When we think about nutrition and stress many of us think of the term “comfort eating” however this type of eating is far from making the body comfortable when under stress and can in the long term lead to a lot of discomfort within the body. When we are feeling stressed food is one thing that can make us feel better about a situation but if we don’t address the underlying stress, we are actually ignoring our body’s need. In this situation, we are not being very self-compassionate as we fail to understand what we really need to help us deal with the stress. Cooking for or feeding other people without addressing their mental health can also cause harm and can lead to further distress if the person then puts on weight, which can lead to metabolic syndrome or diabetes type 2. Extra weight also puts pressure on the joints and other organs in the body such as the heart and liver.
Stress can affect the skin in particular and is often associated with dermatological disorders such as Psoriasis and Acne. Mento et al (2020) suggest that skin disorders are increasingly being connected with stress and use the term “Psychodermatology” to describe the field of practice most concerned with it. They suggest that when under stress there is a connection between the brain and the skin that reduces skin function leading to inflammation, redness and itching. Inflammation occurs as the brain trigger an immune response to the threat which can also be triggered by the foods that we eat, causing a cycle of poor diet and poor health. In their systematic review on negative emotions in skin disorders, Mento et al(202) found a direct link between stressful emotions and an increase in discomfort for people with skin disorders suggesting that there needs to be a more compassionate approach to the food that we and those in our care eat. Without paying attention to the brain-gut-skin cycle of nutrition, people with skin disorders may be seeking comfort from the wrong foods for their skin to recover, heal and remain a strong barrier to outside pathogens.
