Action4Balance

What's food got to do with stress? How significant is our diet as a source of stress?

It is estimated that as much as 40% of overall stress can be classified as nutritional. Nutritional stress is an epidemic, our modern day plague. Yet it exists in relative obscurity, underestimated and unseen by most, and growing constantly.

Nutritional stress is actually a major type of physical stress for 21st century women as our bodies and organs gamely try to digest, assimilate and metabolize what we eat and drink.

How do I know that I'm struggling from nutritional stress?

Factors contributing to nutritional stress include the consumption of overly processed foods, foods grown with chemical pesticides and herbicides, inadequate supply of vitamins, minerals, enzymes, high quality protein, fiber, essential fatty acids and good bacteria (probiotics).

It also includes the overeating of "empty" foods, the foods that increase stress levels and the under-consumption of nutrient dense whole foods that support biological function, activity level and regeneration. Consistently eating acid-forming foods is also a culprit.

The tell-tale signs would be weight gain, food cravings, fatigue and a poor body image. If this sounds familiar then take the following steps:

1. STOP EATING JUNK

We are made and function from the chemicals we get from food. Put simply – healthy diet means healthy body – one that can cope with stress, crap diet = crap body – one that will be low in energy, more emotionally sensitive and less able to function on a daily basis.

High fat/sugar/salt foods that are high in calories and low in nutrients over-stimulate the body producing stress hormones even when there is little stress in your life.

2. CUT DOWN ON QUICK FIX STIMULANTS

So many people are suffering from fatigue just because they fill their body up with toxin-producing substances such as caffeine, alcohol and the additives found in highly processed/refined foods that may give you an initial energy boost but leave your body drained and toxed out!

These clog up the internal flow of energy and force the body to use more of its energy supply just disposing of excess toxins. This means that there are less energy reserves left over for you to play with. Stick to pure food sources like meat, fish and vegetables.

3. DRINK PLENTY OF WATER AND FOLLOW THE 80/20 RULE

Our body is 60-70% water not gin and tonic or coffee. Water is essential to enable us to function, cope with stress and raise energy levels. There is no point drinking two litres of water a day, if you also drink ten cups of coffee and a bottle of wine. Make sure your daily intake of pure water is at least 80% of your fluid intake.

4. MAKE PLEASURE AND SATISFACTION A PRIORITY

The body needs to regularly experience pleasure and satisfaction to stay happy and healthy. Many people become addicted to food because it has become their main source of pleasure. Enjoyment or achieving releases a chemical mix of feel good sensations designed to encourage more of the same.

On the other hand lack of positive stimulation produces dissatisfaction and anxiety. Food and stimulants also generate similar feel good feelings through chemical release of endorphins – this is a throw back to caveman times when it was really difficult to get food and we needed a lot of motivation to go out and get it.

Our body needs to experience daily doses of pleasure and satisfaction as an incentive to carry on and if you neglect to get it through living your body knows it can get it chemically through food and stimulants so you will start to crave from them.

Chocolate releases a similar feel good response as sex – so if you have a bad relationship you will turn to chocolate as a substitute but you need to eat about 3lbs a day to get the same level!

5. RELAX AND CHILL OUT

Our body needs relaxation to repair the damage from stress. Give yourself a break after a stressful day, build in time to chill out and make things available for a quick destress. For example, create a comfort corner at home, keep healthy snacks work or a relaxing tape in the car.

Escape to somewhere quiet, relax, close your eyes and visualize waking up in your perfect world. Go through a whole day of indulgence. Where are you? What does it look like? What are you doing and with whom? Although this is fantasy, you will realize that some things are actually achievable or already exist but sadly, neglected.

Rediscover living here and now, each moment. Do this regularly and when stress appears, a little perfect world picture will pop up magically to calm you down.

You might be interested

Healthy Eating When Stressed >>>

Foods that increase Stress levels>>>

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A balanced diet full of colorful fruits and vegetables is perhaps the best shield against stress-related health problems, but carbohydrates will quickly soothe you in a tense moment, says Judith Wurtman, author with Nina Frusztajer Marquis of The Serotonin Power Diet:

Here, Wurtman explains why you should keep stress- zapping snacks on hand:

Portions are key: While we're fine with taking just one aspirin and waiting for the headache to fade, we often eat straight through our emotional crises, Wurtman says. Take in about 120 or 130 calories of carbohydrates, stop eating, wait 20 minutes, and you'll feel the effects without having stuffed yourself. Try, for example, a VitaTop muffin.

An empty stomach: Carbohydrates such as dry cereal contain tryptophans, which are amino acids that are converted into the serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is often called a "feel good" neurotransmitter—it has been shown to calm us down and restore mental energy. But to feel serotonin's lovely effects, it's best to eat on an empty stomach.

Skip the bacon: If you choose, say, a small baked potato as your stress-suppressing snack, skip the butter topping. Fat will slow down the digestion process, delaying your much-needed serotonin boost. Protein completely thwarts serotonin production, so please skip the bacon too.

Stress busters: Wurtman found that women suffering from PMS—a predictable source of stress—felt much better after having a carbohydrate drink than a protein and carbohydrate concoction. "It made them less angry and much less tired," she says. A low-fat muffin or brownies are a nice option if you are irritable but on the run.

A little grazing: Often what makes an event stressful in the first place is its unexpected quality. That's why you should keep serotonin levels high during the day by snacking in between meals with foods like low fat muffin, for instance. "If you have enough serotonin in your system at all times," says Wurtman, "you're not going to melt down."

Bad rap: Carbohydrates have gotten a bad rap thanks to the popularity of protein-heavy plans such as the Atkin's diet. But eaten the right way—think jam on toast—they do provide an energy boost. For you dieters who are terrified of carbs, Wurtman says that serotonin is actually an appetite suppressant.

Try Healthy and LowCalorie Snacks and Muffins

Your Body, Mind and Spirit are one and form a whole. The human body is the greatest machine on the earth. Even more than that – greatest self-repairing machine. As all machinery, it needs fuel. But for self-repairing we need special fuel – one that provides us with all necessary macro and micro nutrients: healthy food. Unhealthy foods poison your body. That's not the worst of it. Where your body goes, your mind follows, just as where your mind goes your body follows.

A physically unhealthy body can influence the mind to be unhealthy, unmotivated, moody, tired, unclear, forgetful, anxious, and stressed. We all know these are not comfortable feelings.

And on the contrary: if our fuel is of high quality, our bodies function well and we think clear, we are full of energy, vitality, our overall health is excellent and we prosper. The fuel we give to our bodies’ engine comes directly from food, from things we eat.

During the period of stress, the body uses up nutrients quicker than usual and chronic long - term stress damages all body systems, digestive system included and empty all body’s nutrient reserves . Therefore here are some considerations to take into account to develop your daily diet and supplementation plan.

The key to of good stress nutrition is the balance, variety and moderation. To stay in good health the body needs the right balance of macronutrients: protein, carbohydrates, fats and micronutrients: vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients and water.

Take Action:

Eat 5 -6 times per day to avoid unstable blood sugar levels and escape fat storage, and ensure stable energy levels. Low and stable blood sugar levels reduce not only stress but also the risk of adult type diabetes.

Aim for 7 to 10 servings per day of different coloured organic fruit and vegetables. Colorful fruit and brightly green vegetables are perfect for stress prevention/ reduction nutrition - they are rich in antioxidants and phytonutrients.(eat them as much as possible and preferably raw or very lightly cooked). This is not as difficult as it looks.

Eat foods with high fibre content. Eat both types of fibre: soluble and insoluble. This gives the muscles of the walls of the digestive system some bulk to work against.

Eat complex carbohydrates (oatmeal, buckwheat, whole-wheat bread, pasta and brown rice). Many whole grain foods rich in complex carbohydrates are good sources of essential vitamins and minerals as well. Foods rich in complex carbohydrates include also vegetables, peas, and beans. NB: one teaspoon of sugar or its equivalent suppresses the immune system for 5 hours after eating.

Protein is essential for growth, development and repair of body tissues. Although keep protein intake within moderation. Avoid red meat completely. Eat more beans and pulses, grains, seeds and nuts. Fish and organic poultry are also acceptable. Soy is also a good source of protein.

Fats Take fish oil for omega 3 essential fatty acids or eat oily fish 2 or 3 times a week. Eat a variety of seeds each day (pumpkin, sesame, sunflower and always linseeds) and walnuts . Mix them together and add them to cereal and salads.

Want even more for your long term health? I recommend to consider health supplements. 

No Time To Cook Healthy Meals? Bistro MD Gourmet Diet Delivered To Your Door.

Recommended Reading

Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 4th Edition

The World's Healthiest Foods