal due to stress do so on a weekly basis or more. Additionally, 67% of them blame it on the lack of appetite and 26% due to the lack of time.
The amount of cortisol produced in reaction to stress may also play a role in relation to food and stress. Research conducted in 2007 demonstrated that people who reacted to stress with high cortisol levels were more prone to overeat in contrast to people with low cortisol levels.
The risks of poor nutrition
Poor nutrition, overeating, or undereating as a result of stress can have many consequences. The brain uses 20% of the daily energy and minerals and a poor diet can affect how it operates. A healthy and balanced diet improves brain health by delivering vital nutrients and boosting blood flow, as well as decreasing the harmful effects of stress on your body. Lowering oxidation and inflammation, as well as helping to decrease weight gain, a nutritious diet helps to establish a solid, more durable basis for your health and body.
Foods such as avocados, walnuts, tuna, broccoli, and bananas, to mention a few, are beneficial to reduce stress and have a healthy diet. Taking care of your body and mind should be a priority and getting the products needed for it at a discount can get you even more motivated to stay healthy.
For example, broccoli and bananas actually discounted at Makro offers are rich in magnesium which is really helpful in decreasing inflammation, metabolizing cortisol, and calming your mind and they come at great discounts. There are many health products from different well-known brands such as Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Aldi, and more, displayed on Kimbino’s online leaflets with many special offers and deals.
Stress has been shown to negatively influence eating patterns in a study titled “Chronic Stress and Unhealthy Dietary Behaviors among Low-Income African-American Female Caregivers.” Moreover, 15% of caregivers had dietary habits of excessive fat and soda consumption, but just 7% of caregivers without chronic stress had this harmful eating pattern.
Furthermore, obesity affects 19% of young individuals aged 2 to 19 years old as well as around 40% of adults in the United States. A well-balanced diet, as well as adequate physical exercise and sleep, can help in staying healthy and avoiding being underweight, overweight, or obese.
