Stress Awareness Month - Stress and Nutrition: A More Connected Approach #BeTheChange

By Chloe Plummer, Nutrition Advisor and BSc (Hons) Nutritional Therapy Student

Stress Awareness Month - Personalised Nutrition to Beat Stress

April is Stress Awareness Month, a useful point in the year to pause and take stock of how stress is showing up in our lives. Most people recognise stress as part of everyday living. It can motivate us, help us meet deadlines, and respond to challenges. But when stress becomes ongoing or feels difficult to manage, it can begin to affect both mental and physical health in more noticeable ways.

One area that often gets less attention in conversations about stress is nutrition. What we eat, how we eat, and even when we eat can all influence how our body responds to stress, and support our wellbeing and mental health. It is not about strict rules or perfect diets, but about understanding the connection and making small, realistic changes that support overall wellbeing.

Personalised Nutrition to support Stress Awareness Month April 2026 #BeTheChange

How Stress Can Change the Way We Eat

Stress does not just sit in the mind. It shows up in the body and often in our behaviour too. Eating patterns are one of the first places this can become visible.

For some people, stress increases cravings, particularly for foods that are high in sugar, fat, or salt. These foods can offer a quick sense of comfort or a temporary energy boost. There is a reason for that. They can stimulate feel-good chemicals in the brain and provide fast fuel. The difficulty is that this effect tends to be short-lived, often followed by an energy dip, irritability, or feeling more overwhelmed than before.

For others, stress has the opposite effect. Appetite can drop, meals may be skipped, and eating becomes more irregular. While this might not feel like a problem at first, it can lead to low energy, poor concentration, and a reduced ability to cope with everyday demands.

There is also a middle ground that many people recognise. Eating becomes rushed, distracted, or automatic. You might find yourself eating at your desk, grabbing something quickly between tasks, or not really noticing what or how much you have eaten. Over time, this can affect digestion and make it harder to stay connected to hunger and fullness signals.

None of these responses are unusual. They are part of how the body tries to cope. The starting point is simply noticing what your own patterns look like during periods of stress.

The Blood Sugar and Stress Connection

One of the key ways nutrition influences stress is through blood sugar regulation.

When meals are irregular or based heavily on refined sugars and processed carbohydrates, blood glucose levels tend to spike and then drop quickly. This pattern can trigger the release of stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. In practical terms, this can leave you feeling anxious, irritable, tired, or tense.

It can feel like a loop. Stress influences food choices, and those food choices can then increase the feeling of stress.

Supporting more stable blood sugar levels can make a noticeable difference. This does not require anything complicated. Eating regularly and including a balance of protein, healthy fats, and fibre in meals can help slow down the release of glucose into the bloodstream. This supports more consistent energy and mood throughout the day.

Simple changes such as choosing wholegrain options over refined carbohydrates, or adding protein to breakfast, can help reduce those peaks and crashes.

The Gut and the Stress Response

Alongside blood sugar, the gut plays a central role in how we experience stress.

The gut is often referred to as the “second brain” because of the close relationship between the digestive system and the nervous system. The gut microbiome, which is made up of trillions of bacteria, supports not only digestion but also immune function, mood, and mental wellbeing.

A diet that is high in processed foods and low in variety can disrupt this balance. When the microbiome is out of balance, it has been linked with increased anxiety and lower resilience to stress.

Stress itself can also directly affect digestion. When the body senses stress, it shifts into a state focused on survival. In this state, processes like digestion are not prioritised. This can reduce stomach acid and digestive enzymes, slow the movement of food through the gut, and affect how nutrients are absorbed.

Over time, this can lead to digestive discomfort and further impact overall wellbeing. It becomes another example of how closely connected the mind and body are.

Supporting Your Body Through Nutrition

When thinking about nutrition and stress, it is easy to fall into the idea that you need a complete overhaul. In reality, small and consistent changes are usually far more effective.

A helpful starting point is building meals around whole, nutrient-dense foods. Including a source of protein, healthy fats, and fibre in each meal can support steady energy and help regulate appetite.

Reducing ultra-processed foods and refined sugars can help limit blood sugar fluctuations. This does not mean cutting them out completely, but becoming more aware of how often they appear in your diet and how they make you feel.

Caffeine and alcohol are also worth considering. Both can affect the nervous system and sleep quality. For some people, reducing caffeine intake, particularly later in the day, can help lower feelings of anxiety and improve sleep. Alcohol may feel relaxing in the moment, but it can disrupt sleep patterns later in the night.

Rather than trying to change everything at once, it can be more helpful to focus on one or two manageable adjustments. This might be something as simple as eating breakfast more consistently or introducing more variety into your meals.

Nutrients That Support Stress Resilience

Certain nutrients play a role in supporting the body during times of stress.

Magnesium is involved in muscle relaxation and nervous system regulation. It is found in foods such as leafy greens, nuts, seeds, and dark chocolate.

B vitamins support energy production and the creation of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine. These can be found in whole grains, eggs, meat, fish, and dairy.

Vitamin C is used by the adrenal glands during stress and supports immune function. Good sources include citrus fruits, peppers, broccoli, and kiwi.

Omega-3 fatty acids help regulate inflammation and support brain health. These are found in oily fish, walnuts, chia seeds, and flaxseeds.

Fermented foods such as yoghurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi contain beneficial bacteria that support gut health, which in turn can influence mood and stress response.

These nutrients are most effective when they come from a varied and balanced diet rather than relying solely on supplements.

The Role of Sleep

Sleep and stress are closely linked, and nutrition plays a part here too.

Poor sleep can increase cortisol levels, affect blood sugar regulation, and heighten feelings of stress and anxiety. At the same time, stress can make it harder to fall asleep or stay asleep, creating a cycle that can be difficult to break.

Regular eating patterns can support better sleep by helping to stabilise blood sugar levels overnight. Including a balance of protein and complex carbohydrates in the evening may also support the production of serotonin and melatonin, which are involved in sleep regulation.

Limiting caffeine later in the day and being mindful of alcohol intake can also improve sleep quality.

Supporting sleep does not need to be complicated, but it can have a significant impact on how well you cope with stress.

Simple Changes That Can Make a Difference

If you are looking for a place to start, a few simple adjustments can be helpful:

• Choose wholegrain versions of bread, pasta, and rice where possible

• Limit caffeine intake and switch to herbal or decaf options later in the day

• Aim to include oily fish in your diet a couple of times a week

• Add more vegetables to your meals, aiming for a variety of colours

• Choose more balanced snacks such as yoghurt and fruit, nuts, or hummus with vegetables

These are not rules to follow perfectly, but options to experiment with and see what works for you.

A More Balanced Approach to Stress

Managing stress is not about removing it completely. It is about building resilience and giving your body the support it needs to respond more effectively.

Nutrition is one part of that picture. When combined with other factors such as sleep, movement, and emotional support, it can help create a more stable foundation.

If stress feels ongoing or difficult to manage, it can also be helpful to seek support. Talking therapies can provide space to explore what is contributing to stress and how you respond to it, while approaches like nutritional therapy can help you understand how your habits may be influencing how you feel.

The aim is not perfection, but progress. Small changes, made consistently, can have a meaningful impact over time.

Chloe Plummer is a Nutrition Advisor and final-year BSc (Hons) Nutritional Therapy student with the Institute for Optimum Nutrition and the University of Portsmouth, due to graduate in August 2026.

She provides personalised nutrition plans and evidence-based support for women’s health, working collaboratively with other healthcare professionals, including counsellors, to support her clients.

Learn more about Chloe and her approach to nutrition here

Healthy meal preparation

References

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Bremner, J. D., Moazzami, K., Wittbrodt, M. T., Nye, J. A., Lima, B. B., Gillespie, C. F., Rapaport, M. H., Pearce, B. D., Shah, A. J., & Vaccarino, V. (2020). Diet, Stress and Mental Health. Nutrients, 12(8), 2428. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12082428

Konturek, P. C., Brzozowski, T., & Konturek, S. J. (2011). Stress and the gut: pathophysiology, clinical consequences, diagnostic approach and treatment options. Journal of physiology and pharmacology : an official journal of the Polish Physiological Society, 62(6), 591–599.

Lopresti A. L. (2020). The Effects of Psychological and Environmental Stress on Micronutrient Concentrations in the Body: A Review of the Evidence. Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.), 11(1), 103–112. https://doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmz082

Naidoo U. (2020). Eat to Beat Stress. American journal of lifestyle medicine, 15(1), 39–42. https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827620973936

Vedantam, D., Poman, D. S., Motwani, L., Asif, N., Patel, A., & Anne, K. K. (2022). Stress-Induced Hyperglycemia: Consequences and Management. Cureus, 14(7), e26714. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.26714