Depression, Anxiety, & Disordered Eating: Food Can Heal
Regarding depression, stress, and anxiety, we consulted a Registered Dietitian, Megan Denos, with a few questions regarding the subject matter, and her tips for university students on how to address these issues through healthier eating habits. Ms. Denos is a Registered Dietitian at Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in Saddle Brook, NJ.
Here are our questions to her and her responses:
-Do you think that depression, stress and anxiety have an impact on one's eating habits?
“I think that depression, stress, and anxiety have a big impact on one’s eating habits. However, the impact that they have can be different depending on the individual. For some, stress decreases their appetite and they hardly eat at all. For others, they use food to cope with their emotions and end up overeating due to stress or eating foods that they would not typically eat.”
-Is there a diet that you feel would be best for someone suffering from depression?
“While there is no specific diet that has been scientifically proven to help those suffering from depressions, I believe that an overall healthy diet can be helpful. Since nutrition is a key part of overall health, the better your nutrition status is, the better you will feel. Eating unhealthy foods, especially those that are high in sugar or unhealthy fats can often make you feel sluggish and tired, which will have a negative effect on overall mood.”
-Do you think ‘stress eating’ is a form of binge eating?
“I think that it would vary from person to person. For some, stress eating can turn into binge eating. Binge eating is defined as “frequently consuming unusually large amounts of food and feeling unable to stop eating” (mayoclinic.org). If stress is causing someone to eat in this way, then it would be considered binge eating. “
-Is it possible that university students are more prone to developing an eating disorder, or disordered eating, due to the workload related stresses?
“I believe that is entirely possible. Many times, eating disorders are a result of stress in one’s life and their desire to have control. If someone feels overwhelmed or out of control over their workload, then that could definitely be something that leads to an eating disorder of some type.“
-Are there some healthy foods that could possibly boost someone’s’ mood based on their nutrient content?
“The best way to boost mood through food is to eat nutrient dense foods such as fruits and vegetables and foods with a high antioxidant content like dark chocolate. Having a balanced diet of proteins, carbohydrates, and healthy fats (like those from fish, avocados, nuts, olive oil, etc.) can also boost mood by preventing spikes and crashing in blood sugar.”
-What could you recommend for students who live on campus to do about improving their overall diet?
“I would recommend that students look at the MyPlate model and try to create meals in the dining hall that incorporate all 5 of the major foods groups (fruits, vegetables, dairy, grains, and proteins) in order to have a balanced diet that includes all of the necessary nutrients! I would also recommend always keeping healthy snacks on hand for in between/during classes or in your dorm room when you won’t have access to the dining hall. Some good choices include nuts/seeds, trail mix, air popped popcorn, whole grain crackers with hummus, fruits, cut-up vegetables, or whole grain tortilla chips with salsa.”
Dr. Maria Pontes Ferreira, RDN, interim Coordinated Program in Dietetics coordinator at Rowan University and Assistant Professor, recognizes that nationwide, university student requests for university mental health services often outpace the capacity to meet student needs. Thus, it is important to have contingency plans to access alternative counseling resources when needed, as well as to take a stand and call for improvements in mental health services at one's respective academic institutions.
We also conducted an informal survey, which was handed out to Rowan University students who then answered questions about eating habits as it relates to stress, anxiety, and depression. In our survey, 85% of people (69 participants) voted yes to suffering from depression and/or anxiety. 100% of people voted yes to being stressed because of school. 36 people said their eating habits fluctuated a little as a result of stress/ anxiety/depression, while 29 people said their eating habits changed drastically. On a scale from 1-5 (5 being the worst), we asked how bad people considered their eating habits due to stress/ depression/anxiety. The reviews were mixed, with comments such as “I get test anxiety so I end up not eating the day before and if I know I did bad on the test I don’t eat that day either.” When asked if school-related stress/anxiety/depression ever caused them to show signs of or develop an eating disorder, 17% said yes, a good amount and 33.3% said yes, a small amount. Every person answered yes when asked if poor eating habits have a role in anxiety/stress/depression. And lastly, 98.6% votes yes to the question of whether eating habits affect a persons’ mood.
