written by Azedah Vafaee
For most people, today’s society is a stressful environment, and often they eat as a way of dealing with this stress. The connection between nutrition and stress can be intriguing, because usually wise food choices are the last thing on our mind when we perceive stress. Nutritional deficiencies are rarely the cause of the stress. We do know that our nutritional needs change when we are experiencing stress, and we can help the body “cope” with stress by providing enough of the nutrients which are in greater demand or are more difficult to acquire when we perceive stress. It has been found that while a group placed in stressful situations did not necessarily eat more, they were more inclined to eat more unhealthy foods, such as foods higher in calories. They also found that people who were more restrained when eating tended to eat much more when they were under perceived stress.
The stressed man or woman cannot spend time to prepare healthy food that includes vegetables and fruits. They make poor choices and eat more cooked food and junk food, and they drink more soft drinks, even though these types of food and drink cause more stress. Eating more calories than what you burn off causes weight gain. The goal is to find a balance between healthy eating and exercise, which increases your metabolism and burns the calories. Many people have emotional triggers when it comes to unhealthy eating. Bad news can send you to the drive thru. For a short time, the enjoyment of having a greasy burger and fries helps you to feel better. This feeling subsides when you realise just how many unwanted calories you consumed. However, by then it is too late. This can be the beginning of a vicious cycle. Depression from overeating then leads to more overeating in an effort to feel good. In this way, stress and/or unhappiness can directly relate to gaining unwanted kilos.
On the other hand, research has shown that those who are eating healthy foods in their daily diet, are calmer, have lower stress and can manage their mind and actions. It is noted that violent individuals often eat junk food, and drink soft drinks and caffeine. What would you think if I told you that young people today likely committed violent, criminal acts in part due to poor nutrition?!
There is a strong connection between sugar metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism in the brain and various psychological conditions. It has been found that sixty percent of families that have hyperactive children, diabetes, obesity or alcoholism, are all due to sugar consumption. So there’s a very strong correlation between sugar and hyperactivity in children. More research indicated seventy-five percent of all prisoners were hyperactive when they were children, so it goes all the way back to excess sugar consumption in childhood that was the programming for these children for criminal behavior later in their lives. So, improving the eating behavior would easily change the individual’s future.
Furthermore, the most common nutritional deficiency in industrialised societies is overtly vitamin and iron-deficiency. Deficiency of iron is known to interfere with proper brain function. Studies have shown that iron deficiency may cause learning deficits and consequent behavioral impairment by diminishing dopamine neuro-transmission. Also the lack of different kinds of vitamins causes depression which could be the beginning of other ills.
In conclusion, all life processes are subject to the influence of biological and nurturing factors and ultimately to their interplay. Brain growth and development and the functional outcome of these – behavior – are no exception. Normal behaviour would be created by the best decisions which are taken by the healthy brain and mind, and a brain cannot work well without healthy nutrition.
Thank you Azedah Vafaee for your valuable contribution to this site.
