Foods that increase Stress levels

Eating is one of the natural joys in life.

Most cultures celebrate holidays and the passages of life with feasting. However, eating right is a learned skill and not just something that just comes naturally.

Unfortunately, the foods that people eat for pleasure are not always nutritionally sound. The love affair with snack foods has led to joke that the four food groups are candies, cookies, coke, and chips.

A healthy body responds better to the inevitable stresses of life, and good nutrition is a building block of good health.

Eating a balanced diet can help to prevent stress, optimize health and manage stress and burnout more efficiently.

What you eat affects the way you feel emotionally and physically.

There are foods that reduce stress and those what increase your stress levels instead.

Foods that Create Stress in our System

- Hydrogenated oils
- Refined vegetable oils
- Sugars
- Artificial sweeteners
- High-fructose syrup
- Flour products
- Refined grains
- Junk foods
- Fast foods
- Processed foods
- Caffeine
- Alcohol
- Tobacco

Multitudes of people enjoy a daily caffeine intake, as evidenced by the extreme popularity of Starbucks and other coffee houses. And while the occasional coffee isn't going to do you great harm, it's important to remember that caffeine is, in fact, a drug, and it's possible to have a full-blown caffeine addiction.

Caffeine is a stimulant. One of the reasons we drink it is to raise our levels of arousal, particularly at the start of the day. If you drink many cups of coffee a day, then you may become nervous, hyperactive and irritable.

You may find that you can eliminate a lot of stress by switching to a good
decaffeinated coffee
(or an alternative such as delicious soy coffee.
)

Benefits of soy coffee:

-100% Great Taste Guarantee. Not sold in stores.
-Fresh-roasted Soy "Coffee" provides the health benefits of soy antioxidants in the same alluring flavor and richness of conventional coffee.
-Smooth, sophisticated flavors
-Each cup contains 10-15 milligrams of soy isoflavones with no caffeine (soy-only versions) or half-caffeine (Breakfast in Bed Blend).
-Organically-grown beans. No toxic chemicals used in processing.

Many people find that a glass of wine can be a good way to unwind at the end of a stressful day, and most physicians and researchers agree, citing studies that show that red wine has benefits for heart health.

In small amounts, alcohol may help you relax. In larger amounts, it may increase stress as it disrupts sleep, reduces your effectiveness, and possibly harms relationships.

Large amounts of alcohol over a long period of time will damage your body: depletes B vitamins, alters blood sugar, elevates blood pressure.

As excessive drinking can cause problems in virtually every area of a person's life, causing much more stress in the long run.

Read this if you use bad habits and addictions such as excessive emotional eating or alcohol consumption as a stress management technique.

Sugar-rich foods can raise energy in the short term.

The problem with this is that your body copes with high levels of sugar by secreting insulin, which reduces the amount of sugar in your blood stream. Insulin can persist and continue acting after it has controlled blood sugar levels. This can cause an energy dip and prompt another sweet treat.

When we eat too much sugar we can experience blood sugar fluctuations. These fluctuations can lead to mood swings, fatigue, poor concentration and other negative consequences in the short term, and greater health problems like hyperglycemia in the long run.
Tips for cutting sugar

-Use less sugar, raw sugar, honey, and syrup.

-Use stevia, instead.

-Eat fewer foods that contain sugar such as candy, cookies, and soft drinks.

-Select fresh fruit or fruits canned is juice or light syrup.

-Read labels and avoid foods that list sucrose, glucose, maltose, dextrose, lactose, or fructose.

Be aware of hidden sugars in the following items:
- Breakfast cereals
- Salad dressings
- Luncheon meats
- Canned fruits
- Bread
- Peanut butter
- Crackers
- Soups
- Sausage
- Cheese dips
- Chewing gum
- Jellies and jams
- Frozen deserts (ice cream, sorbets, yogurts)

To make lasting changes in your diet, plan on gradually introducing a few changes at a time that you can stick with for a minimum one month.

Sodium is an essential mineral, but adults nowadays intake about ten to twenty times more sodium than the ody needs.

A single slice of bread actually provides the minimum daily requirements for salt (23 milligrams.) Recommend sodium intake is three thousand milligrams daily.

Tips to eliminate salt habit

-Avoid salty snacks such as chis, crackers, pretzels, and nuts.

-Limit your intake of salty condiments such as soy sauce, pickles, and cheese.

-Restrict use of cured meats, sausages, and bacon.

-Use herbs and spices while you cook, and reduce the salt in recipes.

Due partially to increased levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, stressed people tend to crave foods high in fat, sugar and salt.

'Fast food' as it usually contains more fat and additives than are good for you.

Certain food additives may aggravate stress and there is usually more salt in 'fast foods' which can contribute to raised blood pressure and heart problems.

Too much fat has a similar effect.

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