Written By: Debjani Arora | Published : August 28, 2018 5:31 PM IST
Avoid high-carb, high-sugar foods when stressed. © Shutterstock
So what do you do when you are stressed? Listen to music? Read a book? Or turn to your comfort foods? If you are reading this article and got enthused to know what are the kinds of foods that you need to avoid when stressed, chances are food is your biggest stress buster. But there again the food choices you make when stressed aren't always the most healthy ones. You invariably end up eating foods that are high on carbohydrates, fat and sugar. This is because when stress your body experiences a dip in energy levels which make you crave for sugary treats or high carb foods. Once you consume these foods your blood sugar levels increases and there is a boost in your energy levels. But remember these are the foods that are high in GI too which means the food when broken down into glucose gets absorbed by the body soon or stored in the liver as fats. So, this leads to a sugar crash soon after the spike making you lethargic, tired and sadder too. This is why you should be very careful of the foods that you eat when stressed. Here we give you a list of foods and beverages that you should avoid at any cost when stressed.
Processed foods: Anything that you have to open from a packet and eat is going to be processed food. So, your chips, cookies, savouries are all going to come under this category. Eating these foods can seem to be a mood buster but remember they are more of calories and less of nutrition. Eating them does cell to calm the brain and take some mature or sensible decisions when in stress instead it impairs the brain's ability to tackle stress increasing anxiety levels and impairing moods.
Caffeine: Yes, caffeine is a go-to beverage for many and it definitely does a thing or two to give you that push or kick to keep going or stay motivated in your work despite the stress it invites. But too much caffeine isn't a good thing. More than 400 mg of caffeine a day can disrupt your adrenaline production and mess up with your nervous system. This will make you incapable of handling a stressful situation with ease and stay calm in the face of pressure and anxiety.
Alcohol: You can drown in alcohol to dissolve your sorrows, worries and stresses but all you will get the next morning is just a bad hangover that needs to be nursed immediately for you to get back in action. Alcohol might give you the calming effect when you are stressed but in turn, affects your liver health and makes your hormones go haywire. It acts as a depressant and disturbs sleep by increasing cortisol levels in the body, which in turn makes you less able to successfully manage stress
High sugar foods: It is difficult to say no to pastries, sweets and chocolates when you are stressed as with high cortisol levels in the body (which increases when you are stressed) your brain gets a signal to crave for more sugar. This is a reason why we gorge on scoops of ice-cream and relish those chocolate pastries. Well, if you are doing the same, know that a sugar crash is imminent.
High carbohydrate foods: Stay away from those cheese-laden pizzas, burgers, fries as they are high on carbs. Yes, just like high-sugar foods your brain craves for high carb foods to as they break down into simple sugars. But remember with these foods you are just not in for a sugar crash but it takes a toll on your digestive system too. High carbohydrate foods are also known to be inflammatory in nature and put a strain on the intestines which trigger a stress response again and we end up being trapped in a vicious cycle of stress-food-stress.
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