Stress Baking in a Pandemic: 21 Healthy Plant-Based Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Is stress baking a thing? ›

Call it whatever you want: stress baking, anxiety baking, procrastibaking. When people feel anxious, they look for something to do, a distraction of sorts, and baking provides just that for many people. There are a whole host of reasons for this: Dr.

Overall, baking is not just a fun and delicious activity, it can also have a positive impact on your mental health. By baking with friends and family, you can reduce stress, boost your mood, improve social connections, increase mindfulness, build confidence, provide a sense of purpose, and spark creativity.

Recreating happy memories

Baking engages all your senses including taste, touch, and smell, plus it's fulfilling to see your process from beginning to end. But it can also spark nostalgia. “When we're cooking and baking, we're often recreating positive experiences or happy memories.

The Homemade Advantage:

Flour, the cornerstone of most baked goods, can be a prime example. Opting for whole grain flour in homemade recipes adds fiber, vitamins, and minerals that are often stripped away in refined flour used by commercial bakeries.

Baking forces you to focus on step-by-step instructions, which can help take your mind off the thoughts that are causing you stress. Many people with anxiety feel that they lack control over the world around them, and baking helps them regain a sense of power.

Boost our mood

Some of the reasons that baking can improve our mood include the fact that it is an activity that requires focus and concentration, which can ensure we stay present in the moment. Following a recipe requires calmness and concentration, which can provide a similar effect to mindfulness.

Baking benefits for those with dementia

Baking can help to bring back memories, stimulate the senses, improve appetite (which can encourage a better relationship with food) and it's great for keeping the brain active, as it involves weighing and measuring.

Maybe it's the sweet smell, the feel of soft dough, or the satisfaction of putting the icing on top. In addition to releasing endorphins, baking can also increase your levels of serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin—all positive brain chemicals directly associated with overall mood and happiness.

Baking is a mindful activity

It can help to calm your nerves and ease anxiety. (Keep reading for more on how mindfulness reduces stress.)

What personalities do bakers have? ›

Bakers tend to be predominantly realistic individuals, which means that they often enjoy working outdoors or applying themselves to a hands-on project. They also tend to be conventional, meaning that they are usually detail-oriented and organized, and like working in a structured environment.

Baking therapy refers to the act of using baking to reduce stress and promote your overall well-being. Baking can have the tremendous ability to focus the mind, distract from negative thoughts and feelings, and improve mood. The focus we place on our mental health is just as important as any other aspect of our health.

The recipes are low in natural sugars and made from wholesome ingredients that make you feel great inside out. My favourite fats for baking and raw desserts are extra virgin olive oil, grass fed butter or ghee, macadamia nut oil, cold-pressed coconut oil and avocado oil.

Bake with unsaturated fat

Cakes should really be an 'every now and then' food. However, with a few tweaks to the ingredients and toppings, baking your own can be better for you than buying them.

Baked foods retain more nutrients

Baking, however, enhances some nutrients and makes the protein in some foods easier to digest, making it a better and healthier way of cooking food than frying. Your body benefits more from the higher nutrient content of baked food.

Most activities related to baking, such as stirring ingredients, cutting various items, mixing the dough and decorating pastries are physically demanding. It can affect your mood.

With mageirocophobia, cooking or watching someone else cook can bring severe anxiety. Some people experience overwhelming symptoms that lead to panic attacks. There's no reason to feel self-conscious about possibly having a phobia.

The routine of cooking has proven to be very relaxing for frayed nerves. The process of chopping, searing, stirring and cleaning up has been reported to be relaxing. You can also make cooking a part of your daily routine. A routine has many health benefits, and stress relief is at the top of the list.

Baking is a perfect way to practice mindfulness. To successfully bake a cake, some biscuits or a loaf of bread, we need to pay close attention to the recipe.