Almost everyone has to bear stress in his or her life and there are different ways of describing it. American Institute of Stress describes it as the body’s response to change. In case, someone is facing chronic stress, then risks of hypertension, cardiovascular diseases and stroke increases many times. However, you can manage stress by having proper nutritional diet in conjunction with right type of relaxation techniques.
Managing Stress with Nutrition and Diet
Step 1
The first thing you will have to do is reduce or if possible totally remove intake of caffeinated beverages. The reason is that caffeine increases stress hormone levels and worsen the chronic stress problem you have. You can instead drink other beverages like juices or decaffeinated drinks. In addition to it, try to drink more water, at least 64 oz per day to remain hydrated as well as to assist the body in properly managing stress.
Step 2
You need to take a good breakfast everyday so that you do not feel hungry later on in the day and start taking unhealthy food. A healthy breakfast is important and it should have fruit juices, egg whites to get lean protein and whole grain items like oatmeal. In case you are short on time in the morning then make a quick yogurt, which should be low on fat and have things like fresh fruits, juice or milk. The benefit of having a healthy breakfast is that it supplies the body with right amount of nutrients to handle stress properly.
Step 3
In terms of selecting which food items to eat, select the ones, which are minimally processed and are rich in nutrients. Some examples would be lean meat, legumes, whole grains and fresh fruits. For dealing with stress effects, it is important to have a diet that has Vitamin B in it and eating greater amount of vegetables and fruits will meet your body’s Vitamin B requirement. Additionally, try to take smaller meals all throughout the day and always eat slowly.
Step 4
You need to select food items, which lower fatigue caused by stress. These food items have enough iron and some examples would be spinach, red meat and raisins. Other ingredient of these food items is folate that reduces exhaustion caused in body because of stress. To cope up with stress you need to add Vitamin C, proteins and magnesium in your diet.
Summary:
Food plays an important role in tackling stress, and if diet has right amount of nutrients and vitamins, then it becomes easier for the body to fight stress.
