Choosing what to eat can be stressful in a setting where food is classified as anything from “good or bad” to “practically medicinal or ostensibly toxic.” It’s considerably more difficult for those with allergies and digestive issues who experience excruciating or even fatal reactions to specific foods.
It makes sense that we would want to protect ourselves from anything that could harm us and feed ourselves nutritious food. However, worrying too much about what to eat can cause us to get worse more quickly than any “bad” meal could.
Here’s why worrying about what you eat affects how your body processes it, as well as some tips for starting to overcome food anxiety.
The Effects of Stress on Digestion
Your body’s stress reaction, which is triggered when it perceives danger, causes a range of physiological symptoms, including fluctuations in blood sugar and hormone levels.
We may slow the generation of digestive fluids, prolong the time it takes for food to pass through the digestive tract, and slow down the muscular contractions that are necessary for digestion as part of our adaptive response to stress.
Additionally, acute stress may momentarily alter the microbiome’s makeup (1).
As a result, food consumed under stress has a lower-than-average likelihood of being absorbed fully.
For instance, imagine that after a hearty meal you get frustrated because you’re late for work. Later, you experience dyspepsia or indigestion. Because of the stress your body was under, your motility changed and the food in your stomach didn’t pass through it as quickly as it should have. You are affected by that.
These side effects, according to both doctors, could include nausea, heartburn, indigestion, bloating, stomach discomfort, constipation, or diarrhea. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have both been linked to chronic, prolonged stress (2).
How to Stop the Body’s Stress Reaction
Mindful eating may be especially helpful for people who have a tense connection with food.
By encouraging people to be present and judgment-free during every stage of eating, mindful eating innately promotes parasympathetic dominance and ‘chill and digest.’ The best possible digestion is supported by this relaxed and tranquil state.
One randomized controlled experiment published in the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine discovered that participants who underwent mindfulness-based stress reduction activities had fewer IBS symptoms than the control group (3). Another 2011 research of women with IBS who undertook eight weeks of mindfulness training reached a similar finding.
Other studies suggest that mindful eating may potentially mitigate the negative health consequences of low body image. A 2022 study discovered that intuitive eating, a type of mindful eating, reduces the negative effects of internalized weight stigma (IWS) on BMI. Existing evidence indicates that IWS is positively associated with a high BMI (4).
Current data indicates that IWS is positively associated with a high BMI. This study looked at a group of stressed adults with low food quality and discovered that among those who practiced high levels of intuitive eating, the link between IWS and BMI did not exist.
Tips for Mindful Eating
Here are some key points to help you start:
- Paying attention to hunger cues increases our awareness of hunger and fullness.
- Using our senses to detect taste, texture, smell, and appearance allows us to recognize different components of food, stimulate the production of digestive fluids, and better identify emotions associated with specific foods.
- By allowing thoughts to come and go, unbiased awareness practice reduces the likelihood that we would assign rigid good or bad labels to foods, hence reducing the likelihood of stress response.
- Eating slowly aids in the breakdown of food, allows saliva to bond to food, and increases the creation of saliva enzymes that trigger other digestive processes.
Sharing a meal with loved ones is a fantastic way to increase its nutritional value. Eating with loved ones is a crucial part of the Mediterranean diet, which has been associated with improved cardiovascular health, a lower risk of cancer, and, ultimately, a longer life span (5, 6, 7, 8).
By doing this, a meal becomes something more than just its nutritional value and becomes a source of meaning and connection.
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To Wrap Things Up
Our relationship with food greatly impacts our overall well-being, particularly when stress is involved. By practicing mindful eating, we can mitigate the negative effects of stress on digestion and foster a healthier, more relaxed approach to food. Recognizing and addressing food anxiety not only aids in better nutrient absorption but also enhances our mental and emotional health.
Adopting mindful eating habits can transform meals into nourishing, joyful experiences rather than sources of stress. Ultimately, nurturing a positive and mindful relationship with food is essential for both our physical and mental health.
Sources |
- Stress, depression, diet, and the gut microbiota: human–bacteria interactions at the core of psychoneuroimmunology and nutrition – PMC (nih.gov)
- Stress and the gut: pathophysiology, clinical consequences, diagnostic approach and treatment options – PubMed (nih.gov)
- Mindfulness-based stress reduction for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome symptoms: a randomized wait-list controlled trial – PubMed (nih.gov)
- Intuitive Eating Buffers the Link between Internalized Weight Stigma and Body Mass Index in Stressed Adults – PMC (nih.gov)
- Looking for Commensality: On Culture, Health, Heritage, and the Mediterranean Diet – PMC (nih.gov)
- Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease with a Mediterranean Diet | New England Journal of Medicine (nejm.org)
- Adherence to Mediterranean Diet and Risk of Cancer: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis – PMC (nih.gov)
- Mediterranean diet and life expectancy; beyond olive oil, fruits and vegetables – PMC (nih.gov)Mediterranean diet and life expectancy; beyond olive oil, fruits and vegetables – PMC (nih.gov)
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