The Effects of Anxiety on Nutrient Absorption.
The bhang is still in my mouth…
It’s a beautiful day in August, and it happens to be the Raksha Bandhan festival. My brother and I are celebrating our little sister’s birthday on the coast of India. The beaches are immaculate and stunning. Then there’s the matter of the food. Fresh, cool, mango, lemon cooler. Drool-worthy, tangy Sev puri. Crunchy, tasty tandoori aloo. Spicy pakoras. And then there’s the bhang! It’s milky and spicy, with a somewhat herbal taste that’s so addictive. I consumed every last morsel! I mean everything.
As a person who methodically schedules every meal ahead of time, being in the moment like this, worry-free, and enjoying every bite is a significant change.
I felt pleased, energized, and lighter when I left India. Have you ever been in a situation like this? You go away, eat differently (or more!), and return home feeling better than before? How is this possible? The holiday paradox is a term used to describe this situation. You have this feeling because you unwind when you’re away. You’ve left home without the food noise. Your mind is no longer locked in the stressful loop of “I feel guilty,” “I don’t have any willpower,” etc. Is this organic?
Your body is more susceptible to taking in the experience when you eat calmly (whether you’re on vacation or not), and you get the full nutritional benefits of the foods you eat. Why? Because you were able to relieve some of your day-to-day tension!
Stress inhibits the absorption of nutrients.
That’s correct. The worst anti-nutrient is stress. You won’t be able to absorb all of the macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals in your food if you’re worried, your mind racing with food noise, and restricting attitudes about eating and nutrition. You can stuff your plate with spinach, rice, seafood, guacamole, and other superfoods, but if you’re worried when you eat, your body won’t get all the nutrients it needs. What’s going on in your head is just as crucial as what you’re putting in your basket.
Of course, if you merely eat processed, packaged, and other low-quality foods, you won’t be able to transform them into nutrient-dense powerhouses. Relaxation combined with a variety of high-quality meal options is the ideal combination. When rewriting your food story, your mind and mouth are inextricably linked.
The following is how it works: When you’re stressed out and upset, concerned, or tense when eating, your body’s constitution changes. You may not think you’re anxious at the table, but if you hear “food noises,” believe me when I say you are. Even if this is a low level of stress, it is still stress.
The brain interprets any guilt, judgment about health, or embarrassment about your decisions as a stressor and, activates your sympathetic nervous system, causing your body’s stress reaction, also known as fight-or-flight mode. Any ilk of stress signals to your body “Danger!” and sets in motion a chain of actions that prepare you to deal with it.
The way your body reacts to stress.
So, what happens next? Several things, to be precise. The sympathetic nervous system tells your body to make more cortisol, a stress hormone. The muscles in your body stiffen up, and your heart begins to beat rapidly. At the same time, your blood pressure starts to rise. Your blood sugar level ascends. Your hunger grows, particularly for sugary, high-carbohydrate foods. When your thyroid slows down, your metabolism slows down as well. Your digestive system goes into hibernation. Your immune system is also debilitated. How can your body handle the colorful, nutrient-dense dinner you prepared with everything going on, especially with your digestive system down? In a nutshell, it can’t, or at least not totally.
When you’re worried, your body responds by trying to protect itself, conserve energy, and store fat rather than digesting and assimilating the nutrients in your diet. Furthermore, since your senses are hampered, your food doesn’t taste as delicious, and you don’t get as much enjoyment from it as you do when you’re relaxed. All of this stress can harm your digestive system over time, weakening the lining of your gut, increasing its permeability (commonly referred to as “leaky gut”), and harming your microbiome, the collection of bacteria that aid in the digestion of food.
Isn’t it crazy? All of this is happening as a result of those anxious food thoughts. Loss of employment, financial difficulties, an accident or injury, a medical issue, or the death of a loved one are all typical stressors for most people. A time crunch at work or a vehicle driving into your lane on the road are examples of everyday circumstances. We don’t know that our thoughts — I’m likely to gain weight, I need to maintain my weight, I should avoid eating carbs — can also induce our stress reaction.
Whether it’s an incident or a thought that triggers the stress hormone alarms, your body reacts with the same series of hormonal fluctuations. To make matters worse, it doesn’t matter whether or not your thoughts are correct. You may induce a stress response as long as you believe in them.
Remarks:
Your thoughts have a tremendous impact on food digestion. Stressful thoughts trigger a hormonal cascade that impacts every bite!
