Have you ever felt stressed, then consumed sugary foods or drinks to reduce the stress? When you are feeling stressed, foods or drinks that contain a lot of sugar can give you a sense of comfort. With stress levels tending to increase during a pandemic, more and more people are turning to these sugary foods and drinks as an escape from the stress they feel.
The habit of consuming certain foods when under stress is also known as stress eating. In general, the foods chosen are foods that are high in calories and contain quite a lot of sugar, salt, and fat. Some examples are junk food, sweet foods, drinks, to various chips. Moreover, at this time, we can easily order various foods and drinks online, either through delivery or by buying various products through the marketplace. This then causes the emergence of unhealthy eating behavior.
Let's discuss more the relationship between sugar consumption and stress levels and also levels of loneliness!
Is it true that sugar consumption can reduce stress levels?
To find out how sugar can reduce stress levels, we need to understand the effects of sugar consumption in the blood. Glucose that comes from our daily food and drink is the main form of sugar circulating in the blood circulation. Therefore, glucose is sometimes referred to as blood sugar. Glucose is one of the main sources of energy that the body needs for daily activities.
When our blood sugar levels drop, we will feel tired. This is because when our blood sugar levels drop, our bodies will lack energy, then our body will pump out the adrenaline hormone to increase energy quickly. As a result, our bodies will enter into fight or flight mode. This mode causes the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain we use to think, to be "turned off" temporarily. This is what we often call a hangry state, which is an acronym for hunger and anger. Usually, this situation occurs when we are angry because we are actually hungry.
When we consume sugary foods or drinks, our blood sugar levels rise rapidly. The adrenaline hormone circulating in the body will be limited again, our body will come out of fight or flight mode, and we will return to calm. So, sometimes people who are angry do need sugar intake, especially from sweet foods and drinks. If your boss or neighbors likes to be angry, maybe you can also try to win their heart by giving them sweet food or drinks!
Is Sugar Linked to the Loneliness?
In addition, sugar is also able to have an effect on our emotions. For example, consuming foods and drinks that contain sugar can help us feel better when we are lonely. Especially during a pandemic like this. The pandemic has changed our relationship with food because our relationship with other people is very limited, especially when the social distancing policy is being implemented.
The social distancing that we inevitably implement during the pandemic makes us unable to work from the office or meet friends at school, we only carry out daily activities at home and only relate to other people virtually. So, we look for "friends" and comfort from other things, one of which is sugar. Ice cream or chocolate can make us feel good, like friends.
Foods and drinks that contain sugar can indeed function as comfort food, foods that make us feel comfortable and calmer. However, excessive consumption of sugary foods and drinks can increase the risk of developing metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes mellitus. In fact, during a pandemic like today, people with metabolic diseases have a higher risk level, so they fall into the vulnerable group. Therefore, we still have to maintain our daily sugar consumption so as not to exceed the limit!
There are many articles related to nutrition and health on Fitie. Don't forget to keep reading our articles that are specially created for Indonesian women.
Source :
Cassata, C. (2020). Eating Excess Sugar Is Worse for You During COVID-19: 6 Ways to Cut It. Healthline. November 6, 2020. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health-news/eating-excess-sugar-is-worse-for-you-during-covid-19-6-ways-to-cut-it