Many people attempt to eat healthier, but there is a difference between eating healthy and managing your nutrition. Certain foods are considered "healthy," but if you don't eat them in the proper amounts or if you don't eat a combination of healthy foods, your nutrition will be insufficient. Nutrition is vitally important to your overall health because it affects your body's ability to function properly. Without good nutrition, your health could be negatively impacted by external factors such as stress.
Stress
There are two types of stress. You may be most familiar with stress in its traditional form. This is the stress you might experience as a result of problems at work, financial issues, problems in our relationships and other concerning problems you may encounter. This type of stress occurs from time to time, and when managed in a healthy manner, it does not have a negative effect on your health. The second type of stress is known as eustress. Eustress is a form of stress that is usually mild and can motivate you to accomplish something or take care of an issue to eliminate the stress.
Nutrition and Stress
In general, there is two-way relationship between nutrition and stress. Good nutrition better prepares you to deal with stress. And managing your stress effectively helps to ensure that you are making good choices when it comes to your nutrition.
Nutrition Hindering Stress
Stress generally comes and goes, depending on the circumstances. When nutrition "hinders" stress, this means that it can exacerbate or make the stress worse. Consuming an excess of unhealthy foods such as those that contain increased amounts of caffeine can contribute to your stress. Caffeine can cause irritability and anxiety, making stress worse.
Nutrition Helping Stress
Eating a balanced diet that contains fruit, vegetables, whole grains, protein, dairy and discretionary amounts of fat and sugar supports good nutrition. Eating these foods ensures that you are consuming a moderate amount of vitamins and minerals and reduces the likelihood that you will eat unhealthy foods that contribute to your health. Although the foods you eat play a role, it is primarily the behaviors you exhibit that have an affect on your nutrition and how it coincides with stress.
