You are what you eat. While not a news flash, did you know that certain foods and chemicals, like caffeine, can make you more stressed, while others, like cashews, contain tryptophan and other vitamins and minerals that neutralize cortisol, the stress hormone? We have worked to Re-Train the brain through breath work and meditation. Now, in Week 3, we get a sense of how what we eat can affect our mood and our stress levels.
Medical research has linked chronic stress to obesity. In a study done by Department of Physiology and Neuroscience Program, University of California, San Francisco, two groups were given a high fat, sugar-laden carbohydrate-based diet. While the two groups ate identically, the group with stress gained three times more weight than the group without stress. Why?
The body under stress prepares immediate defenses, however, when under chronic stress, the body prepares for a long siege in which food supply is crucial to survival. The brain actually increases cravings for high fat and sugar-laden carbohydrates to increase the fat supply. At the same time, it increases the amount of fats to be stored, so in case of a long protracted siege, the body can survive from fat stores.
While this may make sense for primitive man (who lived primarily on animal protein, plants, and a questionable next meal-timetable) increasing the likelihood of choosing high carbohydrate fruits, it can become life-threatening to modern-day man who has junk food readily available and will probably not face a shortage of food supply. In short, stress may be one of the main underlying factors for the current Western epidemic of obesity.
Cravings, in themselves, are not bad. We note that pregnant women become very in tune with their cravings and often crave the foods with the nutrients needed for healthy mother and child. By using these cravings as guideposts, we can create healthier diets, naturally and easily. There are healthy, stress-relieving alternatives to carbo-loading cravings. Cravings can be satisfied and, like your brain, re-trained.
Substitutions can easily be integrated into your daily lifestyle. Try keeping cashews at work to substitute for the afternoon bag of potato chips. Substitute (real) maple syrup for sugar in your coffee (delicious). Add Omega3's and Complex B vitamin supplements for brain function and a serotonin boost. Turkey jerkey, dark chocolate covered strawberries, pineapple and apricots added to the diet will not only be delicious and satisfying but stress-busting. By making even slight adjustments, you can help your body—especially the brain—towards increased focus, clarity and energy, and, of course, less stress.
(The following dietary suggestions are not for the purpose of losing weight. If you suffer from food allergies, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure or any other disease or condition, consult your physician.)
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