How food can combat stress

Want a stress hack most people never think about?

Food.

Here’s why:

➡️ If we skip meals, the body perceives this as a stress and releases cortisol.

➡️ Other stressors (like the pressures of work and life) also increase cortisol.

➡️ Regardless of the trigger, cortisol prompts the liver to release sugar into the bloodstream for a quick source of energy. It doesn’t matter if we need that energy or not. It’s just one of the effects of cortisol.

➡️ Elevated cortisol over time can lead to persistently elevated blood sugar and all the problems that follow (like insulin resistance and weight gain)

What all this means is that

It reduces the stress load on your body and makes you more resilient.

You with me?

Here’s how I eat to combat stress:

🥣 Eat balanced meals on a regular schedule (skipping meals = stress)

🚫 Limit refined sugars (they cause the blood sugar to spike and crash, triggering cortisol)

🥦 Load up on fiber-rich foods (they slow the release of sugar into the bloodstream)

🥤 Stay hydrated (dehydration can spike blood sugar)

Have you noticed that food affects your stress level?

If so and you'd like to learn more, schedule a discovery call.