Understanding The Foods To Avoid Eating When Stressed

Stress is natural! It involves mental, physical, and emotional responses. Stress is also healthy in small amounts, though it is easy for individuals to experience too much stress. Too much stress causes significant physical and mental health issues. Thus, managing stress is crucial. Unfortunately, many individuals do not have healthy coping mechanisms! One such example is making unhealthy choices regarding food. Eating unhealthy food causes long-term mental and physical health problems.

Individuals have many options for healthy stress management. Mindfulness for stress is a great example. Other natural stress management techniques include meditation and exercise! Cognitive behavioral therapy for stress is also helpful. Eating healthy makes a significant difference as well. This is one reason why individuals must avoid certain foods when they are stressed!

Ice Cream

Many individuals consume ice cream when they are stressed. It is the classic comfort food! Consuming ice cream is quite soothing. Unfortunately, it also causes significant issues! These issues are physical and mental ones. For example, ice cream contains a significant amount of sugar. This causes an individual's blood sugar to rise dramatically and then crash. The rise and crash in blood sugar are dangerous for diabetes patients! Of course, it also means energy issues for individuals without this condition. Individuals will experience fatigue after their blood sugar drops. Lethargy is common as well!

The crash also causes the brain to release cortisol, a stress hormone. This hormone compromises sleep, immune responses, and makes individuals crave unhealthy food! The release of cortisol causes a harsh cycle of increased stress, which leaves individuals feeling worse than before.

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Canned Soup

When they are stressed, canned soup is an easy meal for individuals. Most individuals believe that this is healthy, since soup often contains vegetables. However, canned soup is not as healthy as it needs to be. Thus, individuals must avoid it when they are stressed! Two ingredients in canned soup are harmful. The first is sodium. Most types of canned soup have at least one thousand milligrams of this in each can! Doctors recommend that individuals consume only five to six hundred milligrams of sodium each day. Consuming high amounts of sodium causes issues such as high blood pressure, kidney disease, fluid retention, and stomach cancer.

Many canned soups contain chemical preservatives. The most common preservative is monosodium glutamate! Unfortunately, this preservative harms the central nervous system. Consuming high amounts of it causes nausea, drowsiness, headaches, and chest tightness. Individuals need to avoid canned soup when they are stressed for all these reasons. When they still want soup, they need to make a simple recipe without high amounts of these ingredients!

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Coffee

Many individuals drink more coffee than normal when they are stressed. However, they need to stop drinking significant amounts of coffee during this time. This is due to the caffeine in coffee! Caffeine is a stimulant. It gives individuals energy, though it also increases stress. Caffeine also causes the central nervous system to overreact. The symptoms of this include high anxiety, high blood pressure, and a faster heart rate.

Individuals who drink high amounts of coffee do not sleep well at night! The caffeine will stop them from sleeping through the night, even if they fall asleep quickly. Individuals need to limit their coffee consumption to one or two cups in the morning. They must stop drinking it six hours before bed at a minimum!

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Processed Meat

Individuals need to avoid eating processed meat when they are stressed. Examples are sausages, deli meat, ground beef, jerky, and hot dogs. This type of meat contains preservatives, chemicals, and other unhealthy ingredients. Examples include sodium and monosodium glutamate! Both of these ingredients make the meat taste delicious. However, they cause significant health issues. Individuals will also deal with increased stress and energy crashes!

Evidence has proven that eating significant amounts of processed meat is linked to many chronic illnesses. Examples include high blood pressure, heart disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Sodium nitrite is the preservative added for color and flavor. It contributes to many types of cancer, such as stomach cancer!

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Fried Foods

Many individuals want fried food when they are stressed. These foods offer comfort! Popular choices of fried foods are onion rings, burgers, chicken, and French fries. Evidence shows that the oil used in the frying process is the reason these foods are unhealthy. Most of the oils contain significant amounts of trans fat! Individuals who eat high amounts of trans fat are at risk of many health issues, including obesity. In addition, fried foods contain more calories than other types, often due to the oil and breading. This also contributes to obesity and other health issues!

Research proves that individuals who consume high amounts of fried food are at a high risk of type 2 diabetes. In fact, their risk is twice that of other individuals! Insulin resistance is twice as common in individuals who eat two fried meals or more each week. Of course, frying many foods also causes acrylamide to be produced. This is a carcinogen! Thus, individuals who consume fried food regularly are at a higher risk of developing cancer.