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- Eating to Overcome Stress and Depression
Baked Macaroni and cheese, oatmeal cookies, fried chicken, fried fish, and butter pecan ice cream are foods that we women and some men turn to when depressed or stressed over different things that we are facing in our lives.
To tell the truth, these only sooth our feelings for a short period of time, and then we start back at the beginning. Eating too much of a certain type of food or avoid eating another type of food can affect our mood in the long and short term of our health.
Instead of reaching for cookies or fried chicken, reach for an apple, pear, or orange and spread some peanut butter or cream cheese on it. Eating this food has a lasting effect and is healthy and good for the body. Normally, we eat something that is not healthy or good for us, and we become depressed and regret eating so much of that food. Another stress factor has been added to our lives.
Why not select foods that are healthy and nutritious? Foods that add strength to our brains and enhance our emotional health.
Skipping meals or doing fad diets increases our chances of depression which can lead to stress or health problems in our life. Please know and remember, diets do not work. They only help momentarily, and the weight comes back double. Changing your lifestyle of eating is not an option, it is a reality of overcoming stress and depression.
Resource: www.healthywomen.org
The LSU AgCenter and the LSU College of Agriculture