SHREVEPORT, La. – May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and Louisiana is the most stressful state in the world, according to a 2024 data ranking study. Stress can affect our mental health. In fact, long-term stress can increase your risk of mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.
The foods and drinks you consume on a daily basis can also have a positive or negative impact on your mental health. Often when we’re feeling stressed or anxious, we tend to cope with the stress by eating foods that provide temporary relief. Cortisol, the body’s stress hormone, can make you feel hungry and make you crave foods high in sugar and fat. Carbohydrates have been thought to increase serotonin, the feel-good hormone. So foods like cookies, chips, and sugary drinks can give you a temporary boost.
Triggering foods and drinks:
- processed meat
- Fried food
- sugary drinks
- alcohol
- caffeine
- Foods high in trans fatty acids
- Foods high in sugar or foods with added sugar
Eating foods high in sugar causes blood sugar levels to rise significantly, causing abnormalities in the body’s systems. Consuming caffeine does not cause anxiety, but it can make anxiety symptoms worse. Caffeine and alcohol can also affect your sleep, making anxiety symptoms even worse. The foods we choose to consume during stressful times, such as cookies, chips, and alcohol, often only provide short-term relief and can actually increase anxiety and depression in the long term. .
Important points:
- Treat underlying mental health issues
- Get enough rest
- Limit caffeine and alcohol intake
- exercise regularly
- limit screen time
- Eat a balanced diet
