Navigating Nutrition Amidst Periods of Pressure

Stressed out and snacking on the wrong foods? We feel you! Most of us tend to reach for sugary treats when stressed, not knowing it could lead to chronic inflammation, potentially causing conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, or inflammatory bowel disease. Prolonged inflammation may also increase the risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other diseases.

But fear not, there's a silver lining! Adopting a healthier diet can help reduce the risk of chronic inflammation and related diseases. Three eating plans assistance in this mission:

Healthy U.S.-Style Eating Pattern - this plan is based on the 2015 USDA Dietary Guidelines and emphasizes a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, seafood, and plant proteins, while limiting consumables with empty calories, added sugar, saturated fats, and high sodium.
Healthy Mediterranean-Style Eating Pattern - this plan, inspired by the traditional Mediterranean diet, prioritizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats like olive oil.
DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) Diet - a nutrient-rich plan aimed at reducing high blood pressure but also beneficial for chronic inflammation control.

The daily eating plan includes:

Vegetables - 2 to 4 cups
Fruits - at least 2 cups a day
Whole grains - 3 to 4 ounces a day
Fish/Seafood - 8 to 16 ounces a week for Omega-3
Nuts and soy - 4 to 6 ounces a week
Olive oil - 1 to 2 Tablespoons a day
Dairy (1% or skim) - 1 to 3 cups a day
Alcohol - 0 to 1 drink a day

Eating the right foods, instead of comfort foods, is crucial during stressful times. It is advisable to incorporate vitamin C-rich foods like oranges, strawberries, tomatoes, and other citrus fruits, as well as cherries and blueberries, into your eating plan. Choose leafy greens like kale, spinach, collards, chard, and broccoli. Consume nuts like almonds, walnuts, and pistachios in moderation, along with avocados. When selecting seafood, go for salmon, sardine, anchovies, and other fatty fish. Opt for olive, flaxseed, or canola oil instead of margarine, butter, or shortening. Your dairy options can include low-fat or fat-free yogurt and milk.

Limit the intake of red and processed meats to less than 12 ounces a week and refrain from foods containing trans-fats. Keep added sugars to under 6 teaspoons/day for women and 9 teaspoons/day for men (also recommended by the American Heart Association). Replace sweetened beverages with water, unsweetened tea, coffee, or 1% or fat-free milk.

Remember to focus on a fiber-rich diet by consuming vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and nuts. Fiber helps improve the anti-inflammatory properties of these foods. Add some garlic, onion, pepper, ginger, turmeric, oregano, thyme, and rosemary to your dishes for additional anti-inflammatory properties.

Adopting one of these eating plans can help you maintain better health during stressful times. Instead of reaching for comfort foods or junk food, embrace vegetables, fruits, whole grains, 1% or fat-free dairy, seafood, and plant proteins.

Here's an example of a day's meal plan:

Breakfast: Oatmeal with cinnamon topped with 1% or fat-free milk, along with walnuts, dried or fresh fruit, and a cup of tea or coffee

Snacks for the day: Fruit, nuts, water, tea

Lunch: Bean soup served with 100% whole grain crackers, baby carrots, a fresh pear, and a glass of 1% or fat-free milk

Dinner: Grilled fish, baked sweet potato, spinach salad dressed with olive oil, berries with yogurt topping for dessert

Sources:

American Heart Association. (2011). "High sugar consumption may increase risk factors for heart disease in American teenagers." Available online at sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110110164929.htm
Galland, L. (2010). Diet and inflammation. Nutrition in Clinical Practice, 25(6), pp.634-640
Julia, C., Meunier, N., Touvier, M., Ahluwalia, N., Sapin, V., Paper, I., Cano, N., Hercberg, S., Galan, P., & Kesse-Guyot, E. (2013). Dietary patterns and risk of elevated C-reactive protein concentrations 12 years later. British Journal of Nutrition, 110, pp.747-754
Lucas, M., Chocano-Bedova, P., Shulze, M., Mirzaei, F., O'Reilly, E., Okereke, O., Hu, F., Willett, W., & Ascherio, A. (2014). Inflammatory dietary pattern and risk of depression among women. Brain, Behavior and Immunity, 36, pp.46-53
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. (2015). "Description of the DASH Eating Plan." Available at nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/dash
Orchard, T. [2015]. Eating healthy under stress: improving diet quality to lower chronic inflammation. Webinar for Your Plan for Health, Ohio State University.
Shivappa, N., Stack, S., Hurley, T., Ma, Y., Ockene, I., Tabung, F., & Hebert, J. (2014). A population-based dietary inflammatory index predicts levels of C-reactive protein in the seasonal variation of blood cholesterol study. Public Health Nutrition, 17(8), pp.1825-1833
USDA. (2016). "2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans." Available at dietaryguidelines.gov/about-dietary-guidelines/previous-editions/2015-dietary-guidelines
Zu, H., Sjogren, P., Arnlov, J., Banerjee, T., Cederholm, T., Riserus, U., Bengt, L., Lind, L., and Carrero, J.J. (2015). A proinflammatory diet is associated with systemic inflammation and reduced kidney function in elderly adults. Journal of Nutrition, 145(4), pp.729-735.

Incorporating science-backed nutrition into daily routines can help prevent chronic inflammation and related health issues such as rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other diseases. Adopting a healthy-diets approach like the Mediterranean, US-Style, or DASH diet, which emphasize fruits, vegetables, whole grains, seafood, plant proteins, and healthy fats, can significantly reduce the risk of these conditions.

The health-and-wellness benefits of nutrition extend beyond disease prevention, as nutrient-rich foods also help the body manage stress more effectively. Eating foods rich in vitamin C, such as strawberries, tomatoes, and citrus fruits, can aid in stress management and combat the harmful effects of chronic inflammation. Opting for healthy fats like olive oil and plant-based proteins, such as nuts and soy, can further support overall health and wellness during stressful times.