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Stress And Your Diet

By: Jeff Foster A great way to deal with one's stress is to engage in some sort of exercise. In fact, combining a bit of regular exercise with a proper diet makes for a great defense against the onset of chronic stress.

Studies involving the effects and outcomes of nutrition are difficult to accurately assess and interpret at best... as the most current study seems to contradict earlier ones. However, over the years, the common thread between nutrition and stress is that a well balanced diet is an ally in reducing the amount of stress.

If your eating habits leave your diet short short of essential nutrients, even supplements appear to be a helpful resource in mitigating stress. For example, serotonin is a chemical present in the brain that promotes calm. If your diet contains foods with this compound or includes foods that assists the brain in producing it; you'll have a leg up on stress.

You may not notice a cause and effect relationship between serotonin and stress relief because the effects of an up tick in serotonin levels takes several minutes to take effect... although it will last for several hours.

The levels of serotonin are generally higher in the morning, but tend to decrease by the late afternoon. You can assist your body to maintain this level by adjusting your eating habits accordingly. A healthy late afternoon snack for example can help stimulate serotonin and get you back on track.

For some, stress and diet can come together and form a vicious circle. For example, some people when feeling stressed have a tendency to not only eat, but eat foods that are high in fat. This is not a good habit to get into, not only from a diet perspective but stress as well. Some studies indicate that higher fat foods are acutally counter productive to the production of serotonin and thus only add to the duration of the stress itself.

As with anything moderation is the key; but for other reasons too. Excessive calories are difficult to burn off and as the person becomes increasingly overweight, their body and their self image can begin to spiral downward. As a result this can begin to effect one's self image which ultimately opens the door for stressful thinking. If this trend isn't reverserved the individual runs the risk of entering a state of depression.

Although breaking this cycle can be a difficult task it is more than worth the effort. Becoming more fit helps reduce the effects of the stress induced chemicals in your body. Also, as you improve your fitness and your eating habits you'll be developing a body that you are proud of and thus elevating your overall mood.

One of the tools available to help break a cycle of poor nutrition is to get into the habit of eating at as regular times as you possibly can. Many times when people are stressed they will skip meals or toss back some unhealthy food at a rapid pace.

Today work schedules can be counter productive to proper nutrition as well only adding to the natural stress of the workplace itself. A busy schedule, time lines and expectations to meet, meetings over the lunch hour all have a cumulative effect on our level of stress and make it difficult to break the stress cycle. You need to make a commitment to engaging in a healthy nutritious lifestyle.

Take the time to enjoy your meal. Focus positive aspects of your life and your environment. Make sure you take time for yourself to spend time away from the external stress agents in your life that are the contributors.

Take the time to do some additional research on the relationship between the stress you feel and the diet you're engaged in... you'll be glad you did.

Article Source: http://www.lifeweightloss.com

For more important information on stress reduction, wellness information and other topics on your health, be sure to visit 0-stress.com where we provide a variety of stress treatment information and so much more.

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