What are the links between stress and diet?

Stress is nature’s way of telling us we aren’t meeting our Physical and Emotional Needs – but how can Food & Drink play a part in resolving it? Here, Penny Tyndale-Hardy, Senior Trainer at The Mental Health Toolkit, looks at the important role Food & Drink can play in meeting our needs in a healthy way.

I’m sure many of you reading this will have turned to Food & Drink as a way to manage your mood when you feel stressed. Yes – I’m talking about comfort eating.

The fatty and sugary foods many of us crave when we feel stressed give us an emotional hit which can make us feel like some of our Emotional Needs are being met. These can include Achievement, Emotional Connection or even Security.

Looking back in time – before the days of the industrial revolution and the modern way we live today – we worked hard for that calorific hit through things like hunting and farming. Doing so meant we were meeting emotional needs as well. Today these foods are much easier to get your hands, but they can still make us feel that emotional hit.

Is it wrong to use Food & Drink to meet our Emotional Needs?

While the emotional hit we get from Food & Drink can give us the impression we are feeling better, it’s very short term and doesn’t address the unmet needs stress is telling us about.

That’s why it’s important that we don’t consistently use food as an alternative to meeting our Emotional Needs in a healthier way – although an occasional treat is fine of course.

There are countless ways we can address our Emotional Needs, depending on which ones we need to meet. If we aren’t meeting our needs for Achievement, you could learn a new recipe for a healthy meal – or if it’s Community, invite friends over to join you at the table.

A healthy body and a healthy mind often go hand in hand. That’s why it’s important to enjoy the odd treat in moderation.

Keeping blood sugars balanced can prevent the peaks and troughs in energy that can make us feel sluggish, and aid a good night’s sleep – another of our important physical needs.

How can you meet your need for Food & Drink in a healthy way?

There is no denying food is one of life’s greatest pleasures. So of course it’s something we don’t want to miss out on! The key to it is making sure the things we eat and drink make our body feel as good as they make us feel emotionally.

That means a good range of different foods on the pyramid, from protein to healthy fats and plant-based foods. These, alongside complex carbs and fibre help us maintain a good level of blood sugars – and in turn keep us energetic throughout the day.

A healthy diet also means a healthy gut biome – with studies linking gut health, inflammation and mental health.

And don’t forget! Making sure the occasional treat really is occasional makes them even more enjoyable when the time comes.

Want to learn more?

Find out more about your Emotional Needs & Resources by booking The Essentials - our half-day workshop providing a foundation for mental wellbeing.

This workshop also forms the basis of our next-level courses, Supporting Mental Health and The Comprehensive Toolkit, to equip you with even more skills to support your own wellbeing, and the wellbeing of others.

For more information on our approach and Emotional Needs, visit the Suffolk Mind website.