Purpose/Goal: The outcome of this course is for the learner to describe the relationship between food and emotions; to explain the stress response; to discuss the effects of stress on nutrition and health; to define mindful eating and methods of eating mindfully; and to examine elements of nutrition that support a healthy immune system.
Most individuals enjoy sitting down and eating a delicious meal. Food provides an opportunity to socialize and, if the food is nutritious, it also supports a healthy body and mind. However, when individuals are stressed, they are not able to utilize the nutrients they eat as effectively as when they are relaxed. If stress causes an individual to eat food that is not nutritious, health issues can result. Nutrition, stress, and the immune system are closely related.
Describe the relationship between food and emotions.
Describe the domino theory as it relates to nutrition and stress.
Discuss the effects of stress on digestion, metabolism, and health.
List the three steps and seven skills of mindful eating.
Describe aspects of nutrition and eating that support a healthy immune system.
Many individuals take great pleasure in sitting down to a good meal. Food provides many nutrients, but food also provides emotional joy. Eating “comfort food” (eating to relax or satisfy other emotional needs) is a popular way to relieve stress. Indeed, nutrition and stress are inextricably linked.
In the United States, the quantity of available food is the envy of the world. Yet our food quality is not as admirable given the amount of processed, high-sugar food we eat—food that also contains herbicides, pesticides, hormones, additives, antibiotics and other less-than-healthy elements. These toxins become stored in the body (“bioaccumulate”) and compromise/stress the immune system, leading to a host of health-related problems. When emotional stress is also present, any health-related problems are magnified (Seaward, 2012). In addition, many Americans rush through their meals; drive through fast food restaurants on their way to or from work; buy prepackaged, processed meals because they are too busy to prepare healthy, home-cooked meals; and do not eat in a mindful way.
Nutrition, or more accurately food, serves as a pacifier for most of us. It is a stress reliever and social activity. For example, when they gather for family reunions, individuals eat and often drink more than they normally would. They eat when they are frightened (think about how many people eat popcorn in a movie theater watching a scary movie), they eat out of boredom, and they eat to calm their nerves. Eating has become more than a means of physical survival. It is a popular relaxation technique. Yet, for many people, eating as a coping technique is often abused. “Food and mood go together like peanut butter and jelly” (Seaward, 2012, p. 523).
Nutrition, stress, and the immune system are also closely related. The stress response causes individuals to eat less-than-optimal food, and poor food choices stress the body. This cycle can lead to health issues ranging from mild (such as more colds or allergies) to severe (heart disease and cancer).