Unforked

7 Holistic Nutrition Strategies to Nourish Yourself During Times of Stress

• Haley Schroth, RDN, LD, CPT, RYT, CMWC • Season 1 • Episode 23

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Join me in conversation to discover seven practical, actionable ways to nourish your body and mind when stress affects your eating habits, whether you're grappling with reduced appetite, nausea, or heightened cravings for sugary foods. We'll explore how to maintain mental wellness and nutrition during these times, ensuring you have the tools to manage these challenges effectively.

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&, Thank you to YOU, the listener, for being here on this journey together.

Haley Schroth, RDN, LD, CPT, RYT, CMWC

Integrative Dietitian Nutritionist for Optimal Mental Health & Physical Performance

Speaker 1:

We are talking about seven ways to nourish yourself while you are stressed or anxious. Howdy friend, it is so good to be back. This episode was prompted because my stress levels have been quite high lately. Probably for the past six weeks or so. I've been feeling really overwhelmed with some of the life changes that have been going on and I have had to use my own advice many times over the past six weeks, and this is also why you haven't seen me on the podcast. I have intended every single week to sit down and record an episode and life just happened and I didn't make it happen. So here we are, recording this episode. I do want to let you know that this will be the last episode of season one. I had originally intended for season one to, I think, be around 16 episodes or so. I was feeling great, so I kept going and then, yeah, life happens. So we're just gonna call it for one and I will be back in the future with season two. I want you to know that if you have any questions that you would love to have answered on future episodes of this podcast, please send me a message. I will still respond. I would love to hear from you between now and season two and hopefully, with those questions, we can answer them on a future episode of Unforked.

Speaker 1:

Let's get in to the meat, the main course of this episode. If you're not a meat eater, if you are in a situation right now, similarly to me, where you are stressed, maybe you're anxious, maybe you're even depressed, these tips are going to work for all of those things and also just for general mental wellness right, maintaining good mental wellness. This stuff works for all of it. This stuff works for all of it, but there are a few tips that are particularly tailored to those anxious, stressful, perhaps even depressed times when your appetite changes. So you are going to love today's episode, if this has ever been you or perhaps is you now Things that you're actually experiencing right now. So seven ways to stay nourished while you are stressed or anxious.

Speaker 1:

I want to first start by acknowledging that stress changes your appetite. I know you probably know this. I know you've probably experienced this before at one point in your life or another. I've shared in previous episodes on the podcast that there was a time in my life where I was so stressed I could barely even keep food down. Now that is by no means the situation that I am in now. That was a very extreme situation, very extreme acute stress, and that can certainly happen. So just take note if you're in more of an extreme situation when you're using these tips, maybe it's still highly stressful or maybe it's more mild, right? So just know where you're at and then know that everybody's body responds differently to stress depending on what's going on. So some people may feel not hungry at all, maybe you even feel nauseous if it's more extreme, like I had in the past or maybe your appetite is just slightly decreased. If, on the flip side, you are somebody that feels extremely hungry or just hungrier in general, and maybe you crave higher sugar foods during that time, that is also something that happens, right? Everybody's bodies just respond differently, so, and it can flip-flop from time to time depending on where you're at in your life, what's going on, all the things. So, with that out of the way, we know that stress changes our appetite. I won't go into the hormonal changes during this episode. That would make it really long. I just don't have the capacity for a long episode today, so we're just going to dive straight into those tips.

Speaker 1:

Tip number one is when you are stressed, maintaining a regular eating pattern helps, even if it's a smaller meal than usual. So sticking to as consistent as you can meal times helps to regulate your body's natural rhythms. Maintain those energy levels if you're getting a consistent amount of nourishment throughout the day. Ideally, this nourishment would have a mix of proteins, carbohydrates and healthy fats. Which leads me to tip number two is to balance your macronutrients to include a mix of proteins, healthy fats and carbohydrates at each meal so that you can maintain those energy levels and prevent mood swings. It does lots of other things, but these macronutrients are going to be really important, just as a base, so that you actually, like your body, has the building blocks that you need.

Speaker 1:

Tip number three is to hydrate. Oh my gosh, this is so important and I think we don't talk about it. Especially, we talk about hydration, but we don't talk about hydration when we're stressed and the importance of hydration when we're stressed or anxious or depressed, and the research shows that drinking enough water is essential for your concentration, for your mood, for your memory and your energy levels. Hydrating is really really, really important all the time, and especially when you're stressed. Especially when you're stressed. Tip number four is to include a source of omega-3 fatty acids. We know that omega-3s are beneficial to our brains, to mental health, and it's still important to include and think about. When you are anxious, depressed or stressed Now, it can be difficult to get the omega-3s that you need through food, so this is often something that I recommend supplements for people, a high quality fish oil goes a tremendously long way.

Speaker 1:

And bonus points, because if you are taking it in supplement form, you know if you're not as hungry. That's really going to help you out. That's really going to help you out because then you are getting the nutrients you need and you don't have to stress out about trying to fit fish into your diet. Um, you know, if your appetite levels are low or maybe fish is a food that is not sounding good to you at all anymore, maybe your app or your taste has changed. So something to think about. Um, I'm not going to make any specific dosage recommendations or anything. Uh, that is for clients and people who are working with me. So if that's something that you would like to know specifically for your unique needs, shoot me a message about coaching and we can definitely chat about it.

Speaker 1:

Tip number five is to be mindful of caffeine and sugar. Both caffeine and sugar can lead to energy crashes and mood swings if they're consumed in excess. Be mindful also that caffeine can disrupt your sleep patterns, which brings me into tip number six. Maintaining a I'm going to say mostly regular sleep pattern and focusing on getting good sleep quality and quantity is going to be really, really helpful, because it's going to reduce cravings for sweets. That can occur with sleep deprivation. So when you are deprived of sleep, your cortisol levels go up.

Speaker 1:

Actually, anxiety can get way worse. So not only does it make your mood worse, but it also changes your appetite. And then you go and binge eat sugary foods, or you're just craving carbohydrates all day, or maybe you're craving sodas, like that's my telltale sign. If I'm craving a pop, I'm like, oh my gosh, of course. If it's happening on a day where I didn't sleep well the night before, I'm like of course my body is trying to get energy. So sleep super, super, super. Important always, of course, and even more important when you're stressed, when you're anxious, when you're depressed. Now, I do know very well that when you're anxious and stressed, your sleep often gets worse, right, why does it get worse? Because of ruminating thoughts, because of just the fight or flight response going on in your body. So I am acknowledging that it can be extra challenging during those times of stress and anxiety to get good sleep. If you're looking for more information on sleep and mental health, I do have a blog post on that as well, so feel free to check out the blog. I will link it down in the show notes. That way you can get there pretty easy.

Speaker 1:

Tip number seven is if you have nutrition supplements, please continue to take them. It can be so easy to forget to take them. Number one or forget to order them, especially during times of stress, anxiety and depression. Maybe set an alarm, put it in a place where you're going to see it, not in a cupboard. Some of the supplements that I often recommend to folks are methylfolate, b12, vitamin D, b6, magnesium, things like that.

Speaker 1:

Again, I'm not going to make any recommendations for any people on here. That's just a general. Those are just general supplements that I often find myself recommending to people based on their nutrigenomics, based on their lab values, based on all of this data, and so what I've found is that my clients who are struggling with their mental health and mental wellness they greatly benefit from taking supplements, and it may be in part due to a genetic variation that you have right. Maybe your body is processing nutrients differently. I know this is something that I deal with and I do notice a really, really, really big difference If I am not taking my supplements, especially if I'm anxious. Really, really, really big difference.

Speaker 1:

If I am not taking my supplements, especially if I'm anxious, stressed, whatever oh my gosh, my mood is going to go way down. I might even like, straight up, get depressed. If that's the case For me, the supplements make an insane difference, an absolutely insane difference in my energy levels, my mood. So keep that in mind is that again, if you are taking supplements regularly, make sure that you continue taking them when you're stressed, anxious, depressed. It's going to make a world of difference. It'll help just maintain good energy levels, better mood, maybe, because, of course, you're not going to be thriving in that moment. Maybe you don't feel like you're thriving, of course, but it's going to help keep you from dropping way below your baseline, which is a definite win.

Speaker 1:

We're not looking for perfection here, we're looking for support, and a lot of times, taking a supplement is what makes a really, really big difference in somebody's stress response and in your mood, and then that is a thing that can help get you to prepare meals because your energy levels are up, because now you're feeling motivated to go for a walk, right? So? So don't discount supplements if you aren't taking them. That would be something perhaps to look into with a dietician, maybe your physician or another healthcare practitioner. I personally use nutrigenomic testing, as well as lab values and all these other things with the folks I work with to help determine supplement needs. Keep that in mind. If you need assistance with that, reach out. Always here to help.

Speaker 1:

And I wanted to add a bonus tip because I thought of this after I planned on seven, right? So bonus tip is to practice vagus nerve exercises before your meals to help your body calm down. So if you're anxious and you sit down to have a meal, you might not feel like eating, right, I know this happens to me. Your appetite goes down. So if you can even calm your body down just a little bit, just a little bit, and that will help get your body ready to eat, ready to digest your foods. So, yes, not only does it help your appetite, but it can help your ability to digest your meal. Holy cow, that was a quick seven tips, with our bonus tip of vagus nerve exercises.

Speaker 1:

I will leave some links in the show notes to certain blog posts. I have some blog posts on vitamin D and sleep and vagus nerve exercises for digestion and nutrigenomics. So all of these topics that we've talked about today just about all of them anyway. So feel free to check those out Again. If you have any questions, reach out to me at any point in time. Happy to answer. I hope that these tips help you either now through a situation that you're going through, or in the future. It's a really great resource to come back to if, at any time, you find yourself struggling with eating while you're anxious, stressed or depressed.

Speaker 1:

So, as I mentioned, this is the last episode of season one. I will be back for season two in the future. I don't have a specific date yet, but I will be back. You can count on that. I've really enjoyed doing these podcast episodes. So in the meantime, between now and season two, I encourage you to check out some blog posts.

Speaker 1:

Listen to past Unforked episodes If you're new here. If you haven't listened to them all and three, definitely jump on the Unforked newsletter because, although I'm not going to be releasing podcast episodes, I will be writing to you and I will be sharing resources there. So I would love to see you on the Unforged newsletter. The link is also in the show notes to sign up for that. And last but not least, if you desire support with your nutrition and mental health, I am here.

Speaker 1:

I'm here for you, my friend. I am taking a limited amount of nutrition and mental wellness coaching clients, so my capacity has changed. I have a much more limited availability to take on new clients, so please don't hesitate to jump on a complimentary 20-minute support call with me so that we can chat about your unique needs, your situation and find a coaching package that works for you. If you are interested in moving forward and I know I've mentioned it a couple times in this episode, so you probably haven't forgotten, but I do nutrigenomic testing with my clients if they're looking to learn more about their genetics and their bodies and how to nourish themselves in a way that is aligned with their lifestyle, their values, if you're interested in coaching or nutrigenomic testing, book that complimentary support call with me. Wonderful, my friend. Well, I hope you have been doing phenomenally.

Speaker 1:

If you are new here and this is your first episode, welcome. I totally forgot to say that earlier. If you are a returning listener, welcome back. I am just so thrilled that you are here with me, so thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm so grateful for each and every one of you who listens to this show. Have a phenomenal day, my friend. Thank you for listening to unfort. You can find all resources and links from this episode in the show notes at thefulfilledforkcom forward slash podcast. If you enjoyed the episode, we'd love if you'd send it to a friend and rate and review the show on either Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Then email us a screenshot of your review to howdy at thefulfilledforkcom for a one-time credit to use towards our wellness services at the Fulfilled Fork Chat soon.

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Haley Schroth, RDN, LD, CPT, RYT, CMWC

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