Avoid These 5 Stress Causing Foods | Meridian Health Centre

Feeling under pressure, got a lack of energy, or showing any of these 7 hidden signs of stress?

If you are you’ll want to avoid these 5 surprising stress inducing foods:

1. Cheese

cheese-stress We’ve all heard that cheese before bedtime can cause strange dreams but cheese can wreak havoc on your digestive system.

It takes around 5 hours for your body to digest hard cheese (compared with around 40 minutes for vegetables) as well as it being a stress inducer. Especially avoid cheese with bread, pasta or in an omelette as your body struggles to digest these food combinations at the same time.

2. Almonds, Macadamias, Other Nuts

almonds-stress A small handful of nuts each day can be very healthy for you, especially if you eat them instead of sweets/candy. But nuts can trigger a stress response in some people and alleviate stress in others. If you don’t experience stress relief after eating, avoid nuts for a few days and compare.

3. Tea, Coffee, Cocoa, Energy Drinks

coffee-stress Avoid all these when you’re stressed. Caffeine is proven to heighten stress, which makes you anxious. By drinking these drinks you can increase this anxiety and this can lead to insomnia if taken within a few hours of your bedtime.

4. Fast Food

fast-food-stress Your favourite take-away isn’t the choice you want to make when you’re stressed and don’t feel like cooking. With high levels of food groups which don’t have vital minerals and vitamins you’re asking for trouble. You really need a healthy, balanced diet. If you simply can’t face cooking, find a healthier take-away alternative.

5. Salty Foods/Meat

salty-food-stress Love your massive bacon sandwich? You might want to avoid all salty foods to reduce your stress levels. Fluids are attracted to salt, so if you eat salty foods you’ll retain more fluids. This makes your heart work harder, causing an increase in blood pressure and making you feel bloated.