Nutrition and Stress - Coping With Stress through a Good Diet

Habitual workouts offer a fantastic way to cope with the symptoms of stress and adding good nutrition habits to that exercise makes for a great, effective solution to stress.

Nutrition analyses are generally too complex to understand and any assumptions drawn must be speculative. The later reports often seem to say the opposite of the earlier reports. But in general, the investigation proposes what is coherent with “common sense”: a balanced diet with sufficient quantities of fruit and vegetables and some proteins is an effective tool in reducing stress.

Vitamin and mineral supplements can be effective if your food regimen doesn't hold a considerable quantity of chemicals that help decrease stress. Serotonin, for instance, is a brain chemical that helps stimulate tranquility. A diet that already has it, or that has the compounds that help the brain create it, helps the body in fighting stress.

However given that the effects are somewhat postponed (it takes about 30 minutes for serotonin's effect to start to happen) and continues for quite a few hours (about three hours), timing is also essential.

Serotonin levels are frequently higher in the break of day, but they begin to diminish in the late hours of daylight. You can assist the process of increasing serotonin by changing your diet. Try eating a late afternoon snack of low fat pretzels for example. Baked, instead of fried potato chips help fuel serotonin production.

Stress is linked to nutrition in other ways too. It doesn't just reduce helpful neurotransmitters - it also promotes counter-productive habits as well. Some people begin eating excessive amounts of high fatty foods to counteract stress symptoms. But some studies have shown  that high fatty foods slow down or inhibit serotonin levels instead.

Moderate intake is key and wise for other reasons. Just as insufficient exercise leads to poor fitness, consuming too many calories worsens the damage because as you gain weight, your body image can suffer and lead to a poor self-image. The end result is increased stress and sometimes even depression.

Breaking the cycle requires real work, but it carries double rewards. As you become more fit, you lessen the physical effects of stress-induced biochemicals. You also improve the health and look of your body which in turn, helps to create a body image that lifts your mood. That kind of investment into your very own well being is well worth the effort required to break the cycle (and any reason for that matter).

A regular eating schedule is also helpful. When people are stressed, they'll often skip meals. Too often, stress on the job complicates things further because it will shorten the time available for scheduled meals. That behavior has a compounding effect. Here again, you need to break the cycle by making a commitment to a healthy lifestyle.

During meals, focus on the positive things in your life and environment. Make a conscious decision to set aside whatever internal or external factors are contributing to stress.

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