Many of us may be all too familiar with the feelings of stress and the effects it has on our eating and overall health. What is stress? Stress is our body’s natural reaction when challenges or changes occur, this can result in physical, emotional, and mental strains.

Physical symptoms of stress may include:

• Aches and pains
• Exhaustion or trouble sleeping
• Headaches
• High blood pressure
• Digestive or stomach problems
• Weakened immune system

There are things we can do to limit the impact of stress on our health. What we eat and how we take care of ourselves can have a huge impact on our overall health.

Our world is so fast paced we spend most of our day at work and then rush to get kids to after school activities or accomplish the long list of tasks that need done. It can often be difficult to identify when stress is truly impacting our bodies. Sometimes our bodies are feeling the negative health effects before we even realize we are stressed. It’s important that we take time to listen to our bodies and recognize when we are stressed.

Healthy food for stress: Nuts, soy, fish, citrus, fruit, peppers, green veggies

When things get a little hectic, we often forget to take care of ourselves. We sacrifice sleep, mealtime, or exercise. These all affect our health, making us more prone to illness. Take time throughout the day to slow down and give your body its proper rest and nutrition.

When feeling stressed or overwhelmed most of us reach for comfort food like cake, cookies, candy, and other high sugar foods. We can use food to fuel our bodies and keep us healthy. Eating foods with omega-3 fatty acids can help fight against inflammation (the body’s stress response) in the body. Some food choices might be chia seeds, nuts, soy products, and fish.

Foods high in nutrients can help boost our immune system and offer an extra layer of protection during stressful times. Look for foods with vitamins C and E. Some of these foods would include citrus fruits, bell peppers, and dark, leafy green vegetables.

Certain foods and drinks can make the body’s stress response worse. Caffeine and alcohol can affect sleep and cause dehydration. Foods high in sugar might make us feel sluggish and bloated.

Things to do during stressful moments

In addition to a healthy eating pattern here are a few techniques that may help you during stressful times.

• Try blogging or journaling at the end of the day to see what you have accomplished throughout the day.
• Manage your priorities for the day and what must be done and what can wait.
• Schedule times throughout the day to take a break from tiresome activities and do things that you want to do and enjoy.

Kaitlynn Henninge is an OSU Extension Family & Consumer Sciences Educator and may be reached at 330-264-8722 or henninge.5@osu.edu 
CFAES provides research and related educational programs to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis. For more information, visit cfaesdiversity.osu.edu
This article was previously published in The Daily Record.