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Stress Busting Diet to Help You Manage Stress

By Cindy Papp

Republish: EasyPublish™
Published: 14Oct2008
Word count: 653
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With today's lifestyle and economy, we all would benefit by learning ways to manage stress. Many of us are aware that we need to control stress - and for good reason. Stress is linked to depression and many other life threatening diseases including heart disease, lung disease and cancer.

Harmful internal toxins are created during times of high stress. When overly excited, angry or afraid, your body releases chemicals throughout. Ever felt butterflies in your stomach every time you think of a certain person or circumstance? This is the release of harmful internal toxins.

As these extreme emotions happen to many of us on a daily basis, these chemicals are released daily as well. They will build up over time. Now you have the daily emotional issues and the built up internal toxins that add to and hold in fear and stress.

Added to these toxins are the chemicals in processed and junk foods. Eating the wrong foods will create a harmful cycle of creating toxins, adding more through your food, which makes you feel worse, so you stress and create more toxins, and so on. Our wellbeing is in jeopardy and stress management becomes more important since our health is in jeopardy.

One of the easiest and most cost effective ways to start managing stress levels is by watching the foods you eat. Have you ever eaten foods that make you feel tired, fatigued or even cranky afterward? Or maybe you've noticed that when you eat lighter, you have more energy and are more mentally alert.

Unfortunately, many of us eat the wrong things (like "comfort foods") or don't eat at all when we are nervous, upset, anxious, or depressed. This normally leads to a cycle of further depression and feeling out of control.

Since stress is both emotional and physical, it is during these times that we should take special care of our ourselves. Start taking care of your self and start stress management by making some changes in your diet. It is more important than you might think. Here's why...

The food you eat can make or break your wellbeing, both physically and mentally. For example, caffeine and sodium can raise your blood pressure, while sugar can cause "the blues." Many processed and junk foods contain these substances in high amounts, which can alter our feelings and, in turn, make life seem harder to deal with therefore more stressful.

At the same time, the wrong foods may cause your body to create excess insulin and higher cortisone levels, which are associated with depression. These can be created by over-eating or eating excess white flour, excess white sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, caffeine, aspartame, monosodium glutamate, and so on.

Many processed and packaged foods contain these in excess amounts. Therefore, they are best avoided during times of stress. They can make you feel more hopeless without the energy to change your situation.

On the bright side - there are physical aspects of stress that you can easily control. Consider this - the nutrients in the food you eat can help your body produce dopamine and serotonin for your brain, which are instrumental for feelings of well being and relaxation. These nutrients can be found in foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Some of the best food examples are tomatoes, bananas and brown rice.

We can also get essential nutrients needed for healthy brain function from essential fatty acids, green superfoods and other highly balanced proteins found in foods like sprouts and nuts. Each of these provides the nutrients necessary for your body to function properly, which helps to stop the stress toxins from building up and keeping you down.

Start your cycle of stress relief and manage your stress starting today. You don't need a prescription, just a new grocery list. Treat yourself to health so you can stay happy and healthy and bust the stress of modern times.

Cindy is a Certified Nutritional Counselor. Get more stress relief tips and learn how to stay all around healthy with a body cleanse before your health is adversely affected.

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