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Stress versus Good and Bad Fats

by | Oct 6, 2016 | No Comments

I was excited when I read the buzz on last month’s article, Depression, daily stressors and inflammatory responses to high-fat meals: when stress overrides healthier food choices, published in Molecular Psychiatry.

Cited in the New York Times, and many other newspapers and science journals as well, the new research by J K Kiecolt-Glaser and team describes the inflammatory effects of eating “good” and “bad” fats and included the variable of participants’ noting stressors of daily life, like your child’s daycare closes, traffic, and paying bills, etc.

What they found was that the inflammatory impact of stress outweighed the benefits of eating “good” fats. 

This is a question I’ve wondered about for about 20 years, ever since I started practicing mindfulness meditation and heard a talk with Deepak Chopra. He said (paraphrasing), “It’s much worse to eat a beautiful meal while angry, than to eat a plate of bacon (my memory) with people and conversation you love.”

There’s more research we need on this, as other foods may be more protective. I usually look toward Functional Medicine research and resources for this.

But, it is a new and positive lens for researchers to explore the impact of stress as the inflammatory it is, as well as study the inflammatory impact of the foods we eat.

What are your thoughts about this? Share your ideas about inflammation, stress, diet and health in the comment box below. Let’s learn together.

 

Love,

Jackie


Refill Your Cup eBook

Check out my new eBook Refill Your Cup. In it I share tools on how to reduce stress-at-work, so even if you eat that yummy treat brought in by a coworker you can counter any inflammation with these resources!

Download your copy of Refill Your Cup here.

Jackie Levin

RN, MS, AHN-BC, NC-BC, CHTP

(206) 304-7703

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