Be Healthy & Fit - Can food help in Stress Reduction?

Health : Stress

Can Food Help In Stress Reduction ?

Selective Food, Good Sleep can help.....

Stress is an ignorant state. It believes that everything is an emergency -- Natalie Goldberg, Wild mind.

Both men and women live hectic pace of life today. They try to balance the demands at work as well as at home. They try to balance limited means (time, money & resources) & unlimited demands. The inability to balance these expresses itself in terms of stress, anxiety and tensions.

Stress, fear, anger, guilt, anxiety, jealousy etc are negative emotions which have a definite impact on our body.

Suffering brings disease & contentment brings good health.

Stress hampers the function of immune system. Psychological stress activates the adrenal glands to discharge stress hormones called cartisol.

Temporarily it relieves us from stress but in the long run it affects our health. Stress results in diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, ulcers, cancer, depression etc.

Stress & Digestion

Our thoughts have profound effects on our digestion. Body can assimilate nutrients from food only if you eat in a relaxed environment. Your state of mind is a critical factor at mealtimes.

Treat meal times as sacred. Follow your hunger signals. Eat only upto ¾ th of your eating capacity to ensure proper digestion.

Food & Stress

Researches have found out that various options are available for the stress relief. Two simplest methods are : A balanced nutritious food and simple deep breathing exercises. Vitamins and minerals in food help reduce stress.

Both methods are without any side effects.

Breakfast

Breakfast has a special place in daily cycle. Early in the morning after 8 to 10 hour's of sleep, body is in need of good nutrition. A good healthy breakfast goes a long way to keep stress away. Healthy breakfast maintains your sugar level adequately. Skipping breakfast is not advisable.

Food items to be avoided

Following food items are likely to increase stress symptoms. It is best to avoid these when you are particularly feeling stressed.

Sugar
Tea, Coffee
Butter, Cheese
Cashews & other nuts
Alcohol
Soft / aerated drinks

Foods that ease stress

When our body is under stress the demand for nutrients is more as more key nutrients are used up.

Vitamin A, C, E & mineral selenium help the body to fight the negative effects of stress.

Eat foods that are rich in anti-oxidants. Foods like -- dry fruits, leafy vegetables, bananas, figs, fish, whole grains, curd, pulses etc.

Anti oxidants help fight stress by preventing free radical damage.

Vitamin C

Brain has more concentration of Vitamin C than in any other part of body. It is a powerful anti-oxidant. People under stress may consume between 500 to 1000 mg of vitamin C per day as vitamin C is used up more when you are under stress.

Vitamin B 12

Vitamin B12 improves nervous system functions. Vitamin B 12 is good to reduce fatigue caused by stress. Typical sources for B12 : Milk, fish, eggs & lean meats.

Vitamin B6

Our immune system gets strengthened with vitamin B6. Two commonly eaten foods that contain plentiful B6 are : Bananas & Potatoes.

Fruits

Fruits are ideal in reducing stress. They are rich in anti-oxidants. Fruits are good in the sense you do not have to fight obesity even if you eat more.

Vegetables

Cabbage, cauliflower & broccoli are rich in bio-flavinoids which are powerful anti-oxidants. The bio-flavinoids protects us from free radicals which are generated during stress.

Deep Breathing

Taking a deep breath is deeply relaxing. It is said that most of us use about 20 to 30 % of our natural lung capacity.

The breathing activity transports oxygen to different parts of body & help eliminate waste products.

Deep breathing increases oxygen supply to body. Each & every body cell requires oxygen for its functioning & deep breathing helps to augment that. Body is full of energy if you practice deep breathing. Stress is reduced.

Practice : Take a deep breath. Count upto 3 to 6 counts. Try to fill full capacity of lungs. Release breath for equal counts, without holding your breath. ( e.g. If you have counted 5 while taking breath in, count 5 for exhaling ). Do 5 rounds initially. Go upto 10 rounds after some practice. Practice deep breathing ( 5 to 10 rounds at a time ) whenever you feel stressed. You will feel relaxed.

Relaxation reduces stress.

Sleep & keep stress away

Allow yourself to sleep at least for 8 hours. This gives your body and its metabolic processes time to recover. It re-energises your body. Severe sleep deprivation leads to psychosis.

Try a glass of warm milk at bed time -- age-old grandmother’s remedy -- to keep insomnia away.

Think positive to de-stress

Vegetables and fruits have a cleansing effect on your body. Similarly positive attitude has a cleansing effect on your mind. Keep away negative feelings like -- hatred, jealousy, greed anger etc --- by maintaining a positive attitude.

The outside world is full of challenges and uncertainty. Completely eliminating stress may not be possible, so goal could be -- reduce stress, manage stress and stay calm.

By: Pradeep Mahajan

Last updated : Aug 5, 2010