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June 11, 2004 |
| Stress and Anxiety
Restore Your Ability to Manage Stress with a Stress-reducing Diet Shop for and cook whole foods that are unprocessed and unrefined. For instance, instead of picking up dried apple slices for a snack at work, buy whole apples in their skins and take those instead. Use whole grains like brown rice and buckwheat. Whole grains provide a complex mixture of protein, carbohydrates, fiber, fats, vitamins B and E, and minerals. And you do need fat in your diet, the omega-3 and omega-6 kinds. Essential fatty acids are needed for healthy nervous system function. They make up 50 percent of your brain by weight and 60 percent of the myelin sheaths of our nerves. Stress increases our need for these oils. The prostaglandins that regulate cell function are made from these essential fatty acids. Series I prostaglandins, for instance, improve nerve function and produce a sense of well-being. You can find these essential oils in cold-water fish, walnuts and flaxseeds. You can also take this critical brain ingredient by supplement. Use 1-2 tbsp daily of flaxseed oil on foods such as pastas and vegetables or drizzle it on your buckwheat pancakes, but don’t cook it. EFAs can also be supplied by borage oil. Take 2-4 capsules daily. Assess what’s missing in your response to stress and eat accordingly. If you need to calm down, eat meals high in carbohydrates that tend to increase your body’s production of serotonin. If you need a mood or energy boost, eat a meal high in proteins, which promote the creation of dopamine. For instance, if you need to be productive in the morning and afternoon, eat a high-protein breakfast. To relax in the evening, eat a lighter meal with more carbohydrates for dinner. Overly acidic people tend to be more susceptible to stress. If you are overly acidic, you’ll feel calmer and stronger on a mostly vegetarian diet. Get your protein from combining whole grains and legumes (beans and peas) and soybean products. Avoid caffeinated beverages, sugar, foods made with white flour, and alcohol. Fruit juice doesn’t do for you what the whole fruit will. A glass of orange juice, without other food, acts just like the sugar in candy and can destabilize your blood sugar level, worsening the symptoms of stress. Some commercial fruit juices have more sugar than a can of cola. Don’t forget, or neglect, to eat. It’s part of taking care of yourself, and making time for lunch in a hectic daywhile it looks like you’re adding to your stress by leaving your project in the middlewill actually soothe you if you eat it in a calm environment. For snacks at work, eat popcorn, baked corn chips, fruit, and vegetables with dips.
Read More on Anxiety and Stress: Getting Started Systems in the Body Affected by Anxiety Quiz: How Balanced are Your Neurotransmitters? Keep it SIMPLE tip Think Good Thoughts Nutritional Therapies Restore Your Ability to Manage Stress with a Stress-Reducing Diet Restore Your Ability to Manage Stress with Stress-Reducing Supplements Complementary Therapies Reduce Stress with Reflexology
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