Burnout and Nutrition Paris | Nutritional Support English Speaking Dietitian | Alexis Alliel

The warning signs had been there for months. The exhaustion that doesn't lift when you wake up. The meals skipped because there's "no time." The coffee replacing breakfast, then lunch. The compulsive snacking at 10pm in front of the screen. And then one day, your body says stop. If you recognize this trajectory, if professional exhaustion has upended your relationship with food, know that you're not alone — and that appropriate support can help you rebuild.

For expatriates and international professionals in Paris, burnout carries additional layers of complexity. You may be navigating demanding careers in multinational companies, dealing with the pressure of performing in a second language, far from family support systems, and adapting to French work culture — all while your body's reserves are depleted. The isolation that often accompanies expat life can make recovery feel even more challenging.

Burnout affects approximately 3 million people in France according to Technologia studies. This professional exhaustion syndrome isn't limited to mental fatigue: it's the entire body that collapses, including its most basic capacities — like eating properly. The adrenal glands, constantly solicited to produce stress hormones, eventually become exhausted. And with them, the entire biological balance that allows us to function.

When Your Body Sounds the Alarm

Understanding burnout and its impact on eating

Burnout — or professional exhaustion syndrome — is a state of emotional, mental, and physical depletion that occurs after prolonged exposure to intense stress. It's not simply "being tired": it's a collapse of the body's adaptive resources.

Under chronic stress, the adrenal glands take over, allowing you to "hold on." They produce cortisol, adrenaline, aldosterone — the hormones that help us manage daily pressure. But under constant stress, these glands eventually exhaust themselves, your stress resistance drops dramatically, and you enter the burnout spiral.

This hormonal cascade has direct repercussions on eating:

Blood sugar regulation becomes chaotic. Stress hormones raise blood sugar levels to provide energy in case of "danger." When this system is constantly activated, it becomes dysregulated: you oscillate between hypoglycemia (energy crashes, irresistible sugar cravings) and hyperglycemia (agitation, concentration difficulties).

The digestive system goes into standby mode. In "survival" mode, the body diverts energy away from digestive functions toward muscles and brain. Result: bloating, irregular transit, discomfort after meals, compromised nutrient absorption.

Hunger and satiety signals become scrambled. Some people completely lose their appetite; others develop compulsive hunger, particularly oriented toward sugar and fat — foods that provide energy quickly.

Eating patterns characteristic of burnout

In my practice, I observe recurring patterns among people experiencing professional exhaustion:

Desynchronized eating. Meals become chaotic: breakfast skipped, lunch swallowed in 10 minutes in front of a screen, late-night snacking. As one expert describes it: "Burnout leads to eating as anarchic as permanent jet lag, without the pleasure of travel."

Dependence on stimulants. Coffee, energy drinks, sugar — all these "pick-me-ups" that allow you to keep going but further exhaust the adrenals over time. It's a vicious cycle: the more exhausted you are, the more you seek stimulants, the more you exhaust yourself.

Unconscious emotional eating. Eating becomes an automatic refuge from stress, often without awareness of actual hunger. Studies show that women suffering from burnout are significantly more prone to emotional and uncontrolled eating.

Unbearable mental load around food. Planning meals, grocery shopping, cooking — these daily tasks become mountains when cognitive resources are depleted. Ready-made meals, delivery, snacking become the default.

Unexplained weight fluctuations. Some people lose weight through appetite loss; others gain weight through compensatory eating. These fluctuations aren't insignificant: "You alternate consciously or unconsciously between fasting and bingeing," as specialists observe.

The Expatriate Factor: Burnout Far From Home

Unique challenges for international professionals

Experiencing burnout while living abroad presents specific challenges that deserve recognition:

Career pressure in international contexts. Many expats in Paris work in demanding multinational environments. The pressure to perform, to prove yourself in a foreign context, to navigate workplace politics in a second language — all of this can accelerate burnout while making it harder to recognize.

Distance from support systems. When you're depleted, you naturally turn to those who know you best for support. For expats, family and close friends may be thousands of miles away. The practical support networks — someone who could bring you a meal, check in on you, help with daily tasks — often don't exist in the same way.

French work culture differences. The French approach to work-life balance, lunch breaks, and professional boundaries differs from many Anglo-Saxon cultures. Understanding and navigating these differences adds cognitive load at a time when you have no resources to spare.

Healthcare system navigation. Finding appropriate support in France — understanding what's covered, how to access mental health care, where to find English-speaking professionals — can feel overwhelming when you're already exhausted.

Food as comfort and complication. French cuisine may feel unfamiliar as a comfort food source when you're struggling. At the same time, the structured French approach to meals (specific times, sit-down eating, multiple courses) can feel impossible when you can barely function.

Why English-speaking support matters

Having nutritional support in your language means you can express subtle but important things: how foods make you feel, your relationship with cooking, what "comfort food" means in your culture. In burnout, you don't have the cognitive resources to translate your experiences — you need to be understood directly.

Beyond "Eat Better" Advice: Understanding Real Barriers

It's not about discipline

One of burnout's cruelties is that it destroys precisely the executive functions we'd need to "eat well": planning, motivation, energy to cook, capacity for self-care.

Telling someone in burnout to "eat better" is like asking them to run a marathon with a broken leg. What this person needs isn't another instruction, but support that recognizes the reality of their exhaustion.

Deficiencies that amplify exhaustion

Chronic stress depletes reserves of nutrients essential to nervous system function:

Magnesium, essential for nerve impulse regulation and stress management, is over-consumed during tension. Magnesium deficiency amplifies anxiety, sleep disorders, fatigue — creating a vicious cycle.

Iron is frequently deficient. Clinical observation in psychiatric settings reveals that 80% of patients have iron deficiency. This contributes to chronic fatigue and concentration difficulties.

B vitamins, notably B6 and B12, are involved in neurotransmitter synthesis. Their deficit affects mood, energy, and cognitive functions.

Omega-3s contribute to optimal brain function. Multiple studies show that fatty fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel) contribute to stress reduction.

These deficiencies don't cause burnout, but they can amplify it and slow recovery. Identifying and correcting them is part of comprehensive care.

Toward Reconstruction: Adapted Nutritional Support

What nutritional support can offer in burnout

Nutrition doesn't cure burnout — it would be simplistic and dishonest to claim otherwise. But it can serve as an important pillar of reconstruction, working on several axes:

Stabilizing energy. Reestablishing stable blood sugar is fundamental. Low glycemic index foods (whole grains, legumes, vegetables) prevent energy and emotional roller coasters. This stability allows the nervous system to rest.

Supporting adrenal function. Certain nutritional adjustments can help adrenals recover: reducing stimulants (coffee, refined sugar), ensuring sufficient vitamin C and B5 intake, maintaining regular meal times.

Correcting deficiencies. Targeted assessment can identify deficits that amplify exhaustion. Correcting them — through food first, supplementation if necessary — accelerates recovery.

Regulating the digestive system. Intestinal dysbiosis (microbiome imbalance) is common with chronic stress. Reestablishing balanced gut flora positively influences mood and energy via the gut-brain axis.

Lightening mental load. Perhaps the most crucial aspect: proposing practical solutions that don't add pressure. Simple meals, minimal routines, strategies for difficult days.

My approach: rebuilding without pressure

In my practice, supporting people in burnout rests on principles adapted to their reality:

Starting from what's possible. No inaccessible ideal program, but realistic adjustments based on your current energy level. Some days, the only goal might be eating something — and that's enough.

Prioritizing logistics. Identifying practical solutions: what ultra-simple meals can you prepare when you have no energy? How to organize minimal shopping? What services can lighten the load (batch cooking, meal boxes, healthy catering)?

Respecting recovery timing. Burnout doesn't resolve in a few weeks. Nutritional support extends over time, with progressive adjustments as energy returns.

Working on self-relationship. Burnout often reveals a problematic relationship with one's own needs — the tendency to neglect oneself, to come last. Learning to nourish yourself properly can be a way to relearn self-care.

Navigating Support in Paris

For international patients, practical information matters:

Consultations can be conducted entirely in English, whether in-person at my Paris 6th or 20th arrondissement offices, or via video call. Many expats in burnout find video consultations particularly helpful — no need to navigate the metro when you're depleted.

Doctolib is the standard French booking platform. You can see my availability and book directly online, with reminders in English.

Coordination with other healthcare providers is important. If you're working with a therapist, psychiatrist, or GP, I can communicate with them (with your permission) to ensure coherent care.

Flexible scheduling is available. I understand that burnout doesn't follow a 9-5 schedule, and that international professionals often have unpredictable demands.

The Path to Recovery: Patience and Reconstruction

Recovery takes time

Consuming regular meals (every 3-4 hours) that are well-balanced, avoiding refined and ultra-processed products, is important for physically overcoming burnout. But it's not always easy to adopt these eating habits, especially if you were usually the person managing meals for the whole family — or if you're managing everything alone as an expat.

Healthy catering services, meal boxes, or pre-washed and pre-cut products can be tremendously helpful during this time. This isn't "cheating" — it's intelligent adaptation.

Foods that support recovery

Without making miracle promises, certain foods are particularly valuable during the recovery phase:

Magnesium sources: dark chocolate, nuts (almonds, cashews), legumes, whole grains.

Fatty fish: salmon, sardines, mackerel — rich in omega-3s that support brain function and contribute to stress reduction.

Fermented foods: yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut — to support gut microbiome.

Well-absorbed iron sources: red meat, lentils (with vitamin C for absorption).

Quality proteins: essential for neurotransmitter production like serotonin.

Finding rhythm again

Desynchronized eating is one of burnout's markers. Progressively reestablishing rhythm — even imperfect — contributes to restabilizing the body. Digestive secretions, hormones, sleep-wake cycles: everything is interconnected.

Starting by anchoring just one meal at a fixed time can be a first step. Then gradually extending this regularity. Without pressure, without aiming for perfection — just gradual reconstruction.

You deserve support that understands your reality

If burnout has upended your relationship with food, you don't have to navigate this reconstruction alone. Professional support that understands the specificity of this exhaustion can make a real difference — not by adding constraints, but by helping you rebuild, at your own pace.

Living and eating are two sides of the same coin. Ease your relationship with food and free yourself from what doesn't serve you!

📞 To book an appointment: Doctolib | +33 6 22 41 55 21

📍 Consultations in Paris 6th, Paris 20th, Le Raincy and via video call

📚 Additional Resources

• Refeeding and nutritional rehabilitation 📚

• Weight as symptom: a different approach to self-care 📚

• Sugar addiction and eating behavior mastery 📚

• Neurodivergence and Nutrition 📚

• Nutritional rebalancing Paris 📚
  
  
  

Alexis Alliel – Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
RPPS: 10007258733 | ADELI: 75 95 0878 1

📚 ENCART SOURCES

Sources officielles et scientifiques

1. Technologia - Cabinet d'expertise agréé par le Ministère du Travail

   • Études sur la prévalence du burn-out en France (~3 millions de personnes touchées)

   • Rapports sur le syndrome d'épuisement professionnel

2. Cairn.info - Chapitre 14 "La question de l'alimentation dans le burn-out"

   • In: Burn-out professionnel, parental et de l'aidant (2020)

   • Mikolajczak M. et al., De Boeck Supérieur

   • DOI: 10.3917/dbu.mikol.2020.01.0217

3. Haute Autorité de Santé (HAS)

   • Recommandations sur la prise en charge de la dénutrition

   • Critères de diagnostic et stratégies d'intervention nutritionnelle

   • https://www.has-sante.fr/

4. British Medical Journal (BMJ) - 2024

   • Lane MM et al. "Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes"

   • Liens entre alimentation ultra-transformée et santé mentale

5. Fondation FondaMental

   • Recherches sur le lien alimentation-santé mentale

   • Application Food4Mood

   • Travaux de Valentina Andreeva sur microbiote et troubles mentaux

6. Centre du Burn Out - France

   • Protocoles de prise en charge intégrant la dimension nutritionnelle

   • https://centreduburnout.org/