If you want to relieve stress with food, eating 'this' is more helpful than tteokbokki.

Stress affects various parts of the body, including the digestive and nervous systems. This is why efforts to maintain overall health through stress management are essential. Consuming certain foods can provide stress-reducing benefits. Let's explore the "Dietary Tips to Help Manage Stress" featured in 'BBC Good Food'.

 

◇ Focus on natural foods, including vegetables in every meal To manage stress, it is advisable to structure your diet around natural foods and ensure you consume vegetables with every meal. Since natural foods do not undergo processing, they are rich in nutrients such as Vitamin C, B vitamins, and magnesium. These nutrients are essential for maintaining the function of the adrenal glands, which secrete stress hormones. You can obtain sufficient amounts of vegetables in a single meal by utilizing various cooking methods, such as salads made with leafy greens like spinach and kale, grilled eggplant, broccoli, and bell peppers drizzled with olive oil, or soups made with onions and carrots.

◇ Balanced breakfast Breakfast is a crucial meal that determines daily metabolic activity, and consuming a nutritionally balanced breakfast is beneficial for stress management. A breakfast containing complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, protein, and healthy fats like unsaturated fatty acids provides a stable supply of energy needed by the brain, improving mood and alleviating the response to stress.

 

◇ Consume sufficient protein When under excessive stress, you should pay attention to your protein intake. Protein is a nutrient that helps the body cope better with stressful situations. It is used to build muscles, skin, and immune cells, repairing tissues damaged by stress and strengthening immunity. If you are continuously exposed to stressful situations, it is advisable to increase your protein intake by 10–20% compared to your usual amount. You should include lean meat, fish, eggs, legumes, nuts, and seeds in every meal. In particular, increasing protein intake at breakfast improves circadian rhythms and stabilizes metabolism, which helps regulate stress hormones.

 

◇ Limit intake of refined carbohydrates You should refrain from consuming foods containing refined carbohydrates, such as flour, rice, and sugar. Refined carbohydrates are rapidly digested and absorbed, causing blood sugar levels to spike sharply upon consumption and then drop just as quickly. As cortisol secretion increases during these blood sugar fluctuations, the body becomes more sensitive to stress. This instability in energy levels can lead to mood swings and fatigue. Consuming complex carbohydrates, which are digested slowly and raise blood sugar levels gradually, is beneficial for stress management.

 

◇ Avoid habitual emotional eating Care must be taken to prevent emotional eating from recurring. Sometimes, people binge eat and seek out stimulating foods due to stress. This is called emotional eating, and if it is repeated excessively, it leads to food addiction. Food addiction is characterized by a desire to continue eating even after being full, which can lead to weight gain, extreme stress, and depression. To break free from food addiction, it is beneficial to introduce new tastes to the brain, rather than just sweet, salty, or spicy flavors. Since taste is transmitted to the brain via sensory nerves when food touches the tongue, one can input different flavors by first consuming fiber-rich vegetables or whole grains with a low glycemic index. It is also necessary to make an effort to regain control over food intake by establishing a habit of eating regularly at set times.

 

◇ Herbal or fruit tea instead of caffeinated beverages It is better to drink water instead of caffeinated beverages such as tea and coffee. While caffeine provides a temporary energy boost, consuming too much or over a long period can increase stress. It stimulates the central nervous system to induce a physical stress response and affects the adrenal glands to increase the secretion of cortisol, a stress hormone. In stressful situations, it is advisable to avoid caffeine intake as much as possible and instead drink water or caffeine-free herbal or fruit teas.

 

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Caffeine is the best, though,

It feels like the stress is relieving a bit, and

But actually, it seems it isn't good for your health.

 

Herbal tea is good too, right?

It is good to drink tea in the autumn.