Various studies have found a link between stress and diet. This is perhaps unsurprising, because the stress reactions in our bodies tend to divert blood and other resources away from our digestive system and towards muscles needed to fight or run away. This is fine for an immediate threat like a bear or tiger—but a lot less fine when you are facing stress at work every day over a long period of time.

At the same time, when you are under stress, you are less likely to make good choices—and that includes in what you eat. This page discusses what we know about the link between stress and diet. It also provides some advice for managing stress through diet—and continuing to eat well even when stressed.

Stress and Digestion

What happens to our digestive system when we are under stress?

When we encounter something stressful, our nervous system and adrenal glands send signals to the rest of the body. This helps us think more clearly and prepares us for a physical response, should it be required. This is a basic instinct that we have evolved to help us cope with potentially dangerous situations and is known as the “fight or flight” response. One important aspect of this response is that blood flow to important organs and muscles—such as the heart, brain and legs—is prioritised at the expense of other parts of the body such as your digestive system.

This is fine if you are facing a tiger and you need to run away immediately.

However, in modern life we can become stressed for many reasons other than impending danger, and our stress reactions can last much longer. This means that our digestive systems may be deprioritised over a long period, and this can in itself make us feel unwell. This in turn can be a source of stress, creating a vicious cycle.

Some studies have even suggested that stress might be linked to weight gain. There are two reasons for this.

• First, it seems likely that when you are stressed, it is much easier to reach for something quick and easy than to prepare a high quality meal. Our dietary choices may therefore suffer when we are stressed.

• Second, high levels of cortisol, one of the stress hormones, have been linked to weight gain in particular places, especially the face, neck and abdomen.

However, most of the studies that have made definitive findings about stress and weight gain have been in rats or mice. Studies on humans have been less clear-cut, probably because it is so much harder to control for other factors.

Managing Stress and Diet

Being aware of how your body works and deals with stress can help you to manage stress and stressful situations.

For example, after a stressful period, the human body can go into ‘recovery mode’, where you are likely to experience increased appetite and food cravings, but your metabolic rate drops to conserve energy. This means that you want to eat more, but you can’t use as much energy.

Being aware of these patterns can help you manage your stress levels. You can also help your body recover from stressful periods faster without gaining weight.

---

---

Tips for Reducing Stress Through Diet

1. Avoid foods that are known to increase cortisol

If you are already stressed, the last thing you need is more cortisol being produced. Some foods have a direct impact on cortisol levels, so are best avoided during stressful periods.

These include caffeinated coffee, especially without sugar, fermented milk products such as sour cream and yoghurt, barley and beans.

2. Concentrate on eating in a way that will not cause blood glucose spikes

Our page on Complex Carbohydrates, Sugars and Diet sets out several ways in which you can avoid highs and lows in your blood glucose, as well as the science behind this. These ideas include eating vegetables before eating carbohydrates, adding a plate of vegetables to each meal, and eating any sugary treat as dessert, not a snack.

It is easy to let good habits go out of the window when you are stressed.

However, your stress will be made worse if you are also trying to deal with blood glucose spikes and lows because you ignored the salad, and just reached straight for a muffin. It is hard when you’re stressed—but worth remembering how to avoid blood glucose spikes.

3. Keep supporting your gut microbiome

We now know that your gut bacteria, or microbiome, plays a huge role in how you feel and your general wellness, both physically and mentally.

We also know that it is very important to feed and encourage your gut microbiome.

Just as it is hard to remember to avoid blood glucose spikes when you are stressed, it is hard to remember to eat well. However, try to remember that you will feel much, much worse if you neglect your gut bacteria.

Ideally, you want to eat a wide variety of fruit and vegetables to get plenty of fibre. Current recommendations suggest that never mind ‘five a day’, you should be aiming to eat around 30 different types of vegetables—including grains and starches—every week. This will also ensure that you get plenty of vitamins and minerals.

There is more about this in our pages on the Gut Microbiome, What is Fibre?, Vitamins and Dietary Minerals

4. Avoid nicotine and alcohol

Nicotine and alcohol are not strictly part of your diet—but your intake of them will affect both your stress reactions and other aspects of your life, such as how well you sleep. These will in turn affect your stress levels and general wellness.

It is therefore wise to reduce your intake of alcohol and nicotine when stressed. It is also worth stopping smoking altogether. Reaching for a cigarette may feel like instant stress relief, but it actually causes greater stress over time.

---

Other Tips for Reducing Stress

There are also many other ways that you can reduce stress.

• Exercise

  Even relatively minor bouts of gentle exercise can help reduce stress levels, not least because it forces you to stop thinking about the cause of your stress, or leave work. Yoga and tai chi are particularly good, as is swimming. Breathing exercises, meditation and yoga will all help reduce stress.

  See our page The Importance of Exercise for more information.

• Relax

  Take time out to relax. You may feel as though you have to force yourself to relax if you are not used to it but it is worth the effort. Learning to relax can help you manage your stress more effectively.

  See our section Relaxation Techniques for more information.

• Sleep

  Poor sleep is an important contributor to stress, and stress can also affect how well you sleep.

  Make sure you get sufficient good quality sleep. Eating a healthier diet and avoiding excessive caffeine will help you sleep better.

  See our page The Importance of Sleep for more information. You can assess your levels of daytime sleepiness with the Epworth Sleepiness Scale.

• Socialise

  Spend time with friends and family, talk to them about problems you are having and find time to laugh together. Simply talking and interacting with others can help relieve stress and boost self-esteem.

  See our page on Improving Self-Esteem for more information.

• Get help

  If you are experiencing a lot of stress over a long period of time, or are at all worried about how stress is affecting you, then seek help.

  See your doctor who may recommend a counsellor or some alternative stress relief techniques such as massage, acupuncture or alternative medicine.

  You may find our page What is Counselling? useful.

  If you are experiencing stress in your workplace, speak to your line manager or human resources department.

  See our page Workplace Stress.

---

---

In Summary

Our bodies and brains are very closely linked. Mental health and physical health cannot easily be fully disentangled, especially when it comes to something like our responses to stress.

One thing that we know for sure is that getting enough sleep and taking plenty of exercise will help you to feel better. Eating well is also helpful, in the sense of eating a balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and whole grains. It is also advisable to reduce the amount of heavily processed food that you eat.

---