We are what we eat. Figuratively that is. Food plays a very important role in how we function. Especially how we feel! While we all know that some foods can counter stress, did you know some foods add to stress? Here are some foods you should not eat to reduce stress levels!
Caffeine
We all need it. We all want it. It’s the black elixir of life. We need coffee to survive today. ‘It makes my morning more bearable! ‘I hear you cry out. Coffee does have a pseudo effect of stress relieve. Pseudo. The level of caffeine in coffee actually causes stress! Caffeine makes us jittery, higher heartbeat, higher blood pressure and higher bowel movement. If you consume too much caffeine, you will get dehydrated. These effects will mean that your body needs to work more and harder. Leading to frequent bouts of headache and energy drains. Also, caffeine can mess up our sleep patterns! In reality, caffeine only pushes back the stress. So, put down that cup of Joe and try a salad instead.
Alcohol
It’s the end of the day. It’s a Friday. Time to unwind, grab a bottle and drown your stress away. It’s ironic but doing that just feeds your stress. Consuming alcohol only produces a numbing effect on the person. It does not reduce the stress levels, it just makes it dull. This means the stress is still there, just hidden away, waiting to return during the hangovers! Also, when you consume alcohol, it produces the same hormones you get when you are stress. This means you are making your body more stress when you drink! So, do yourself (and your wallet) a favour, and put down that six-pack.
High Sodium Foods
When we think comfort foods, we think potato chips. These little snacks are bursting with flavor, so salty, so savory, so stressful. When we consume high levels of sodium, our body needs to process this excess salt. This means drinking more water. When you drink more water, this means more work for your body to process! When your body needs to process more, it adds more work to your heart. Increasing your blood pressure, draining your energy and increasing your stress levels!
Refined Sugar
Sugar does taste sweet but it won’t be a joy for your stress levels. When you consume sugar, it greatly increases the sugar content of your blood as well as insulin levels. This can lead to higher levels of irritability. At the same time, sugar reduces concentration levels and this decreases our productivity further! Not to sugar-coat it but sugar will not decrease your stress levels.
So put down that doughnut you are going to eat, try a celery stick instead. It will reduce your stress levels, trust me on that.
