Did you know your eating habits can worsen your anxiety and stress? Here’s how!

Continue reading below to know more.

Did you know your eating habits can worsen your anxiety and stress? Here’s how!

It’s always been known that how you eat influences how you age, your brain health, immunity, energy levels, and chances of developing chronic diseases.

Due to this, we’ve always been encouraged to eat a balanced diet.

However, did you know that your eating habits can also influence how much stress and burn out you can feel?

Virsa Foundation, a nonprofit organization,  surveyed  over 14,000 Americans about their eating habits between the period of January 2020 and September 2021 to understand how nutritional choices impact mental resilience, burnout reduction, and recovery from infectious diseases.

Interestingly enough, the research revealed that those who ate a whole-food, plant-based diet or vegan diet reported better levels of mental clarity, emotional stability, and better coping mechanisms during the peak of stress and burnout in the COVID-19 pandemic compared to those who followed a standard American diet.

Additionally, those who hewed towards a standard American diet reported negative mental health effects such as anxiety, difficulty sleeping, depression, anger, and changes in appetite, after contracting COVID-19.

Even though this was a pandemic-focused study, the findings regarding dietary choices and their connection to anxiety and burnout cannot be ignored, especially at a time when many are experiencing higher levels of both.

Furthermore, it’s been found that high levels of stress can lead to inflammation, which can lead you to crave foods that are high in salt, fat, and sugar… leading to an increase in inflammation yet again.

Nivi Jaswal, president and founder of Virsa Foundation, stated in an  interview  that when  “we’re stressed and overwhelmed and emotionally upset, we find comfort in comfort foods. ”

Said another way, when you’re stressed and anxious, you’re much more likely to reach for foods that would only worsen those emotions, even if consuming foods that are ultra-processed, high in salt and sugar, would make you feel some relief.

So, how can you avoid this cycle and build your mental resilience?

Here a few useful tips from Jaswal:

• Integrate plants into your diet  - As discovered in the Virsa Foundation’s study, those who consume a whole-food, plant-based diet or a vegan diet can achieve higher levels of mental clarity and emotional stability.
  
  
• Find out how “processed” your food is  - Processed food tends to be high in unhealthy ingredients and low in nutrients and fiber.
  
  By knowing the processes behind the food you’re eating, you’ll be able to curate a better diet for yourself.
  
  
• Food isn’t the only option  - Since people are much more likely to choose less healthy food during moments of stress, it would be helpful if you turned to something other than food when you’re under moments of stress and anxiety.
  
  This can come in the form of walking, standing up, or simply drinking water.
  
  

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Watching what and how you eat might be difficult at first, but since this leads to better mental clarity and emotional states, taking the step to do so will be worthwhile and something your future self will thank you for.

Besides, transformation doesn’t have to happen immediately or overnight!

Taking small steps each day will go a long way in turning you into a healthier version of yourself.

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