Stress Management through Nutrition

Stress is a word we all know and handle in our own way which can come from the work place, relationships, family issues etc....... personally I do not allow anything to bother me as I see the world as "glass half full".  But since we are all "wired" differently dealing with this 6 letter word is part of the process to seeing results from your training and in turn a healthy lifestyle, so first the ugly side  Your body can have a weight gain, digestive problems, fatigue, poor memory, moodiness, headaches, muscle pain and  also too much stress increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes. How you ask?.....what happens is your body responds to stress by prompting the adrenal glands to release cortisol and adrenaline which then increases your heart rate, blood pressure and uses glucose that is for your brain and muscles. Even worse, a constant stress level will speed up the use of all your body's carbohydrates, protein, fats and many vitamins/minerals......so you can see to "fight" this condition we need to eat smart with the following food plan  A)  Always have a morning meal to replenish your body after a night of fasting to restore the glucose (energy) levels      B) Eat 4-5 small meals a day to keep your blood sugar steady and have a constant fuel source to reduce mood swings and low energy   C) Having carbohydrates with each meal will keep the serotonin levels in your brain up which combats the stress which reduces this chemical.  D) Include these two important Vitamins through foods or a supplement; Vitamin B ( the body uses it to mobilize fuel and to help make serotonin) and Vitamin C (to stop the rise in cortisol during stress)  E)  Finally limit the Caffeine and Alcohol per day as these two fluids boost cortisol and again reduces your mental focus.   In closing, we are always going to have some form of stress in our lives as indeed "life does get in the way" but how we handle it and also through proper nutrition we will increase our odds to a longer, healthier life.