Food and Stress – Healthy Eating for Lower Stress

Food is more than just a source of nutrition. It can trigger memories, bringing forth nostalgic feelings that had been all but forgotten. It can be comforting or exciting and the difference it can make on one’s day is impressive. But even with everything else food can be, it is still a means to an end. It is the fuel that drives the body to keep going and just as machinery needs different types of fluids to keep things running smoothly, the body requires various types as well.
What Stress Does to the Body
There are good stresses and bad stresses constantly assaulting the body. Avoiding stress is an impossible venture, and one that would not be good to attempt. The body needs stress to function; it is designed to react to stress automatically. Almost no voluntary thought is needed when the body responds to a stressful situation. Muscles tense, hormones are released, the pulse quickens, adrenaline is produced, and blood pressure and heart rate are elevated involuntarily. It is a natural process that serves to prepare the body for the situation that caused it.
The Harmful Side of Stress
When harmful stresses are exerted on the body for extended periods of time it becomes a chronic condition that the body reacts to negatively. Since the natural reaction for stress is for the body to be ready to react, a constant stress will have the body in a continuous state of anxiety. Blood pressure and heart rates stay elevated for extended periods of time increasing the chance for either stroke or heart attack. The digestive system is slowed which may cause diarrhea or heartburn. The body is not made to be under constant attack and it cannot function properly in that environment.
Why is Food so Important?
Food is one of the few constants in any person’s life. Food, air and water are the three basics that are needed to sustain life, so it makes sense to diligently select the ways in which we get those basic needs. Clean air and water is the preferred method of choice for two of the needs but with food the story is different. Taste buds can fool almost anyone into choosing an unhealthy dish over the healthy one. For those with a penchant for sweets, a piece of cake would be more satisfying to the palate than an apple, even though the apple contains the sugar the body needs for energy it does not comfort the mind the way that piece of cake will. That is because food is not simply sustaining the physical body it is sustaining the mental body as well. Food is cultural, regional, and familial and its preparation and presentation is as much a part of its importance as the actual nutritional value is. At least, it is to the mind.
Make Healthy Choices
A lifetime of bad habits regarding food can be changed. It begins with a decision, the decision to begin now to alter those habits and give the body what it wants and needs to function properly.
limit caffeine –High levels of caffeine can increase irritability and anxiety and can raise the amount of stomach acid being produced.
reduce sugar – Sugar that has been added to food is often processed in a factory and does not contain the required nutrients such as vitamins and minerals that the body needs.
increase fiber – Fiber slows the absorption of fat in the body and cleans the digestive system. Avocados, sunflower seeds, and chick peas are a few of the foods that are rich in fiber.
eat breakfast – A healthy breakfast that is low in fat and high in fiber will keep hunger at bay and provide energy throughout the morning.
Always Remember That Food is Controllable
There are many things in life that are circumstantial and cannot be controlled but food is not one of them. Each person has the final say in what goes inside their mouth. That little bit of knowledge alone may be enough to combat some of the stress that plagues the population on a daily basis. The body never goes on break, giving it what it needs to run effectively is an easy way to lighten its load. A well oiled, properly tuned machine will last longer than a abused and neglected one will.