I am particularly stressed today, and I can't help but wonder if there are any nutritional solutions that would prevent me from pulling my hair out...outside of washing down an an entire German Chocolate Cake with a bottle of wine in a stress-eating frenzy.According to my research, there are two important routes to nutritonal stress relief:
1) Avoiding food and beverage that aggravate stress
2) Increasing your consumption of food and beverage that reduce stress through vitamin and mineral content
And while I simultaneously finish reading the 10th research article in which soda and coffee top the list of major nutritional sources of stress while finishing off my morning Diet Coke and stirring Splenda into my first cup of coffee, this day isn't looking any better. Come to find out, the caffeine in my reliable morning heroes cause the release of adrenaline, thus increasing my level of stress. Note to self: Drink water at lunch and decaffeinated hot tea this afternoon!
On a particularly stressful day, in addition to avoiding my beloved Diet Coke and coffee, here are some other tension-building beverage and nosh it would behoove you to do without:
1) High-fat food: Aside from the obvious toll it takes on your waistline, high-fat food supresses your immune system. Since stress already wreaks havoc on your immune system, you are shredding any semblance of chance you have to fight off illness or heal from injury with every greasy bite.
2) Too much meat: Another reason to often opt for a vegetarian version...high-protein foods elevate brain levels of dopamine and norepinephrine, both of which are associated with higher levels of anxiety and stress. Try to limit your meat intake to once a day during very stressful times (or all together, because it is way healthier and you get to eat a lot more).
And while I simultaneously finish reading the 10th research article in which soda and coffee top the list of major nutritional sources of stress while finishing off my morning Diet Coke and stirring Splenda into my first cup of coffee, this day isn't looking any better. Come to find out, the caffeine in my reliable morning heroes cause the release of adrenaline, thus increasing my level of stress. Note to self: Drink water at lunch and decaffeinated hot tea this afternoon!
On a particularly stressful day, in addition to avoiding my beloved Diet Coke and coffee, here are some other tension-building beverage and nosh it would behoove you to do without:
1) High-fat food: Aside from the obvious toll it takes on your waistline, high-fat food supresses your immune system. Since stress already wreaks havoc on your immune system, you are shredding any semblance of chance you have to fight off illness or heal from injury with every greasy bite.
2) Too much meat: Another reason to often opt for a vegetarian version...high-protein foods elevate brain levels of dopamine and norepinephrine, both of which are associated with higher levels of anxiety and stress. Try to limit your meat intake to once a day during very stressful times (or all together, because it is way healthier and you get to eat a lot more).
3) Alchohol: While relaxing with a bottle of your favorite bubbly may seem like a perfectly good stress reliever, make sure you exercise extreme moderation (can you be extremely moderate?) when you drink during high stress situations. When the body produces excess stress hormones AND you are drinking, your liver is too busy filtering the alcohol you are drinking to filter out these excess hormones. These toxins (excess hormones) continue circulating through the body, which can result in pretty serious damage over time.
4) Salt: While controlling your sodium intake is always important, moderating the amount of salt you ingest during stressful times is even more important. Too much salt in one day depletes the adrenal glands, increases blood pressure, and causes mood instability.
Now on to the good news! There are foods that can actually help stress, too, by:
4) Salt: While controlling your sodium intake is always important, moderating the amount of salt you ingest during stressful times is even more important. Too much salt in one day depletes the adrenal glands, increases blood pressure, and causes mood instability.
Now on to the good news! There are foods that can actually help stress, too, by:
1) boosting levels of serotonin, a calming brain chemical;
2) reducing levels of cortisol and adrenaline, stress hormones that in excess take a toll on the body over time;
3) and counteracting the impact of stress by shoring up the immune system and lowering blood pressure.
A bowl of warm oatmeal boosts seratonin giving you that much needed calming sensation. Complex carbohydrates, like those found in oatmeal and other whole grain cereals and breads, keeps your blood sugar stable and helps you feel more balanced. Increasing your intake of vegetables in general will also help boost seratonin levels.
Foods high in Vitamin C strengthen the immune system and reduce levels of stress hormones. Vitamin C superstars include oranges, broccoli, papaya, mango, tomatoes, bell peppers (red and yellow are best), and kiwi. Even potatoes have vitamin C (25 mg per small baked potato). Just don't slice and deep fry them!
A bowl of warm oatmeal boosts seratonin giving you that much needed calming sensation. Complex carbohydrates, like those found in oatmeal and other whole grain cereals and breads, keeps your blood sugar stable and helps you feel more balanced. Increasing your intake of vegetables in general will also help boost seratonin levels.
Foods high in Vitamin C strengthen the immune system and reduce levels of stress hormones. Vitamin C superstars include oranges, broccoli, papaya, mango, tomatoes, bell peppers (red and yellow are best), and kiwi. Even potatoes have vitamin C (25 mg per small baked potato). Just don't slice and deep fry them!
Fresh spinach is riddled with magnesium that helps regulate cortisol levels. Too little magnesium may trigger headaches and fatigue, compounding the effects of stress. Hate spinach? Look to whole grain ready-to-eat or cooked cereals, cooked soybeans, black beans, tofu, scallops, or salmon.
Need another reason to eat sushi? Fish high in omega-3 fatty acids (like tuna and salmon) help maintain proper adrenaline and cortisol levels. Three ounces of this type of fish twice a week is the recommended amount to help prevent heart disease to maintain a consistent supply of omega-3s.
Awww nuts! A handful of pistachios every day can help lower blood pressure elevated by stress, while a quarter cup of almonds boosts the immune system that can be hampered by bouts of repeated stress.
Milk does a body good. Drinking a glass of low-fat or skim milk not only gives you an adorable mustache, it can reduce muscle spasms, relieve tension, and ease anxiety and mood swings. BTW-Remind me to stock up on milk before my next raging case of PMS.
Go bananas...well, eat them anyway. Or just eat half of an avacado to get the potassium proven to help lower blood pressure.
So walk away from the cake, booze, chips, and steak when you are at your wits end. Enjoy some teriaki glazed salmon with a huge spinach salad sprinkled with mandarin orange slices and almonds. Have a hot bubble bath and a glass of milk before bed, and call me in the morning.
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