Fast food and stress – Is there a link? Here is how your mental health is affected

KEY STORY

• Stress is prevalent among people of almost all age groups. The reasons associated with stress can vary and so can its intensity. Stress is more prominent among women than it is among men. Stress can be both acute (short-term) and chronic (long-term).

• While both long-term and short-term stress can cause further damage to health, prevalent levels of stress can result in severe mental health conditions such as depression. There are several remedies available for stress that can involve medication and natural methods. But can your diet and lifestyle be a cause of your stress? Here is what you need to know about it.

  Stress and fast food – What is the link?

   

• According to a recent study published in the journal Nutrients, it was found that the consumption of fast food and levels of stress were directly proportional to each other. This means that low levels of stress were associated with low consumption of fast food and vice versa.

• This study was conducted as a 16-week program, the main objective of which was the prevention of weight gain through methods of stress management, physical activity, and healthy eating encouragement. The study was focused on the evaluation of obese or overweight mothers aged between 18 to 39 years. There were a total of 338 participants.

• Mei-Wei Chang, the lead author of the study and associate professor of nursing at Ohio State University said, “We used the women’s testimonies in the videos and showed their interactions with their families to raise awareness about stressors.

• After watching the videos, a lot of intervention participants said, ‘This is the first time I’ve realised I am so stressed out – because they’ve lived a stressful life,”.

• “It’s not that these women didn’t want to eat healthier. If you don’t know how to manage stress, then when you are so stressed out, why would you care about what you eat?”, she added.

  Tips to manage stress

  Here are some effective tips that can help you manage stress:

  1. Exercise: It may be difficult for some people.to inculcate exercising as a part of their lifestyle due to the hectic schedule. However, exercising can help induce an adrenaline rush which can help relieve stress and anxiety.

  2. Aromatherapy: As the name suggests, aromatherapy makes use of one of the sense organs, that is, the nose and helps provide relief to the body through the power of smell. In aromatherapy, the fragrance from essential oils such as lavender, lemongrass, rosemary, and turmeric are used for methods such as diffusion and massage to provide calming sensation to the mind and body, thereby relieving stress.

  3. Meditation: Through meditation, one can help relax the body and calm the body to significant extents. Meditating does not require an exorbitant amount of time and can be practised once a day for at least 15 minutes.

Disclaimer: Tips and suggestions mentioned in the article are for general information purpose only and should not be construed as professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a dietician before starting any fitness programme or making any changes to your diet.