Registered Dietitian & Diabetes Educator Ujjwala Baxi offers stress-relieving diet tips
We’ve all done it. Reached for the box of chocolates, or tub of ice cream or drink or cigarette when feeling stress. You put a calorie-dense food into your mouth. The result: It shuts off the brain from feeling the negative effects of the stress and you are disconnected from worry temporarily. Isn't it a nice feeling to forget your worries while you are busy spooning ice cream into your mouth?
But what’s wrong with feeling good? Here is the unseen trap! Every time you feel stressed, the body gets conditioned to receiving a pleasure-imparting food. Did you know that high fat and sugary foods activate the same brain regions of reward and pleasure that are active in drug addiction? This kind of neuronal response causes food addiction leading to overeating and obesity.
But such empty calories foods that feel good on the tongue can cause stress to the body, as they lack essential nerve protecting nutrients, heightening that frazzled feeling.
Here are some feel-good foods that taste good and relieve stress.
Low-stress breakfast
First thing in the morning, you reach for your first cup of caffeine and probably some highly processed food such as toast or sugar-loaded cereals. But by the time you reach work, that sugary cereal may have shut down your immune system. The body can only work efficiently with about three teaspoons of sugar in the bloodstream at any given time. Anything over this and your immune system may be suppressed for anything up to six hours. (By the way, did you know that the WHO's recommended daily intake of added sugar is just 10 teaspoons for a woman and 14 for a man and likely to be reduced further). But hidden sugar is everywhere and in such high quantities... for example, drink a can of cola and you've just gulped down more than 7 teaspoons without realising it.) Your body is also on high alert, thanks to the caffeine you drank. Caffeine stays in the body for six hours before it starts to deplete, all the time triggering the release of the stress hormone cortisol, preparing you for fight or flight and compounding your stress problem.
Instead, start your day with Holy Basil (tulsi) tea. According to studies, tulsi helps in maintaining the normal levels of cortisol hormone in the body, which is also known as the stress hormone. High levels of cortisol make you feel stressed out and anxious. Therefore, by lowering cortisol levels, tulsi acts a natural anti-stress herb. This aromatic perennial shrub helps in relieving migraine and other stress related headaches.
Couple your tea with buckwheat (kuttu ka atta) pancakes topped with sliced bananas. The science behind this: Buckwheat pancakes pack flavonoids that may help reduce stress. Top them with some sliced banana, filled with potassium, another stress-buster!
Nourish your nerves
By boosting your intake of vitamins B, C and E, together with minerals magnesium and zinc. The best source of these nutrients is from food, rather than supplements. So eat a balanced diet of white meat, nuts, seeds, fresh fruit and vegetables and oily fish. If you need to snack during the day, try pumpkin or sunflower seeds and fruit, particularly bananas. Fresh organic food is the best source. If you can’t get fresh, frozen vegetables are a reasonable alternative as much of their nutritional content is retained.
Try sauteed asparagus with poached eggs. Eggs are a good source of vitamin D, which can fight depression; they also provide mood-boosting vitamin B. Asparagus is filled with tryptophan, which increases levels of serotonin in the brain and helps prevent depression and anxiety .
Another option can be Mexican brown rice with black beans or Brown rice with Rajma : this fights depression and anxiety. Beans aren’t just good for the heart — they’re good for the mind, too, since the selenium in them can help reduce inflammation in the brain. Plus, brown rice can boost mood by regulating serotonin levels. Try this for happiness.
Eat a rainbow
You may want to get your hands on purple cabbage rather than just eating green cabbage. Or how about buying both green and red apples next time when you are at a grocery store.
Each pigment has specific benefits. For instance, purple or red veggies (eg, eggplant, capsicum) and fruits, such as blueberries, cranberries, blackberries and plums, contain compounds called Anthocyanins, a class of flavonoids that prevent degeneration of cells in the body and delay ageing.
Blueberries may seem small, but just a handful pack a powerful punch of antioxidants and vitamin C, making them mighty stress-busters. When we’re stressed, our bodies need vitamin C and antioxidants to help repair and protect cells. While blueberries are tasty all by themselves (tip: freeze them for a cold berry snack), there’s no better way to boost the nutrition than by eating them with a serving of yoghurt or high-fibre cereal.
Drink water
If you want to deal with stress, drink water. It hydrates every part of the body and brain and helps you better cope with stressful situations. A good rule is to take a few sips every 15 minutes. The best source is room-temperature still water bought in glass bottles (some plastic bottles can leach chemicals into the water inside) or use a jug filter system that you fill from the tap.
Avoid toxins
Preserved, processed and canned foods are laden with chemicals that the body finds difficult to metabolize and discard out of our systems. They get accumulated in our system as toxins and affect our general well being. For example, the sunset yellow pigment, commonly labelled as E110, is an artificial colour used in most processed foods like nachos, has been found to weaken the immune system and overconsumption can also lead to sleep disorders and hyperactivity.
Avoid stimulants
When stressed, we reach for quick fixes – stimulants like coffee, or foods high in fat or sugar. But this diet compounds the problem. Chocolate gives an initial sugar and caffeine buzz, but leaves you weary. Salty crisps dehydrate the body and brain and bring on fatigue. High-fat meals raise stress hormones and keep them high. Sugar, nicotine and alcohol also stimulate adrenaline in the body, another hormone released to prepare you for fight or flight. Chocolate contains sugar, fat and caffeine – a triple hit!
Hence, opt for decaffeinated coffee and dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa, which is low on fillers like fat and sugar.
Don’t be stressed about eating
It has been my experience that those following crash diets are the most stressed out individuals. I have clients, who on their first visit unknowingly reveal that they feel stressed about eating food. If they were to ‘cheat’ on a piece of cake at a party, they feel guilty about eating it, rather than enjoying it. Food was never meant to scare you. It is supposed to nourish you, both mentally and physically. The whole weight loss process becomes so harsh that it works the other way round. People start skipping meals, have only soups, salads and proteins. The fundamentals of optimum nutrition is disturbed and the body is put through metabolic stress which the individual fails to understand.
Eat foods that taste good and make you feel good as well. The options are endless.
