Eat To Beat Stress

When your nerves are at wits end and you feel like you are going to explode, stress eating isn’t a bad thing as long as you are eating the right thing.



Do you know what foods to eat?



When stress starts the worst thing you can do is let it go unchecked, stress can increase your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and obesity.

When stressed you experience an immediate cardiovascular responses to stress due to what’s called the fight, or flight response.

Then your adrenaline raises blood pressure to boost energy so you are prepared to run, but if your stress doesn’t require you to fight or run you just become s self perpetuating time bomb waiting to explode over something simple.

But eating the wrong foods will only compound the problem, eating the right foods can relieve stress and calm you down.

Foods to eat when stressed:

Carbohydrates:

Carbohydrates make the brain produce more serotonin, which is a relaxing brain chemical.

Most people would eat chocolate, or something with sugar at this point to feel better. But this is a temporary fix since they are simple carbohydrates. Not to mention not very healthy, and even worst for your waistline.

Oatmeal is a complex carbohydrate; your body absorbs complex carbohydrates slowly. This creates a steady flow of serotonin, plus its healthy and great for your waistline.

Make sure you only use steel cut oats, or whole rolled oats.

Instant oatmeal has added sugar, salt, and chemicals making it high glycemic.

Other sources of complex carbohydrates are Bran, and brown rice.

Good Fats:

Sorry but this isn’t cookies or doughnuts, good fats contain omega 3 fatty acids. Monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) that lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol.

Nuts like Walnuts, pistachios, almonds, and even roasted peanuts contain antioxidants, and B vitamins that help strengthen the immune system that help you hold up under stress.

Nuts are also a great source of protein, amino acids, and minerals for a healthy diet

Eating about a handful of nuts a day will lower your blood pressure at rest and under stress.

But you must buy nuts in there shells to get the full health benefit.

Milk:

Warm milk is the old fashioned remedy for insomnia; this is because calcium can reduce muscle spasms and smooth tension.

People who suffer from hypertension and high blood pressure, all stress related symptoms could benefit from drinking milk products.

Its best to drink skim milk since the fat content in milk is high.

Fruits and Vegetables:

Vitamin C is a well know immune system booster, it also helps your blood pressure and cortisol (the stress hormone) return to normal faster when stressed.

Best sources are strawberries 82 mg, oranges 70 mg, broccoli 58 mg, grapefruit 44mg, and tomatoes 23mg. (all milligrams are per serving)

People who consumed 3000 milligrams of vitamin C daily felt less stressed.

Magnesium:

Seven out of Ten people don’t get enough magnesium in their diet.

Symptoms of not getting enough magnesium are migraine headaches, fatigue, depression, confusion, and high blood pressure.

Best sources are brown rice 83mg, almonds 81 mg, spinach 78 mg, avocado 50 mg, and peanuts 49 mg. ( all milligrams are per serving)

Recommended daily dosage is around 400 mg daily for an adult.

Omega 3s:

A diet rich in omega 3s fatty acids keeps cortisol (the stress hormone) and adrenaline from erupting out of control.

DHA: (docosahexaenoic acid) is an omega 3 fatty acid and the highest concentration in your body is in your brain, and nervous system.

Fish and fish oils are a great source of DHAs, salmon, herring, albacore and blue fin tuna.

A healthy diet should include 1600 mg of omega 3s daily, 10% should come from DHAs.

The problem with fish is the high amount of mercury, so if you are pregnant or nursing you should not eat fish.

A lack of DHA is being studied for its role in behavioral, and mood disorders.

Other great sources of omega 3s with DHA are eggs, yogurt, milk, flaxseed oil, and soy products.

Want To Know More - see Should You Be Drinking Milk Read more!

The Middle Aged Spread Stress And Belly Fat

If you are one of those women who just can't loose your belly no matter how hard you exercise, Stresses that are put on your body maybe causing hormonal changes causing belly fat, this can come from physical, emotional, or diet related.



Are You Stressed?



The adrenal glands secrete the hormone cortisol as a reaction to stress; this causes the ovaries to overproduce estrogen, which attracts body fat to the belly.

We live in a toxic world that puts stress on our bodies in the form of Free Radicals; from the foods we eat, to the air we breathe. Things like heavy metals, pesticides, plastics, and Algerians. By the time you hit 30 your body is full of toxins that get stored in your fat cells.

What Do You Stress About ?

Emotional stress takes a serious toll on your body, for most people not a day goes by without stressing about something. Could be your job, relationship, money, or just not being happy in general.

This can lead to chronic stress, if the condition continuously goes unchecked your digestive system will suffer. Your liver and kidneys are your body’s detox system, in order for them to do their job they need proper nourishment. But emotional stress hampers their ability to function properly.

If your body suffers from physical, emotional, or diet related stress you may have some of the following, constipation, gas, bloating, IBS, headaches, bad breath, allergy symptoms, PMS, fatigue, depression, irritability, and weight gain.

The First Sign Your Becoming Toxic:

You should have a bowel movement at least one to two times a day. When you have less than two bowels movements per day the actual bowel walls become impacted with uneliminated fecal matter. This hampers the absorption of vital nutrients and providing a breeding ground for unhealthy bacteria, organisms and even parasites. Imagine your garbage sitting outside the door for a few days to get the idea what’s happening inside your body.

A healthy bowel movement should be one solid piece, light golden brown in color, one inch in diameter, odorless and semi floats in the toilet basin. Anything other than that is worth taking a closer look. Broken apart, hard, dark, odor, large or loose stools are the indication of purification and constipation and thus the beginning of poor health.

Detoxing Is It For You?

Detoxing has become very popular; when you detox you eliminate the things that put the biggest stress on your organs such as caffeine, alcohol, sugar, and red meat.

The end result is your body has the time and energy to eliminate toxins that have built up, leading to a healthier digestive system. But before you go running for the next hottest detox product, you might want to think twice.

Doing some Detox programs takes some serious commitment, and has some down sides. First if you are not eating a true healthy diet, imagine going cold turkey from just coffee alone can make most people irritable. Withdrawal symptoms can make life miserable for most.

Possible side effects of Detox Programs:

Headaches
Fever
Chills
Diarrhea
Nausea
Skin rashes
Drowsiness and fatigue
Sleep interruptions
Thirst
Loss of appetite
Increased urination

Then there is the health risk, some detox programs want you to cut out too much protein, carbohydrates, and good fats from your diet leaving your body in a deficit state. If this is for to long you put your overall health at risk just to loose a few pounds.


A Healthy Approach:

If you consume a healthy diet daily consisting of lean protein, Complex Carbohydrates, Good Fats, with proper hydration (healthy water) you will rid your body of those toxins. It may take a little longer but it’s a process worth learning!

Protein has the highest thermal effect of all the food groups, so when consuming lean protein you speed up your metabolism. Lean protein, like eggs, white meat poultry, triggers the production of the hormone glucagon that burns fat, plus you need lean protein to create lean muscle. And lean muscle burns fat!

Healthy fats from natural oils, Flax seed oil, macadamia oil, olive oil, and almonds nourish the liver and help burn Belly Fat. Look for oils rich in omega-3 fatty acids for optimal fat burning.

Complex carbohydrates give your body the energy to make it through the day. Complex carbohydrates are found in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and grains.

Green vegetables like broccoli, green beans, and spinach contain less starch and more fiber. Whole grains like oatmeal contain soluble fiber that significantly slows down your digestive process. Due to it's high fiber content and high levels of certain fat burning antioxidants it is essential to anyone’s diet.

P.S. If you want to avoid most toxins buy 100% organic, it will cost you a little more up front but what is your future health worth?

Want To Know More? see - Nitrates In Your Food

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