	Article Directory		Article Submission Service		Article Marketing Blog		Publishers		Member Log In

Article Directory :: Food & Drink Articles

Stress and Your Diet

By Patrick Carpen

Republish: EasyPublish™
Published: 07Nov2009
Word count: 567
Viewed: 185 time(s)

Get Free Content For Your Site

Today's lifestyle is full of stress. Competitive work stress, family and home stress, and even stress from leisure activities such as softball leagues, can add up to make life unhealthy for the most health-minded of us all. There are some foods that will help take some of the stress off your body so that your mind can do its thing.

Milk is one of the most underrated antioxidants around today. Whole milk is nearly completely absent from the American household and skim has been relegated to cooking and breakfast cereals only. Yes just a glass of milk a day helps reduce stress and stave off depression. Milk is an excellent source of vitamin D. Lack of vitamin D has been linked to depression. Vitamin D is also produced by the body when exposed to sunlight. During long winter months—when there is not a lot of sun—a nice glass of milk helps to boost your vitamin D levels.

Bringing your own snacks to work is a big help, too. Carrot sticks and broccoli florets are two favorites. Vegetables contain vitamins that our bodies need when we have a lot of stress. They also contain potassium for endurance and to help calm our nerves. Also remember that having veggies as a snack is much less fattening than say, that snack cake—which will give you a sugar rush then leave you depleted and tired. Vegetables will give you the long term energy you need to get through the day.

Fruits, particularly citrus fruits, are good stress fighters as well. Vitamin C helps to fortify our bodies and reinforce our immune system against colds and infections. Let's face it, as if life wasn't stressful enough, who needs to do a presentation with a head cold?

Try replacing that second or third cup of coffee with a cup of chicken soup. Chicken soup is not only a comfort food, but it is a very valuable stress relieving tool and easy to take with you to work in a thermos. Chicken soup is low in fat and is chock-full with iron. Some of the components in chicken soup have been found to have an anti-inflammatory effect on the body, thus relieving stress. You also have the added benefit of the sense of hominess that comes with the aroma of the chicken broth wafting up from the mug. Talk about a bonus!

Spicy foods—more accurately peppers and spicy herbs—release endorphins into the brain causing a sense of well being. Even if you don't really have anything to feel good about, wouldn't it be nice to feel that way regardless?

Proteins are the backbone of muscle-building, but they are also directly responsible for fueling our everyday lives and keeping us going. Replacing the candy jar with a bowl of mixed nuts is highly recommended. Up your fish intake as well, as fish contain Omega 3—which has been shown to be a stress reliever. Fish is also a great source of protein. Just do the gang at the office a favor and leave the cans of sardines at home.

Just these few changes in dietary habit can have a good affect on your health in the long term. In fact, if you think about it, most of these changes have the added benefit of tasting better than their snack food counter-parts. Plus, it just feels nicer.

If you're looking for recipes, take a look at the Platinum Recipes Collection. The Platinum Recipes Collection is the Internet's Most Comprehensive Recipes Collection.

EasyPublish™ this article - publishers click here