Think About Anti-Stress Meals And Drinks!

Ingredient Spotlight 30 October 2017

Why does my body get stressed?

Stress is our body’s natural protection mechanism. When faced with an emergency situation, you release hormones including adrenaline and cortisol.
Hormones make your heart rate accelerate all of a sudden, they increase your blood pressure and breathing to adapt to and manage stress. They also increase the amount of sugar in the blood to provide you with immediate energy.
Your brain has too much blood circulating to make good decisions.
Your digestive organs are on “pause” in order to allow the energy to move towards the legs if you have to run away or towards your arms if you have to make your way out of somewhere.
Stress is a state of positive adaptation, but it becomes negative if it sets in permanently. Here are some natural tips you can adopt to limit the negative effects linked to stress (weight loss, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.). 

Stop the vicious circle of stress with the help of magnesium

Stress uses up enormous amounts of magnesium. With its relaxing effect, magnesium prevents your heart from racing and your muscles from tetanising. If your magnesium supply is too low, your body can no longer manage to adapt and becomes increasingly stressed, then the vicious circle sets in…You’ll now realise that the first thing to do is eat magnesium-rich food with each meal, like those in the list below. 

The best sources of magnesium: dried or dehydrated seaweed, wholemeal grains (rice or corn bran, and flours made from soya, chickpea, rye, buckwheat, flakemeal, millet or barley), unsweetened cocoa, oleaginous fruits and grains (flaxseed, sage, Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, poppy-seeds, chia seeds, almonds and soya, etc), herbs and spices (fennel, cumin, poppy-seeds, coriander, saffron and cloves, etc.), legumes (mung, white, red, flageolet, and broad beans, chick peas, lentils and split peas…), and some mineral waters. 
Tips: In addition to being rich in magnesium, oleaginous fruits and grains can be added to all your savoury and sweet foods. Get into the habit of grinding them so you can sprinkle them over a drink, yoghurt, compote, salad, gratin or even a piece of fish.
These “healthy foods” keep for a long time. They’re easy to carry and a source of omega-3. 

Omega-3 oils reduce your cortisol levels

Cortisol occupies the top spot among the stress hormones.

In the morning, your cortisol level is naturally at its highest, it then decreases as the day goes on and fatigue begins to set in.
From midnight, it increases again so that it can reach its peak in the morning and help you to wake up feeling healthy.
Omega-3 oils improve blood circulation to give the organs effective nourishment. They also increase the level of serotonin “the happy hormone” which is the opposite of cortisol, “the stress hormone”.

Increasing your daily omega-3 consumption prevents inflammation and protects you from cardiovascular diseases.

Don’t forget to add good fat to your dishes without feeling guilty; it’s for the benefit of your health!

 

The best plant-based sources of omega-3: seasoning oils (linseed, nut, rapeseed, soy, wheatgerm, etc), oleaginous fruits and grains (chia, linseed, nut, soy, pecan nut and sesame seeds, etc.)

The best animal-based sources of omega-3: oils and fish: salmon, sardines, cod liver, herring, mackerel, caviar, lumpfish eggs, mullet and eel, etc.).

Note that omega-3 oils are very sensitive to heat and light.

Recommendations:

  • To preserve your seasoning oils, you should store them in your refrigerator door shelf.
  • Avoid roasted and salted oleaginous fruits and grains.
  • Put at least 2 fish meals on your menu each week, including an oily fish rich in omega-3.

 

Soothing medicinal plants

Nature provides us with numerous medicinal herbs and plants with calming, relaxing and sedative qualities. They are ideal for alleviating the main symptoms of stress and anxiety.

The passionflower, Valerian root, lime-flower, hawthorn and even camomile are effective in combating stress and help to induce sleep.

Prepare yourself 1 litre of anti-stress herbal tea in advance; leave it to cool in the fridge and you’ll be able to take it with you and drink it all day long!

 

Plus, think about doing regular physical exercise which, like omega-3 oils, helps to release “the happy hormone”.

There are also countless stress management techniques and supports that can help you manage stress such as deep breathing, relaxation, meditation, yoga, cardiac coherence, acupuncture and hypnosis…

 

By LAURANE CHAÏEB, NUTRITIONIST

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