We live in a society that thrives on fast-paced action. Rather than relaxing, we Go! Go! Go! - sometimes to the detriment of our health.  I recently conducted a sold out workshop for stressed out busy men and women who are looking for tips on how diet and lifestyle can help manage stress.  I thought that would make this a perfect time to share with you how your nutrition is intimately connected to your stress levels.

What is stress?

The word “stress” was first used by endocrinologist Hans Seyle in the 1930s to identify physiological responses in lab animals.  Afterwards, the concept was broadened to include the responses of human adaption to everyday life challenges.  It is worth noting that these life challenges or events can be positive or negative.  Examples include falling in love, falling out of love, career changes (up or down), feeling stuck in an unwanted career, moving, illness, graduation, having children, death of a loved one, and many more, as I’m sure you’ve experienced.

So what’s the big deal?

A little stress never hurt… right?  Wrong.  Below is an incomplete list of the symptoms associated with stress:

Cravings for salt, refined carbohydrates, alcohol. Then, feeling moody after consuming these foods.
Easily induced irritability
Dizziness
Sensitivity to light
Heart palpitations
Weight fluctuation
Tendency to startle
Muscle twitches
Low blood sugar
Low blood pressure
Lower back pain
Premature aging
Tired but wired
Knee pain
Cystic breasts
Dry, unhealthy, skin
Acne
Chronic Infections

The Progression

The adrenal glands that sit on top of the kidneys are powerful! They are the control center for healthy body functioning.  During healthy adrenal function, when our bodies experience stress, our adrenal glands secrete a hormones called Norepinephrine (also known as adrenaline) and Cortisol. These hormones can be useful in immediately stressful situations because they give us a quick burst of energy in order to survive (picture your heightened response if a tiger were chasing you), increase memory function, increase immunity, and lower sensitivity to pain. This periodic short term stress where Cortisol levels are only briefly raised does not seem to have a negative impact on the body. It is when Cortisol is constantly raised, due to chronic stress, that problems arise.

So what happens when our stress is so constant that our adrenal functions start to wane, a process known as Adrenal Fatigue?

Stage 1: In the first stage of Adrenal Fatigue, cortisol output remains high.  One may feel like she has “too much” energy: she may wake up frequently, experience weight fluctuations, endure frequent colds, and become impatient and irritable. 

Stage 2: In the second stage of Adrenal Fatigue, the engine is on idle.  That is, there’s fuel left but reserves are running low.  Cortisol levels remain low most of the day because they’ve been depleted during Stage 1.  However, cortisol output remains in a normal range. As a result, one may try to avoid confrontation, feel very tired and though quite stressed, be functional. There also tends to be increased cases of anxiety and mild depression in this stage.

Stage 3: In the third stage of Adrenal Fatigue, one experiences complete exhaustion.  Cortisol levels are very low - out of the normal range - all day long.  One may feel weepy almost all the time, have a sense of hopelessness, and have very little tolerance for any amount of stress.

Unbalanced Eating Habits Perpetuate Stress

In Chinese medicine, foods are categorized on a sliding scale ranging from Contractive (Yang) to Expansive (Yin) foods.  The more one eats towards the extremes of the scale, the more he or she will crave foods at the opposite extreme, creating a perpetual cycle. For example, if someone is eating a lot of salt and meat and cheese and not balancing her diet with vegetables and other neutral foods, she is likely to crave foods at the opposite end of the spectrum such as sugar, caffeine, and alcohol, foods considered expansive. 

These cravings, as well as adding these foods to our diets in abundance, not only adversely affect our stress levels when we unduly chastise ourselves for eating too much of what we wish we hadn’t, but also affect our bodies basic functioning by perpetuating cycles of nutritional imbalance.

Lifestyle Habits that Exacerbate Stress

Similarly, the person who “works hard” - you know: perfectionist mentality, over-exerciser, pulls all-nighters, unhappy at work but works too much - will likely “play hard” (i.e. party hard all the time, socialize with crowds s/he don’t necessarily enjoy, harbor negativity and fester negative feelings).

This kind of lifestyle often leads to eating fast and on the go, eating out rather than in, and eating more ‘energy’ foods with carbs and sugars and caffeine rather than whole foods, fruits, veggies.  This leads to similar issues like those mentioned above and, just like before, make us more stressed out.

Eating Away Stress

There is no easy answer to dealing with stress, of course, but there can be little doubt that what we eat affects our stress levels on an emotional and chemical level.  A good, instructive guide to starting to eat well has been created by Ed Bauman, founder of Bauman College, and is called the “Eating for Health” model.  Bauman recommends foods that are whole, organic, seasonal, and local; those, he says, are key when selecting foods that nourish our mental well-being the most - and, thus, minimize stress levels.

Step 1: Be Mindful of Minerals
People with adrenal fatigue often crave salt.  Low blood pressure is a common sign of adrenal fatigue because high levels of cortisol decrease production of a steroid hormone called aldosterone, which is part of blood pressure regulation.  Decreased aldosterone leads to lower blood pressure.  Low aldosterone also causes electrolyte imbalance and can further exacerbate salt cravings, lower blood pressure, create an irregular heart beat, or increase lethargy and thirst.

Always check with a health practitioner before including more salt in your diet, but for someone with adrenal fatigue and low blood pressure, quality sea salt can actually help.  One brand I like to use is called Real Salt because it contains more than 50 trace minerals that are beneficial to the body. This is unlike most table salts which have been processed, bleached and stripped of their minerals. 

Sea Vegetables are another amazing food source with minerals that help with adrenal fatigue. They are naturally “salty” with tons of minerals.  Don’t know how to cook sea vegetables?  Buy Dulse flakes at the food store and sprinkle them on food just as you would salt.  Dark leafy greens like kale, swiss chard, and collards, are full of minerals that are great for adrenal functioning and health in general.

Step 2: Power with Protein
According to Chinese medicine, sardines, clams, crabs, and pastured eggs are particularly nourishing for the kidneys.  Other high quality protein sources like grass fed meat, sustainable seafood, beans, nuts, seeds, and certain types of dairy, for those who can tolerate it, like plain Kefir, are great for the adrenals.  Small amounts of protein three times a day for meals and ideally at two snacks are great for keeping blood sugar regular and, as a result, the body in a calmer state. 

Step 3: Fuel with Fat
Overcome the fear of cooking with fat.  See my past blog on coconut oil regarding the myths surrounding some types of saturated fats.  The fats to avoid are trans fats.  Unrefined coconut oil and organic butter have high smoking temperatures and are safe to cook with because they are less likely to become rancid and create inflammation in the body.  Olive oil is great for light sauteing or use in salad dressings. 

Step 4: Go Grainy
Instead of: refined carbs, refined bread, refined wheat, white flour, white rice, and refined cereals….
Choose: brown rice, quinoa, millet, amaranth, steel cut oats, sprouted bread

Step 5: Nature over Fakers
Instead of choosing foods that give you a “fake” boost: coffee, soda, alcohol, energy drinks…
Choose: Water with lemon, herbal teas, kombucha, vegetable juices

Step 6: Eat at Prime Time
For those with adrenal fatigue, the timing of meals is just as important as the meals.
Breakfast: the most crucial meal of the day.  Ideally, breakfast should be eaten within one hour of waking to restore blood sugar. 
AM Snack: as needed, ideally with protein. 
Lunch: Ideally between 11am and noon.
PM Snack: Between 2pm and 3pm to ward off the late afternoon lull, ideally with protein.
Dinner: A light dinner around 6pm or no later than 8pm.

Step 7: Seek Support
The other More of Me to Love experts, Golda and Andrew, always have fabulous tips on how to exercise and live life with a good work/life balance.  Light to moderate exercise is best for those who are stressed out, rather than intense exercise, as this only stresses the body out more.  Ideally 8-9 hours of sleep is best. 

Seek support from holistic practitioners on how to balance work and life, and on how to explore alternative routes of healing such as using acupuncture to repair adrenal functioning. My favorite acupuncturist in the Bay area is Adam Wiscomb from Middle Path Acupuncture.  He does amazing work and I highly recommend him, from personal experience.

Remember! Perfection causes stress. If you are feeling stressed, especially if you suspect adrenal fatigue, do your best 80% of the time and allow 20% of your work to not be perfect. Not perfect doesn’t mean bad. It’s just not perfect.  For more information on adrenal fatigue and how to Eat Away Stress, please contact me.

Also, enjoy the latest blogs and see what other great and healthy tips we have for you this week.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Catherine, a Holistic Health Counselor, trained at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition in association with Columbia University and is a certified Nutrition Educator from Bauman College. She works on health goals in areas such as natural weight equilibrium, food cravings, sleep, energy and digestion.

If you are interested in personalized nutrition consultations for vibrant health, Catherine offers a free initial health history session for both local and distant clients - her furthest client, so far, lives in Spain! Please .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Also, check out her other blog.