How to Go From Stress Eating to Strength Eating This Fall

September 09, 2021 Daryl Gioffre

We are living in a perpetual state of heightened stress all the time.

As a world, as a country, and for too many of us, as individuals, stress is now a way of life.

Whether it’s the daily crisis at work, financial woes, Covid worries, or personal stressors like relationships (and don’t even get us started about politics), it’s likely that your stress levels have been running at an all-time high for a while now.

Stress can literally poison the brain and the body. It leads to a build up of free radicals, the potentially cancer-causing, Alzheimer’s-inducing atoms that damage DNA and age your cells, which can create metabolic changes and even serious diseases.

And what’s the #1 thing that people turn to in times of stress? Food! Stress eating!

Whether your poison is chocolate, carbs, sugar in general, or salty snacks, you’re not alone if you look to food to bring you some relief and compensate for what you are not getting, which is real stress relief.

The problem is, this sets off a stress eating doom loop that you do not want.

The Stress Eating Doom Loop

In order to explain this, we first have to talk about cortisol, a stress hormone released when you’re in fight or flight mode, which for too many of us is all the time.

When you’re addicted to sugar and other carbs, they act like kindling on a fire. A couple of hours after eating a high-carb, high-sugar food, your body will tell you that you need to re-fuel, stat. Your body knows it needs more glucose so it cues the adrenal glands to release cortisol. Cortisol signals you to eat more sugar and/or carbs.

So guess what happens the next time you feel stressed?

Even if you’re not hungry, you’re going to crave sugar and/or carbs, and now you’re locked in the stress response doom loop. You’re stressed, you crave sugar, which causes your body stress, which leads you to crave more sugar.

There’s no getting out unless you stop the cycle and shift to strength eating.

Strength Eating

You now know that stress hormones like cortisol are part of the reason why you crave sugar and carbs when you’re anxious or stressed. So we are going to use that information to your advantage and give your body what it wants – in a healthy form.

When you’re feeling stressed, you want to eat more of the foods rich in what your body is truly craving. That means foods that fall into 4 different categories, although you’ll notice some overlap between them.

1. Foods High in Complex Carbs

These are carbs, which your body is craving, but instead of simple sugars, these are complex carbs that keep you energized longer. So you are satisfying the craving while also delivering alkaline minerals, natural fiber, and no sugar.

Dark, leafy greens like watercress, kale, and spinach
Swiss chard
Avocados
Artichokes
Peas
Okra
Squash (also satisfies sweet cravings)
Brussels sprouts
Quinoa

2. Foods Rich in Healthy Fats That Will Calm Your Brain

Healthy fats are brain FUEL!

In fact, your brain is made up of 60% fat. And we know from an abundance of research that the brain prefers fat as its fuel source. From ADD/ADHD to Alzheimer’s, depression to anxiety – the research across the board is clear. We need more healthy fats to keep our minds well.

Here are the healthiest forms of fat, which should comprise around 50% or more of your total calories consumed:

Wild-caught Alaskan or Pacific salmon
Wild-caught Atlantic mackerel
Herring
White fish
Anchovies
Other fatty, low-mercury fish like sardines
Walnuts
Chia seeds
Flax seeds
Avocados and avocado oil
Extra virgin olive oil
Black cumin seed oil
Coconut oil, meat, and unsweetened flakes
MCT oil
Macadamia nut oil

Even if you’re eating lots of healthy fats, it’s still important to supplement with omega-3. Our Acid-Kicking Daily Omega-3 is the best quality supplement on the planet. It’s the ONLY one with the ideal 2:1 ratio of EPA to DHA in a highly concentrated form. So you can take less and get more benefit from it. Plus it’s heavy metal free and guaranteed for potency and freshness, so no fishy taste.

3. Mineral-Rich Foods That Will Stop the Stress Eating Doom Loop

Getting more minerals every day helps give your body more of the things it needs to both run efficiently and calm the stress response. Even better, it will help ward off sugar cravings that kick in when stress is high.

Very few people have enough willpower to outlast sugar withdrawal from simply denying yourself what your body is craving. Minerals lend you strength so that you don’t have to white-knuckle your way through it.

Your body is an electrical machine — every heartbeat, thought, and cellular process requires a tiny current of electricity to happen. And minerals conduct that energy. Although most people think that carbs, fats, and proteins are the fuels your body needs to survive, it’s really the minerals that make your electrical circuitry function. You truly can’t live without them.

Magnesium in particular is neuroprotective, meaning it helps your brain age optimally, preventing brain fog and improving mental health.

Vegetables, nuts, seeds, and beans are the foods highest in minerals in general. Here are foods that are particularly high in magnesium:

Dark, leafy greens like spinach, watercress, kale, and chard
Black beans
Mung beans
Almonds
Cashews
Pumpkin seeds
Avocados
Bananas
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts

4. Protein-Rich Plants to Keep You Feeling Fuller Longer

When we talk about strength eating, one thing that comes up for most folks is… How do I eat a mostly plant-based, anti-inflammatory diet and still get enough protein?

This is a valid question, and I want to you to know it IS possible to get plenty of protein AND eat a primarily anti-inflammatory, plant-based diet at the same time.

When you do eat animal products, if you choose to, quality is most important so always go for grass fed, organic, and free-range for land animals and sustainably-caught fish.

Here are the top plant-based sources of protein:

Quinoa
Hummus and chickpeas
Beans
Lentils
Ezekiel bread
Chia seeds
Tofu
Peas
Nut butters (not peanut)
Sunflower seeds
Spinach and other dark green, leafy vegetables
Cashews
Avocado
Broccoli
Almonds

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Only 110 calories per serving
20 grams of protein
3 healthy fats

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GET OFF YOUR ACID!

Dr. Daryl