Reduce stress by eating
Reduce stress by eating! It is almost inconceivable that you are never exposed to stress. To prevent this stress from becoming chronic and driving you towards burnout, a proper diet can certainly help you. Yet nutrition as a supporting element of recovery still receives too little attention. Although it can never be the only solution for stress or burnout complaints, it is an important component to get a grip on this. Food to avoid in case of stress complaints and burnout Sugar: a lot of sugar – due to the fast insulin response – throws your blood sugar level and therefore your energy level out of balance. But also sweeteners and therefore all foods that contain sugar: cane sugar, granulated sugar, corn syrup, glucose (syrup), fructose, HFCS, milk sugar, soft drinks and concentrated fruit juices. Caffeinated drinks: They increase your already elevated cortisol level and increase a feeling of stress or edginess. All industrially processed food products. Too much saturated fats, including trans fats and processed fats such as in cookies and pastries. Foods to which you are hypersensitive or addicted. Alcohol, nicotine and stimulants should of course be avoided. Recommended food for stress and burnout ‘Eat fresh, organic, pure and natural’, that is a guideline that you should always use. If you neglect this, your defenses will also disappear and you will be more susceptible to negative stress. Minerals: Calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium are macro elements. Magnesium is the anti-stress mineral because it has a relaxing and calming effect on muscles and blood vessels. The balance between calcium and magnesium ensures the balance in the body of tension and relaxation. Magnesium can be found in: nuts (cashew, almonds), bananas, raisins, avocado, seeds, kelp, garlic, seaweed, shellfish, whole grains, quinoa and bitter chocolate. In addition, manganese, zinc, chromium and selenium are also important minerals for our body. Omega 3 fatty acids: These play a positive role in the regulation of serotonin production in the brain, which is important for a feeling of calm and self-confidence. Omega 3 is found in walnuts, linseed and oily fish such as salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring and eel. Green tea: This tea contains L-theanine, an amino acid with a positive effect on dopamine and serotonin, which determines your mood. Vitamin B: Different members of the vitamin B family have an impact on varying aspects of stress adaptation physiology. Persistent stress robs your B vitamins. Vitamin B can be found in beans, asparagus, peas, mushrooms, brown rice, broccoli, avocado, lentils, eggs, whole grain products, bananas, brown rice, nuts and seeds. Vitamin C: Vitamin C is crucial for adrenal function and for maintaining healthy levels of cortisol and DHEA. The balance between DHEA and cortisol plays a very important role in the prevention of burnout and other stress-related conditions. Broccoli, peppers, garlic, strawberries, watercress, blackberries, citrus fruits, tomatoes, cauliflower and alfalfa are rich in vitamin C. Phytotherapy: Phytotherapy literally means plant medicine or herbal medicine. Like homeopathy, it is a natural medicine. Certain plants are very useful against stress because they have a calming effect Nutrients to support thyroid function: The thyroid gland is the big regulator of our metabolism. Nutrients important for proper thyroid function reduce the risk of stress complications. Examples include bladderwrack (an algae found along the coasts of Europe and North America) or nutrients containing zinc, vitamins E, A, or D. Products with which you can prepare optimal anti-stress food: Plenty of whole grain products such as oats, rice (basmati or whole rice), muesli, millet, whole wheat and wheat germ, spelt, rye and also bulgur, couscous and polenta. Plenty of vegetables: especially green, red, yellow and violet vegetables and potatoes. Fruits: especially bananas, dates, figs, all kinds of berries, apple and grapes. Oily fish: organic salmon, tuna, herring, sardines and mackerel. High-quality vegetable oils: rapeseed, linseed, walnut, soybean and olive oil. Legumes: beans, lentils, chickpeas and soy. Nuts and seeds. Low-fat dairy products, little meat and little sweets.
Sugar and brains
Sugar and brains Why do I never crave a cherry tomato or piece of carrot as much as I crave chocolate? THANK YOU DOPAMINE! The moment sugar hits your tongue, the sweet taste receptors send signals to the cerebral cortex. From there, our reward system is triggered and dopamine is released. This gives us the pleasant feeling, just like with sex, social interactions and drugs. Addictive effect Too much sugar messes up our dopamine system. As a result, people are increasingly restless in search of the same reward. So overconsumption will give us an addictive effect. Whoever takes cocaine or amphetamines stimulates the same reward circuit as sugar. Fat and sugar, a killer combo Research shows that the effect of sugar offered separately is not that bad. Fatty foods also turned out to be not too bad. But the sugar and fat combo is a killer. More research has yet to show what the two do to each other that makes it such a killer combo that causes obesity. One thing to watch out for are trans fats. The food industry is eager to increase the expiration date of products. However, these trans fats are not recognized by our body and therefore not broken down. In other words: Fresh products are always better! Neurodegeneration through overconsumption On the one hand, our brains cannot do without sugar, our brain runs entirely on glucose. On the other hand, overconsumption promotes neurodegeneration. Take diabetes and Alzheimer’s, for example, these are both often linked. Alzheimer’s, also known as type 3 diabetes Less efficient use of glucose in the brain can contribute to loss of function and death of neurons. In the early stages, the consumption of glucose decreases in the areas of the brain involved in cognition. This occurs first in the areas that are closely linked to many other zones and therefore play a central role. This reduction is due to a loss of nerve cells. A disturbed metabolism of the neurons also plays a role here. Sugaring of the brain If our brain cells are offered too much sugar, they can no longer process all this sugar. Heavy sugar residues then attach themselves to the proteins, causing them to be irreparably damaged. Alzheimer’s is therefore an accumulation of all these residues on proteins between the nerve cells and the brain. Literally: Sugaring of the brain. Brains are more vulnerable than thought Our brains are vulnerable to environmental factors such as particulate matter, but also food. Sugar also sends signals to the brain through our gut. For example, substances that can trigger inflammatory reactions in the brain infiltrate. Cytokines for example. High doses of cytokines were found in people with ALS, depression, Parkinson’s and MS. Is there a link with mental illness, depression and ADHD? There appears to be no association with ADHD. A fun experiment shows that it is mainly between the mother’s ears. The experiment wanted children to play with their mothers. Half of the mothers were told that their child had eaten sugar when they hadn’t. This half of the mothers automatically started being stricter with their child. For the link between stress and burnout and sugar, we would like to refer to the book ‘The corporate wellbeing coach’ or our other blogs. MOODFOOD There seems to be a sugar link in depression. Research has shown a strong association between the consumption of added sugar in soft drinks and snacks, for example, and the development of psychological disorders. Sugar intakes of more than 67 gr per day increases the risk of depression or anxiety by 23% after 5 years. Source: Thomas Detombe – EOS magazine