Are You Feeling Stressed? Fix It With Food
By Jed Diamond©
2007
Although we sing songs this time of year about peace on earth and
good will toward men, we often feel stressed. From Halloween until
New Year we are rushing to get things done. In nature, this is a
time when everything slows down. Animals find cozy places to
hibernate or burrow. Leaves fall and growing things get ready for a
winter’s slumber. While the rest of nature quiets down, humans speed
up. It’s no wonder we feel overwhelmed. Many people deal with stress
by taking pills or drinking alcoholic beverages. I suggest you can
fix it with food. Here’s how.
If
you’re like me, I often eat when I’m stressed. My thoughts turn to
“comfort” foods, most of which were introduced into my life when I
was a kid in need of comfort. When I felt down when I was six I ate
a whole tray of cinnamon rolls. At thirteen I craved ice cream. We
had an ice cream parlor near our house (isn’t that a lovely sounding
phrase? Remember when there were ice cream parlors?). I loved
hot-fudge Sundays and strawberry delights. If I was really down I’d
order “the special” which consisted of 10 scoops in my choice of
flavors, four toppings, nuts, and as many cherries as they could fit
on top. As I got older I became more sophisticated in my tastes for
comfort.
But
that’s not the kind of fix it food I’m talking about. I’m thinking
more about Hippocrates way of fixing things when he said “Let your
food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food.” In a recent
article in Men’s Health magazine, Phillip Rhodes suggests some
alternative comfort food.
THE
PROBLEM: Low-Level Depression
A
Starbucks Chantico may boost your mood temporarily, but it won’t
improve your long-term outlook.
THE
FIX: Eat 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed daily. It’s the best source
of alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA — a healthy fat that improves the
workings of the cerebral cortex, the area of the brain that
processes sensory information, including that of pleasure, says
Jean-Marie Bourre, Ph.D., a nutrition researcher at Hospital Fernand
Widal, in Paris. For best results grind it yourself. To meet your
quota, sprinkle it on salads, vegetables, and cereal, or mix it in a
smoothie or shake.
THE
PROBLEM: Irritability and Rising Blood Pressure
Some of
us are always close to the boiling point. And new research from the
Netherlands may explain why. The scientists discovered that besides
the obvious factors — obesity, lack of physical activity, and high
salt consumption — diets containing too little potassium were the
primary cause of hypertension. In their analysis, the scientists
used 3,500 mg daily as the cutoff for defining a low potassium
intake. The average intake for a man in his 30s? Only 3,100 mg. And
it gets worse as we age.
THE
FIX: Add a half cup of beans, a banana, or a handful of raisins to
your daily diet. Each will increase your potassium intake by about
400 mg a day, boosting you above that 3,500 mg benchmark.
THE
PROBLEM: You’re a workaholic
You
spend too much time at the office. Your food choices are dictated by
what you can eat fast. The results are a bulging waist-line and
clogged arteries. Don’t let long days at your desk undermine your
healthy eating habits.
THE
FIX: Order an inexpensive minifridge and have it shipped directly to
your office. (Rhodes likes the GE Spacemaker Compact Refrigerator;
$130 at homedepot.com.) Stock it with food you won’t be ashamed to
carry into a meeting: pints of milk; individual packets of string
cheese; a few ounces of turkey; and a couple of in-case-of-emergency
microwave meals, such as Healthy Choice, Smart Ones, and South Beach
brands.
THE
PROBLEM: Tension and anger with your spouse
You’re
doing your best to take care of business. Your spouse is upset
because…Well, your way of taking care of business doesn’t sit well
with your partner. Dinner-time together is not something you’re
looking forward to with joy.
THE
FIX: Grilled salmon–for two. Eating fish rich in omega-3 fatty
acids–salmon, mackerel, trout–can lower the likelihood of feelings
of hostility by almost 20 percent, according to a recent study by
Kaiser Permanente, a California-based health-care provider.
THE
PROBLEM: Late night news makes you want to scream
As if
your day wasn’t stressful enough you end it with a half hour of
mayhem and violence which makes you want to kill someone or move to
New Zealand. You head for the fridge and are prepared to eat
whatever is inside.
THE
FIX: Eat a piece of fruit. Any kind of fruit is fine–the sugar in it
will give you the little burst of energy that your
adrenaline-charged body is craving. But go for oranges in
particular, says Pam Peeke, M.D., M.P.H., an assistant professor of
medicine at the University of Maryland. "Most people get manually or
orally fixated when they’re stressed out–that’s why some people
smoke," she says. Or why they fail to notice they emptied an entire
bag of Doritos in just under 49 seconds. Peeling an orange will keep
your hands and mouth busy.
THE
PROBLEM: Can’t sleep without a pill.
Many of
us lead such stressed lives, we are sure the only way we can sleep
is to pop a pill. Otherwise we toss and turn all night.
THE
FIX: Oatmeal and a banana. The constant release of stress chemicals
into your system may be interfering with production of the
sleep-promoting hormone melatonin. Give your body a boost by
whipping up a bowl of instant oatmeal and topping it with a sliced
banana. Melatonin is found in only a few foods, and these are two of
them.
Try
some of these stress reducers and let us know what works for you. If
you have other suggestions let us know so we can give them a try.
Which healthy foods help you relax and reduce stress?
For more information, please visit
www.menalive.com
or
www.writtenvoices.com.
Jed Diamond is the author of seven books, including the best seller
Male Menopause (Sourcebooks, 1997), which has now been translated
into 16 foreign languages. His forthcoming book is entitled "The
Irritable Male Syndrome" (Rodale, 2004). He has lent his expertise
to such programs as "The View" with Barbara Walters and "Good
Morning America" with Charles Gibson. See his Web site at menalive.com for more valuable information on living long and well.
The best way to reach Jed is by e-mail:
Jed@menalive.com.
He also has an online newsletter and information through his web site:
http://www.menalive.com.
