Worst foods to eat if feeling sad or anxious
STRUGGLING with self-isolation? I hear you. Life as we know it has been turned upside down, and a lot of people are feeling lonely, anxious and stressed out.
In times like these, you might find yourself turning to food to pique your spirits. Of course, using food to cope with emotional situations isn’t really a big deal if it happens once in a blue moon … but it’s not something you want to be doing on the reg.
The food you turn to when you’re feeling sad or anxious can have one of two effects. It can either instantly boost your mood but make you crash again soon after, or it can have a more subtle effect without the downturn. Intrigued? Here’s what you need to know.
You probably already know the worst foods to eat when you’re feeling down: ice cream, chocolate, lollies, hot chips, biscuits, pastries, cake … you get the picture.
These foods all contain quick-release carbohydrates. Essentially, when you eat any of these foods, your body rapidly breaks them down and your blood sugar level quickly spikes. That makes you feel good momentarily but soon after, as your blood sugars come crashing down, you find yourself back at square one, looking for something else to boost your mood. So, the cycle starts again, and you end up eating more and more junk food to feel that momentary pleasure.
Obviously, this isn’t the best news for your health. Not only does this cycle place a lot of extra pressure on your pancreas to continue pumping out insulin to remove the sugar from your bloodstream, but you could also be ingesting a whole lot of saturated fat and/ or sodium, both of which aren’t good news for your heart. Plus, these foods contain a lot of calories and could contribute to weight gain if consumed in excess.
When you’re feeling sad or anxious, it’s a wise idea to find non-food coping mechanisms. That might be a walk to your local park, a call to your mum or best friend, or some “me time” to read your favourite book or have a relaxing bath. This will help you to develop a healthy relationship with food, rather than using it as a crutch to get through tough times.
If you are genuinely hungry, however, you’re looking for slow-release carbohydrates, rather than quick-release ones. Think: fresh fruit, a tub of yoghurt or a slice of wholegrain toast with peanut butter. As you might’ve guessed, these foods don’t lead to the rapid spike in blood sugar that chocolate and lollies do, and instead, cause a gentle rise and fall. That’ll leave you feeling good in the long haul, rather than searching for something else to eat after only 20 minutes.