The doctor walked in and proceeded to tell me, ” The odds of your new born son surviving are very slim.  In fact, most babies under the age of 6 months don’t survive with this condition.”  My son was 3 weeks old.  I realized that for my son I had to take dramatic steps to increase his odds of survival.  This was a very stressful time for me.  Probably the most stressful in my life.

What stress have you felt in your life?

I recently spoke to a group of sales professionals about what stress is, how it affects our health,  and what we can do through nutrition to reduce the negative affects of stress.   This is an important topic we all can relate to so I wanted to share this information with you in today’s blog post.

And by the way, my son did survive!

What is Stress?

Imagine walking through a jungle and a tiger JUMPS out at you! We are all born with a flight or fight response mechanism.  Your brain and body instantaneously make the decision to either stand and fight, or run away to save your life.  Adrenaline starts pumping energy to every muscle in your bodyand your metabolism and heart rate increase. Your body is ready for full survival mode.

But how many of us have found ourselves running from a tiger lately? Probably not too many.

How does stress affect our health?

So what experiences or thoughts give you that feeling of shock or anxiety? Increases your heart rate and metabolism? Tightens your chest?  Maybe it’s caring for an aging parent,  being late to a meeting because you’ve over scheduled yourself, super mom trying to do it all, someone cutting you off  while driving, or just day to day activities.  Whatever it is, our bodies respond in the same way as if we were running from a tiger.  But when this is not a life or death situation, this fight or flight response causes inflammation in our bodies.  Why is inflammation bad? Dr. Chris Lydon, a leading doctor in nutrition and diseases of the body from Yale University states:

“Chronic inflammation lies at the root of virtually every disease process known to modern man – from weight gain, obesity & heart disease to autoimmune disorders like lupus, MS and rheumatoid arthritis.” 

How can nutrition help beat the negative affects of stress?

I don’t want to come across as the proverbial mom by telling you to eat your brussel sprouts.  But there are 10 foods to beat stress and the negative affects.

1.Asparagus – filled with folic acid to help improve your mood and decrease anxiety.

2.Oranges – well-known for their high levels of Vitamin C but they also help control the stress hormone cortisol in our bodies, decreasing inflammation.

3.Blueberries – contain high levels of antioxidants and Vitamin C helping to repair damaged cells when we are stressed.  On that note, did you know that diabetes Type 2 is almost 100% reversible through nutrition and supplementation?

4.Salmon – bursting with omega-3 fatty acids,  helps to maintain level amounts of adrenaline keeping inflammation down.

5.Milk – Yes, your mother was right when she said drinking a glass of warm milk before bed helps with insomnia and has a calming affect by lowering your blood pressure.

6.Spinach – full of magnesium which manages cortisol levels and helps us feel better.

7.Almonds – this army of defenders against negative stress boosts our immune system during times of stress since we aren’t always aware when stress is going to occur.

8.Turkey – relaxes us and helps us to sleep better because of it’s release of serotonin.

9.Avocado – packed with B vitamins, “good fats”, and potassium, avocados reduce the feelings of anxiety and help lower blood pressure naturally.

10.Oatmeal – I call this the natural “happy food”.  Steel cut oats induce the release of serotonin and have a calming affect on us.

I’d like to leave you with this final thought:

The Greatest Wealth Is Health!  Let’s All Be Wealthy!