It’s easy to think that good nutrition starts and ends with what you put on your plate. But the truth is, your body’s ability to actually use those nutrients—absorb them, convert them, benefit from them—is heavily influenced by something a bit less obvious: your stress levels.
You can eat the most balanced meal in the world, but if your nervous system is firing off stress signals in the background, your digestive system may not be able to do its job optimally. In fact, stress doesn’t just impact how you feel emotionally—it has a real, measurable impact on how your body processes vitamins, minerals, and even macronutrients like protein and fat.
This isn’t meant to scare you away from trying to eat well—it’s meant to show you that food and stress live in relationship with one another. And once you understand how that relationship works, you can start to make small, supportive shifts that help your body absorb more of what you’re already giving it.
How Digestion Works When the Body Is Calm
Before we get into how stress disrupts nutrient absorption, it helps to understand what things look like when your body’s functioning as intended.
When you’re in a calm, regulated state—what’s often referred to as “rest and digest” mode—your parasympathetic nervous system is activated. This is the branch of the nervous system responsible for all the behind-the-scenes processes that help you digest and absorb food.
In this mode, the body:
- Releases adequate saliva to start breaking down food in the mouth
- Sends enough hydrochloric acid to the stomach to digest proteins
- Produces digestive enzymes from the pancreas and bile from the liver
- Moves food through the intestines in a rhythmic, coordinated way
- Absorbs nutrients effectively in the small intestine
This is the ideal setting for digestion. It’s your body saying, “I feel safe. Let’s nourish ourselves.”
What Happens to Digestion Under Stress?
When you’re under stress—physical, emotional, or psychological—your body shifts into sympathetic nervous system mode, also known as “fight or flight.” This is not the time your body is interested in digesting a salad.
In a stressed state, your body is more concerned with survival than digestion. It redirects resources to systems that can help you run or react: increased heart rate, faster breathing, muscle tension. Meanwhile, digestion takes a back seat.
Here's what that can look like internally:
- Reduced stomach acid and enzyme production, making it harder to break down food
- Decreased blood flow to the gut, which slows nutrient absorption
- Changes in gut motility, often leading to bloating, gas, or constipation
- Altered gut microbiome, due to increased inflammation and disrupted balance of beneficial bacteria
One fact that often surprises people: Chronic stress can increase intestinal permeability, also known as “leaky gut,” which may impair the absorption of key nutrients like magnesium, zinc, and B vitamins.
So if you’re eating all the right things, but still feeling fatigued, foggy, or nutrient-deficient, it might be less about what you’re eating—and more about how your body is processing it under stress.
How Stress Disrupts Specific Nutrients
Let’s zoom in on a few key nutrients that are especially sensitive to stress:
Magnesium
Magnesium is a vital mineral involved in over 300 biochemical reactions in the body. It helps regulate muscle function, mood, sleep, and—you guessed it—stress response.
Under stress, your body actually uses up magnesium more quickly, and cortisol (your main stress hormone) may increase magnesium loss through the urine. So not only does stress burn through your stores, but it may also impact your ability to absorb it efficiently.
B Vitamins (Especially B6, B9, B12)
B vitamins play a huge role in energy metabolism, cognitive function, and nervous system health. Chronic stress can deplete these nutrients over time, and gut inflammation may limit their absorption from food.
Additionally, low stomach acid—a common issue during stress—can impair the release and absorption of B12, which needs specific conditions to be properly absorbed in the small intestine.
Vitamin D
While most of our vitamin D comes from sun exposure, absorption from food and supplements still matters—especially in winter. Some studies suggest that stress-induced inflammation can reduce vitamin D receptor activity, making it harder for your body to use the vitamin D it gets.
The Gut-Brain Connection Is Real (And It’s Bidirectional)
The gut and brain are in constant communication via the gut-brain axis, a two-way information highway involving the vagus nerve, immune system, and microbiome.
When your brain is stressed, it sends signals that change gut behavior (think: nervous stomach or stress-induced bloating). But it also works in reverse: an imbalanced gut microbiome can influence how your brain handles stress.
In other words, chronic stress affects your gut health… and your gut health affects your resilience to stress. It’s a feedback loop worth paying attention to.
According to the American Psychological Association, stress has been linked to changes in gut barrier function and microbiome diversity, which can impact digestion and immunity long term.
Practical Ways to Support Nutrient Absorption (Even When Life Feels Full)
You can’t remove all stress—and you don’t need to. What you can do is create small rituals and habits that help your body feel safer and more supported, especially during meals.
1. Take 3 Deep Breaths Before Eating
This simple pause can help shift your body out of fight-or-flight and into rest-and-digest mode. A few slow, deep breaths signal safety to the nervous system—something your digestive system thrives on.
2. Chew More Than You Think You Need To
Chewing is the first step of digestion and gives your gut a head start. Aim to chew each bite around 20–30 times. It sounds tedious, but once you practice, you’ll likely feel fuller and more satisfied.
3. Avoid Multitasking While Eating
Eating while scrolling, working, or stressing over your to-do list sends mixed messages to the body: “I’m in danger and I’m trying to eat.” Try giving your meals a little more presence. It’s not about being perfect—just intentional.
4. Add Bitter or Fermented Foods
Bitter foods like arugula, dandelion greens, and citrus peel help stimulate digestive enzymes and bile production. Fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, and kefir can support gut microbiome balance—especially helpful during high-stress times.
5. Support Gut Health During Stressful Periods
If you know you’re going through a rough patch (work deadlines, caregiving, big transitions), that’s a good time to prioritize foods that are gentle, easy to digest, and gut-friendly. Think soups, stews, and cooked vegetables over raw, heavy meals.
You Might Be Nourished on Paper—But Still Underfed in Practice
Here’s a truth that’s taken me a long time to fully appreciate: You can eat all the “right” things and still not feel well if your body isn’t in a state that can receive nourishment.
That’s not a failure of willpower or effort. It’s a signal. And often, the fix isn’t adding more to your diet—it’s slowing down enough to actually benefit from what you’re already doing.
Nutrient absorption isn’t just biology—it’s also relational. It reflects the relationship between your food, your body, and your nervous system.
Healthy Habits
- Breathe before you bite. Even 30 seconds of calm before eating helps digestion start on better footing.
- Prioritize magnesium-rich foods during high-stress periods. Think leafy greens, pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate, and legumes.
- Limit overly processed meals when feeling overwhelmed. Whole foods are easier on digestion and promote better gut health.
- Add fermented foods a few times a week. A spoonful of sauerkraut or a few sips of kefir can support a healthier microbiome.
- Make one meal a day more mindful. Even if it’s just breakfast, try to eat without multitasking and focus on the act of nourishing.
The Calm That Helps You Absorb More Than Food
Stress is inevitable—but chronic overwhelm doesn’t have to be the default. The more you support your body in small, steady ways, the better it gets at not just managing stress, but recovering from it.
And here’s the beauty: The simple act of being more present with your food is a powerful, daily opportunity to tell your body, “You’re safe. You’re supported.” That alone changes the way nutrients are received and used.
So maybe the next time you’re focused on “cleaning up your diet,” you start by cleaning up the experience of eating instead.
You might be surprised by how much better your body feels—not because you’re eating more, but because you’re finally able to absorb more.
