Everything we drink can affect us positively or negatively through chemicals and hormones. Just as 1 cup of lemon balm tea before bed can calm you, food and beverages can also make us more stressful. Consuming the following foods less in times of stress will help you cope better.
- Coffee: While drinking small amounts of coffee /caffeine can increase attention and concentration, drinking above 200-300 mg will make you stressful and anxious by causing stress hormone and adrenaline secretion. Excessive amounts of caffeine increases magnesium loss from the kidneys, causing you to get more irritable. Because caffeine disrupts sleep quality, sleep loss secondary to caffeine intake will tense you up in the long run.
- Tea: Thein in tea is a twin of caffeine. They differ in their absorption time; non tissue bound caffeine molecule is quickly absorbed, the time is a bit longer for tissue bound thein. Thus, effects of tea takes a bit longer to show itself. a bit later than coffee. Since tea is less concentrated than coffee,caffeine intake is less. But still please note that 2 cups of teas are the same as 1 cup of coffee.
- Sugar: Consuming sugar, especially in large amounts and in a short period of time causes excess insulin secretion. Excess insulin causes blood sugar to fall rapidly leading to hypoglucemia. This roller coaster effect makes your brain more irritable; making you nervous and tense. Hypoglycemia also causes stress hormone secretion, thus increased stress levels. Carbohydrate rich sugary food have low nutrient contents (some have no nutritional features at all) they increases your stress by increasing your metabolic stress.
- Artificial sweeteners, especially aspartame: Although they are not sugars, , all sweeteners can cause insulin secretion, blood sugar fluctuations and an increased stress response. Aspartame also increases the excitability of the brain, resulting in increased irritability and stress.
5.Soda: Most soda contains caffeine, sugar or sweeteners, all causing nervousness and stress responses.
- Refined carbohydrates: There is no difference between sugar and other complex carbohydrates (bread, starch, pasta) on the last instance: all carbohydrates are reduced to single sugars before absorption. In addition, processed carbohydrates are usually combined with food additives and artificial sweeteners in packaged products increasing the effect on stress. Non-fibrous carbohydrates also disrupt the bacterial balance in the gut, causing inflammation and serotonin metabolism disruption.
- Gluten: Gluten-containing foods are mostly refined carbohydrates or processed products, they too can cause blood sugar highs and lows and increased stress responses. Gluten also causes increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut) causing inflammation of both the body and brain. In patients with gluten sensitivity, gluten may increase symptoms of depression and anxiety, and impair sleep quality. This increases stress and makes you more nervous and tense.
- Deli products: Different sources of protein (meat, cartilage, organ, skin, etc.) are combined with a substance called microbial transglutaminase in delicatessen products to make the meat appear as whole. Microbial transglutaminase also gives pink/red color to delicatessen products. Microbial tranglutaminases increase intestinal permeability; stressing you and your body.
