Food as Healing

Food as Healing

I previously wrote about how our perceptions of our circumstances can set off a cascade of stress chemicals.  Many of us, unfortunately then turn, not to addressing our perceptions or our circumstances, but to trying to dampen down the effects that these perceptions and circumstances may have on us.

What most of us reach for is food.  And usually food that then perpetuates the stress on the HPA axis (). It is thought that calorie dense “comfort food” may have a buffering effect in the brain by activating feel-good reward pathways.1

It is only in the last 100 – 200 years that sugar and refined grains have become freely available. These were previously only affordable by nobility,2 who often paid the price for their indulgence.  Most notable is King Henry VIII who is said to have suffered with gout, amongst a host of other ailments attributable to his lifestyle.3

Food as Stress

Not only does consumption of sugar and refined carbohydrates have a negative effect on our health, but it actually increases the stress on our bodies, once again, releasing the cascade of stress hormones, 5,6 eventually rending our adrenals dysfuncitonal.7 The more we reach for the comfort foods, the stronger the reward pathways in the brain become, re-enforcing this action.8

How to Eat

Food, however, is what sustains us physically and emotionally, bringing families and communities together. Sitting around the table for a home-cooked dinner has benefits not only as a time to spend together, but also in helping to prevent poor health outcomes.9,10 Rituals around food have long been used to heal individuals and communities.11,12 A particularly mindful ritual is that of the Japanese Tea Ceremony, where practitioners experience tranquility in the drinking of a cup of tea.13

Mindful eating is increasingly being suggested as way to manage our food intake.14 When last did you actually sit down and fully enjoy a cup of tea? Without distraction? Can you actually remember the taste of the last food you ate? Or did you eat while driving, watching TV or even arguing with those close to you? If stressed, cortisol would have been released, affecting your digestion and –in fact contributing to weight gain.15

My tips for mindfulness eating, good digestion and reducing stress:

• Eat in a pleasant environment
• Sit around the table
• Do not watch TV, work at your desk, answer emails etc.
• Acknowledge that you are grateful to be eating a meal
• Eat foods you enjoy – but really enjoy them (there is only so much chocolate you can mindfully eat)
• Chew each mouthful 30 times
• Concentrate on each flavour
• Share your meal

What to Eat

In the pursuit of health I have taken hundreds dietary histories and prescribed dietary advise, as well as followed almost innumerable dietary variations. My experience has led me to conclude that there is no “ideal diet” for everyone all the time. Intermittent fasting is useful in many chronic illness16 but would not be recommended if under significant stress.17 High protein diet may be useful for weightloss,18 but a gluten-free vegan diet may be beneficial for those with rheumatoid arthritis.19 Testing for genetic factors that are involved in weightloss and exercise can be a useful “broad-brush” guide to an eating plan. http://www.smartdna.com.au/smartdna-testing/ It can also be useful to understand how you respond to stress and how easily you feel full after a meal. For completeness, I have included the Healthy Eating Pyramid from the Harvard School of Public Health.4

References

Merali Z, Graitson S, Mackay JC, Kent P. Stress and eating: a dual role for bombesin-like peptides. Frontiers in neuroscience 2013; 7: 193.
Johnson RJ. The Fat Switch: Mercola.com; 2012.
Chalmers CR, Chaloner EJ. 500 years later: Henry VIII, leg ulcers and the course of history. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 2009; 102(12): 514-7.
Wikipedia. Released under CC-BY-SA; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/.
Hywood A. HPA Axis. ACNEM STP: Thyroid and Adrenals; 2009; 2009.
van Strien T, Roelofs K, de Weerth C. Cortisol reactivity and distress-induced emotional eating. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2013; 38(5): 677-84.
Tryon MS, DeCant R, Laugero KD. Having your cake and eating it too: A habit of comfort food may link chronic social stress exposure and acute stress-induced cortisol hyporesponsiveness. Physiology & Behavior 2013; 114–115(0): 32-7.
Tryon MS, Carter CS, Decant R, Laugero KD. Chronic stress exposure may affect the brain’s response to high calorie food cues and predispose to obesogenic eating habits. Physiol Behav 2013; 120: 233-42.
Anderson SE, Whitaker RC. Household Routines and Obesity in US Preschool-Aged Children. Pediatrics 2010.
Bo S, Ciccone G, Durazzo M, et al. Contributors to the obesity and hyperglycemia epidemics. A prospective study in a population-based cohort. Int J Obes 2011.
Aamodt AM. Observations of a health and healing system in a Papago community. Health care dimensions 1976; 3: 23-36.
Chen XD. [Brief research on the theory of cold and heat of the foods in Zhou li (The rites of Zhou)]. Zhonghua yi shi za zhi (Beijing, China : 1980) 2007; 37(4): 248-50.
Keenan J. The Japanese Tea Ceremony and stress management. Holistic nursing practice 1996; 10(2): 30-7.
Beshara M, Hutchinson AD, Wilson C. Does mindfulness matter? Everyday mindfulness, mindful eating and self-reported serving size of energy dense foods among a sample of South Australian adults. Appetite 2013; 67: 25-9.
Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Habash DL, Fagundes CP, et al. Daily Stressors, Past Depression, and Metabolic Responses to High-Fat Meals: A Novel Path to Obesity. Biol Psychiatry 2014.
Michalsen A, Li C. Fasting therapy for treating and preventing disease – current state of evidence. Forschende Komplementarmedizin (2006) 2013; 20(6): 444-53.
Wilson JL. Adrenal Fatigue The 21st Century Stress Syndrome. Petaluma: Smart Publications; 2001.
Pasiakos SM, Cao JJ, Margolis LM, et al. Effects of high-protein diets on fat-free mass and muscle protein synthesis following weight loss: a randomized controlled trial. The FASEB Journal 2013; 27(9): 3837-47.
Elkan AC, Sjoberg B, Kolsrud B, Ringertz B, Hafstrom I, Frostegard J. Gluten-free vegan diet induces decreased LDL and oxidized LDL levels and raised atheroprotective natural antibodies against phosphorylcholine in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized study. Arthritis Res Ther 2008; 10(2): R34.