Last week we started to discuss where stress and nutrition meet at a crossroads and how watching the nutrients you do or do not intake can play a part in your stress levels. Let’s take a closer look at part ll…
Foods that stress you out:
Highly-processed foods get a lot of bad press. So maybe it’s no surprise they can be a nutritional stressor.
These so-called “junk” foods tend to be high in sugar, fat, and sodium and often also contain substances that can contribute to health-related issues —for instance, by harming the microbiome or the delicate balance of microorganisms in the gut.
You’ve also probably already heard that highly-processed foods are also often times associated with increased systemic inflammation.
Importantly, this isn’t about the occasional slice of pizza or dessert. Noway. We still love Pizza here at Motion Fitness Foods and happy to recommend to you some of our Island favorites because, fun fact up ahead —> Whether it be for sentimental reasons or because of that amazing crackle of the perfect crust, Pizza can actually relieve stress in other ways—for example, by socializing with friends and family, or making us feel good when we eat it.
Rather, the nutritional stress comes from:
- Eating a lot of highly-processed foods in total
- Having those foods make up a large proportion of our diets (that is, more than an occasional treat)
Looking for the occasional treat that doesn’t have to be so ‘occasional’ because it doesn’t have any of the gross and unnatural additives to it? Stop by the cafe or order on our website and treat yourself to a Protein Waffle, Protein Cookies, Muffins, Bars, and Cakes. Our customers and staffers always say this satiates any desire for a snack or a treat!
Sneaky nutrition stressors:
The way you think about food can affect your stress levels, too. Here, we present “orthorexia” and “cognitive dietary restraint.”
Orthorexia is an unhealthy fixation on eating a “perfect” diet, usually one that is deemed “clean” or “healthy” by a rigid set of rules.
Cognitive dietary restraint, on the other hand, involves a constant preoccupation and worry about eating less, even if a person isn’t actually eating less.
Thanks to the close link between body and mind, even just thinking about restricting food—especially if anxiety goes along with those thoughts—can result in the body behaving as if a person were really deprived.
Here at Motion Fitness Foods, we give you the pleasure of designing the perfect bite by CREATING YOUR OWN PLATE, CREATING YOUR OWN MEAL PLAN AND FURTHERMORE, DESIGNING YOUR OWN MENU FOR A BEAUTIFULLY CATERED EVENT. We encourage flexibility, creativity, color, and fun when we eat. Those four core values when it comes to food help us to keep the stress at bay so we have more fun for Bali-play!
