The hidden stress culprit: How your daily diet is secretly wrecking your mood

Stress is often blamed on long working hours, monthly periods, financial pressure, traffic, or lack of sleep. However, mounting scientific evidence suggests another, less obvious culprit may be hiding in plain sight: the food and drink we consume.

Nutrition experts and health researchers are increasingly warning that everyday dietary choices—particularly ultra-processed, sugary, and stimulant-heavy foods—can quietly raise stress levels by disrupting hormones, blood sugar balance, gut health, and sleep patterns. Over time, these effects may leave the body in a constant state of tension, making it harder to cope with daily pressures.

The stress hormone connection

When the body encounters a stressful or dangerous situation, it releases cortisol, a hormone produced by the adrenal glands located above the kidneys.

Cortisol plays a vital role in the “fight or flight” response, helping to regulate inflammation, blood sugar, metabolism, and the human sleep-wake cycle.

While short bursts of cortisol are normal and even helpful, chronically elevated levels can be harmful. Persistently high cortisol has been linked to anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, weight gain, sleep disorders, and weakened immunity.

“Many commonly consumed foods keep cortisol levels elevated, which is why you tend to have those 'short bursts of feeling good' when you eat snacks,” nutrition researchers at Healthians explain.

“When that happens day after day—meaning you are constantly snacking—the body never truly relaxes.”

Ultra-processed foods

Ultra-processed foods, such as packaged crisps, instant noodles, flavoured biscuits, and ready-to-eat snacks, are major contributors. Widely available in supermarkets, local shops, and online, they are often chosen for convenience and taste rather than nutrition.

Studies published in Public Health Nutrition have linked diets high in ultra-processed foods to increased anxiety and depressive symptoms. Researchers attribute this to their low nutrient density, high levels of refined carbohydrates and unhealthy fats, additives, and negative impact on gut health.

“Your brain depends on nutrients from food to function properly,” experts say.

“When those nutrients are missing, mood regulation suffers.”

Salt, sugar, and blood sugar crashes

Salty snacks such as crisps and fried mixes like chevda may worsen stress by raising blood pressure and activating stress hormones, including cortisol. Excess sodium also contributes to fluid retention and cardiovascular strain, adding another layer of physiological stress.

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• The hidden stress culprit: How your daily diet is secretly wrecking your mood
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Refined sugar is another major offender. Candy, cookies, cakes, pastries, and sugary drinks such as sodas and fruit drinks can cause rapid spikes in blood sugar followed by sharp crashes. These fluctuations often trigger irritability, fatigue, mood swings, and anxiety.

Similarly, refined carbohydrates like white bread and products made with white flour digest quickly, destabilising energy levels. Over time, this rollercoaster effect can leave people feeling emotionally drained throughout the day.

Stimulant-heavy drinks

Beverages play a significant role in stress regulation. Energy drinks, sodas, and sweetened beverages combine high sugar with stimulants, overstimulating the nervous system. Multiple studies associate frequent consumption with anxiety, poor sleep quality, and heightened stress responses.

Coffee, while beneficial in moderation, can also amplify cortisol production when consumed excessively. For some individuals, too much caffeine leads to jitteriness, rapid heartbeat, elevated blood pressure, and difficulty sleeping—all of which worsen stress because the body cannot recharge properly.

Processed meats, alcohol, and inflammation

Processed meats such as sausages and bacon contribute to stress indirectly by increasing inflammation in the body. Chronic inflammation has been linked to mood disorders, anxiety, and depression.

Alcohol, often used to “unwind,” can actually worsen the body’s stress levels. While it may feel relaxing at first, alcohol ultimately backfires. It disrupts sleep patterns and alters brain chemistry, frequently leading to increased anxiety, low mood, and heightened stress the following day.

Chronic alcohol use also promotes inflammation, which is why heavy drinkers often develop a puffy or inflamed facial appearance. In addition, alcohol can lower serotonin and dopamine levels, the hormones responsible for happiness and emotional stability, further increasing vulnerability to stress and mood disorders.

“That is why you find alcoholics are always relying on alcohol to ‘feel normal’ or ‘to feel happy’. As a result, everyday life can begin to feel flat, anxious, or overwhelming without alcohol.”

This creates a dangerous cycle: alcohol is no longer used for pleasure but to avoid discomfort, low mood, irritability, and emotional distress. Instead of relieving stress, it becomes a temporary coping mechanism that deepens dependency, worsens mental health, and makes it increasingly difficult for the body and mind to regulate stress naturally.

Foods that help calm the body

According to Clinical Dietitian Kathryn Munder, during an interview with MD Anderson Cancer Centre, the solution is not total avoidance of stress-inducing foods but making smarter, more consistent dietary choices.

“The food you eat provides more than energy,” Munder explains.

“Your body uses nutrients from food to create the chemical messengers that regulate mood, sleep, and stress.”

She highlighted several food groups that support a calmer nervous system:

High-quality proteins such as eggs, fatty fish (salmon, sardines, tuna), chicken, turkey, tofu, and beans provide amino acids needed to produce neurotransmitters involved in mood regulation. Eggs, in particular, are rich in nutrients that support the body’s stress response, while omega-3 fatty acids in fish are essential for brain health.

Herbal and green teas, including chamomile, peppermint, and green tea, contain l-theanine, an amino acid that promotes relaxation and reduces anxiety. In green tea, L-theanine helps balance the stimulating effects of caffeine.

Probiotic, prebiotic, and fermented foods such as Greek yoghurt, kombucha, sauerkraut, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and legumes support gut health.

Since around 90 per cent of the body’s serotonin is produced in the gut, maintaining healthy gut bacteria is critical for emotional well-being.

Magnesium-rich foods, including leafy green vegetables, salmon, nuts, seeds, and small amounts of dark chocolate, help improve sleep quality and reduce anxiety.

Vitamin D-rich foods such as eggs, dairy products, fatty fish, and mushrooms are also important. Research shows a correlation between low vitamin D levels and higher rates of stress, anxiety, and depression.

Munder warns that low-nutrient, high-calorie foods increase stress by depriving the body of essential nutrients while forcing it to manage inflammation, blood sugar swings, and hormonal imbalances.

“Every single system in your body relies on the food you eat,” Munder says.

“It’s like petrol or diesel you put in your car. Our bodies are complex machines that need high-quality fuel.”

Health experts emphasise that stress does not come only from life’s pressures; it can also stem from daily dietary habits. While occasional indulgences are normal, frequent consumption of highly processed, sugary, salty, and fried foods may increase the risk of anxiety, depression, and psychological distress.