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Stress...we have all experienced this feeling at some point in our lives and whilst it can help you meet daily challenges and can motivate you to reach your goals, it can also cause a range of negative effects and emotions too. 

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Our eating patterns are influenced by many factors including medications, tiredness and emotions (including stress). 

Stress not only has a psychological effect on eating but also a physiological one too. Currently, research is beginning to delve into connection between our gut and our brain and the effect that these both have on each other, ultimately affecting what we eat. 

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Most of us have heard of or encountered ourselves irritable bowl syndrome (IBS). This is one of the many effects stress plays on our digestive systems. This is because the activated fight or flight response in the central nervous system immediately shuts down digestion - restricting blood flow, slowing the contractions of the digestive muscles and decreasing secretions needed for digestion. After this initial stress response, the body can react by increasing our appetite and food cravings. Furthermore, during this time our metabolism drops to conserve energy, which means the body is more likely to store fat - particularly around the abdomen. Feeling stressed also leads to an increase in levels of cortisol, which is a hormone that contributes to weight gain. On the other hand, chronics stress can suppress our appetite which can lead to weight loss as some of us may completely shut down when feeling overwhelmed. 

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• Complex Carbohydrates - These include foods such as wholegrain bread, pasta and cereals, as well as oats and brown rice. These foods will help to enhance levels of serotonin - the mood-boosting hormone that helps you to feel happy and more relaxed.

• Fruits and Vegetables - Aim to eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day to get a sufficient amount of vitamins and minerals, and focus on foods containing vitamins B (bananas, leafy greens, nuts, seeds, meat, fish and dairy products), Vitamin C (oranges, tomatoes, peppers, leafy greens and broccoli) and magnesium (Nuts - particularly Brazil nuts - are high in magnesium, as are beans and lentils, whole grains and leafy greens). 

• Foods containing essential fatty acids (Omega 3 and 6) - Consuming oily fish, nuts and seeds will help to reduce the release of stressful hormones.

• Foods high in calcium - Foods such as milk, yoghurt, sesame seeds, kelp, cheese, leafy greens and broccoli have been shown to reduce certain symptoms of stress including muscle tension and anxiety. 

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Although it would seem a great idea to begin to look at your nutrition in order to try and reduce your everyday stress, this is only one way to help. Exercise can further support reducing the negative symptoms of stress by improving overall mental health as well as optimising and supporting your microbiota with probiotics, steering clear of the high-fat, high sugar foods where possible, and instead choosing a healthy balanced diet of wholegrains, fruit, vegetables and healthy fats.  While stress may be unavoidable in life, finding ways to cope and reduce it through confrontation and being more aware and mindful of what causes these responses, may all help to minimise the stress response.

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