Stress eating, and what to consume instead of snacks

Most of us are familiar with stress eating when we reach out for something to snack on when we are stressed and anxious. However, a recent study led by Dr. Catarina Rendeiro, University of Birmingham states that instead, we can savour on something sweet that can also benefit our heart health.

The surprising study names a cup of hot cocoa as the winner of healthy stress eating. Dr. Catarina Rendeiro, the study’s lead author, in a university release, said, “We know that when people are stressed, they tend to gravitate towards high-fat foods. We have previously shown that fatty food can impair the body’s vascular recovery from stress. In this study, we wanted to see if adding a high-flavanol food to the fatty meal would alleviate the negative impact of stress in the body.”

Findings of the study:
The study was conducted on a group of young, healthy adults who were served a breakfast of two butter croissants with salted butter, cheese, and whole milk. Then they were given either a high-flavanol or low-flavanol cocoa drink. After that they were put through a stressful experiment to understand their stress levels. It was observed that people who consumed a low-flavanol drink, showed reduced vascular function by 1.29%. While, people who consumed a cup of hot cocoa demonstrated better results.

Cocoa is loaded with flavanols that can counteract the negative effects of fatty acids in the body. While stress pushes us to unhealthy eating habits, a cup of hot cocoa can help protect the body’s blood vessels. For people, who do not enjoy cocoa, a cup of green tea is also a healthy alternative.

The study added that this should not be the excuse to rush to get a cup of cocoa. Alkalisation, a common chocolate-making process, can significantly reduce the amount of flavanol. It is better to stock up on minimally processed cocoa powder.