Stress is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as a “state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances.” Stressors can be physical or emotional, real or perceived, or acute or chronic; they can vary tremendously in their intensity and vary widely in their impact on an individual (Lopresti, 2019).

People worldwide experience stress, and in most cases, some type of stress occurs daily. Humans may stress over positive events, such as starting a new job or the birth of a child. However, stress can also be experienced around negative factors, such as problems at work, financial difficulties, health issues, etc. Responsibilities related to everyday life, such as a fast-paced lifestyle, juggling work and home life, or assisting senior citizen parents, can also result in stress. It is not uncommon for the experience of stress to lead to anxiety, fear, uneasiness, or apprehension.

It is no secret that working in the correctional environment is stressful simply because of the work requirements. For example, correctional officers must be constantly aware of their surroundings and monitor for threats of violence, altercations, or injury. Correctional officers, unfortunately, often witness traumatic situations such as inmate-on-inmate violence that may result in serious injury or death, incidents of self-harm, suicide attempts, or the death of an incarcerated person. Correctional officers often work long hours, and face constant staffing shortages or the expectation of doing more with less. Any or all of these scenarios, and many more, can cause psychological or physical stress.

It is common knowledge that stress can affect your physical health in multiple ways, including your nutritional health. However, what many may not know is how your nutrition can affect your experiences and how you deal with stress. Both stress and nutrition affect each other, so the question becomes similar to the “chicken and egg ” question: which one comes first, stress or nutrition? The answer is that either can come first, but more important than knowing which comes first, is to recognize that both stress and lack of proper nutrition can be detrimental to your physical and mental health.

The human body is an amazing organism that constantly self-regulates to maintain stability (equilibrium). Our bodies are fully capable of responding to stressors with physiological processes to deal with the stressor and then returning to equilibrium. This process is easily understood in the “fight or flight” concept. Our bodies release strong hormones in the face of fear or danger that set us up for a heightened ability to fight or escape from danger and then discontinue this process when the danger has ended. Even when a stressor is perceived, our bodies react in similar ways to assist us with the current state of events and then return to equilibrium. The danger comes when we are constantly dealing with stressors, and essentially, our bodies do not have an opportunity to return to equilibrium, and thus, the stressed state becomes the equilibrium. This heightened state of stress can lead to negative health manifestations, such as hypertension, obesity, chronic headaches, gastrointestinal issues, and mental health disturbances. Stress and anxiety can have a profound effect on our nutritional health, weight management, and overall well-being. However, our nutritional health can also have a profound effect on our level of stress and how we deal with stressors. There is truly a bi-directional relationship for the cause-and-effect connection between stress and nutritional health. This article will discuss this relationship, why each can contribute to the other, and pointers to overcome the negative effects of stress and unhealthy nutrition.