Diet And Stress

Stress affects our lives in different ways. People often think that stress causes havoc in their diet programs. Feeling low and depressed can cause one to binge on food that is sweets, snacks, and other food high in carbohydrates and fats. However, there are cases when the opposite happens. Our diets could be causing us physical stress. There are some types of food that when consumed affects our physical well-being and when it is part of our regular diet can cause us discomfort.

Food and mood

One major factor that links mood to food and vice-versa is the serotonin levels in our brain. Serotonin is a hormone that plays a big part in regulating the way we feel and how our body reacts to these emotions. The amino acid tryptophan combined with vitamin B creates serotonin. Basically, the building blocks of protein are amino acids.

It is a common misconception that increasing protein intake will also increase the levels of tryptophan in our body and thereby give us more serotonin. There are other amino acids that travel to our brain and since tryptophan is weaker than most, only a small percentage of this actually makes it to our brain. It is actually a diet that is high in carbohydrates that raises the levels of serotonin, making us feel content and calm.

When we are stressed, our body releases another type of hormone, cortisol. This hormone triggers neurotransmitters that will make us crave for carbo-high foods but also decreases our serotonin levels. The reason why cortisol production takes precedence over serotonin is because our body anticipates the intake of carbohydrates, which will increase our serotonin.

Here are some tips on how you can remove stress in your life through diet:

• Balanced diet; a nutritious and balanced eating program is one's best defense from stress. There are a lot of scientific research on how our diet affects our moods, energy, and mental functions.
• Healthy Carbohydrates; if you are craving due to stress you can consume "whole" or complex carbs such as grains, vegetables, and fruits rather than on snacks and sweets. These carb sources will also provide you with other nutrients.
• Omega3 fatty acid; fish and certain plant food like ground flaxseed and canola contain omega3. There are some research that suggests a connection between omega3 and our mood. Although these are not proven, it is most probable scientifically. Depression rates are usually high among people who are omega3 deficient and low in areas where the populace commonly have omega3 in their diets.
• Reduce/Eliminate Caffeine; caffeine stimulates us in more ways than one. It affects our bladder and bowels aide from increasing temporarily our energy level. However, for people who are caffeine sensitive, the unnatural high they feel will soon be replaced with depression as soon as the effects wear off. Some studies show that the energy levels and mood of caffeine sensitive people improve once caffeine is removed from their diet.
• Have breakfast...daily; having a meal in the morning helps regulate your mood during the day and makes you less prone to crave for foods during the day.
• Frequent, smaller meals; eating smaller amount of food in frequent intervals helps sustain your energy the whole day and prevents you from feeling hungry or tired.
• Alcohol does not help; a lot of people believe that drinking alcohol is a good way to relieve stress and relax. Unfortunately, it is not healthy and it actually acts as a depressant. The more you have alcohol in your body, the more you add stress to your life.

It is important that we find ways to cope with the different stresses in our lives. A healthy diet, exercise, and enough rest can help us manage our emotions. Some factors like quitting smoking, getting good supportive friends, and a positive attitude can also improve the way we live, maintain our diet, and remove stress in our life.

Taking into consideration the food we eat and determining the causes of our stress is a good way to start. Once we have done that we will find it easier to manage our diet as well as keep our stress levels low.