Are you stressed about eating during the holidays? Check out 5 careful tips for the holiday table

Rockhampton (Australia), December 23 (The Conversation) The holiday season can be a time of joy, celebration, and enjoying delicious food and meals. However, for many people it can also be an emotional and stressful period.

This stress can manifest itself in our eating habits, known as emotional or stress eating.

There are certain foods that we eat more when we are stressed and these can affect our health. Furthermore, our food choices can affect our stress levels and make us feel worse. This way.

Why might we eat more when we’re stressed?

The human stress response is a complex signaling network in the body and brain. Our nervous system responds to physical and psychological events to maintain our health. Our stress response – which can be subtle or trigger a fight-or-flight response – is necessary and part of daily life.

The stress response increases the production of cortisol and insulin hormones and increases the secretion of glucose (blood sugar) and brain chemicals to meet the demand. Eating to meet increased energy needs is a common behavior when we experience stress.

But sometimes our relationship with food becomes strained in response to various types of stress. We may associate overeating with shame or guilt. And anxiety or insecurity may mean that some people eat less during stressful times.

Over time, people may begin to associate eating with negative emotions such as anger, sadness, fear, or anxiety. This link can create a behavioral cycle of emotional eating. “Emotional eaters” may have altered brain responses to the sight or smell of food.

How Stress Eating Can Affect the Body Stress eating can include overeating, grazing, eating late at night, eating quickly, or eating before feeling full. It may also include cravings or the desire to eat foods we wouldn’t normally choose. For example, stressed people often consume ultra-processed foods. Although eating these foods is not necessarily a sign of stress, eating them may activate the reward system in our brain to reduce stress and create a pattern.

Short-term stressful eating, such as during the holiday period, can cause symptoms such as acid reflux and poor sleep – especially when combined with drinking alcohol.

In the long term, stressed eating can lead to weight gain and obesity, which can increase the risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

While stress eating may help reduce stress in the moment, long-term stress eating is associated with increased depressive symptoms and poor mental health.

What we eat can make us more or less stressed

The foods we choose can also affect our stress levels.

Diets rich in refined carbohydrates and sugar (such as sugary drinks, sweets, crackers, cakes and most chocolate) can cause blood sugar levels to rise and then drop.

Unhealthy diets rich in saturated and trans fats (processed foods, animal fats, and commercially fried foods) can increase inflammatory responses.

Rapid changes in blood sugar and inflammation can increase anxiety and alter our mood.

Meanwhile, certain foods may improve the balance of neurotransmitters in the brain that regulate stress and mood.

Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish and flax seeds are known to reduce inflammation and aid brain health. Magnesium found in leafy greens and nuts helps regulate cortisol levels and the body’s stress response.

B vitamins, found in whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans and animal products (mostly B12), help maintain a healthy nervous system and energy metabolism, improving mood and cognitive performance.

5 Tips for the Holiday Table and Beyond

Food is a big part of the festive season, and treating yourself to delicious dishes can be part of the fun. Here are some tips for enjoying festive meals while avoiding stress eating:
1. Slow down: Be mindful of the speed of your eating. Eat slowly, chew food thoroughly and put down your utensils after each meal
2. Watch the clock: Even if you’re eating more food than usual, sticking to the same eating schedule can help maintain your body’s response to food. If you typically have an eight-hour eating window (the time between your first meal and your last meal of the day), stick to it, even if you’re overeating.
3. Continue other health behaviors: Even though we may be eating more food or different foods during the festive season, try to maintain other healthy behaviors like sleep and exercise.
4. Stay hydrated: Make sure you drink plenty of fluids, especially water. It helps our body function and can help deal with the feeling of hunger. When our brain receives a message that something has gone into the stomach (what we drink) it can cause a temporary decrease in the feeling of hunger.
5. Don’t restrict: If we have a big eating day, it can be tempting to restrict eating in the days before or after. But imposing excessive restrictions on food intake is never a good idea. This can lead to the risk of overeating and increased stress.

Plus 3 Bonus Tips for Managing Holiday Stress

1. Change your mindset: Try to redefine festive stress. Instead of seeing it as “something bad,” see it as “providing energy” to reach your goals, such as a family gathering or gift shopping.
2. Be kind to yourself and others: Perform an act of compassion toward someone else or try talking to yourself like a friend. These activities can stimulate our brain and improve health
3. Do something pleasurable: Engaging in pleasurable activities — such as crafting, movement or even breathing exercises — can help our brain and body return to a more relaxed state, feeling grounded and connected. Are. (Conversation)

(Disclaimer: Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)