Stress Eating and Stress Non-Eating

You just lost a loved one to cancer, you caught your spouse having an affair, your job was ‘downsized,’ finances are a mess, your teenager is in trouble, you are taking care of an elderly parent and the aforementioned teenager? …Anything else you can think of that is causing significant stress?

You find yourself with a spoon and an open jar of peanut butter or simply go right for the Ben and Jerry’s. Actually, you are not picky at all as long as you can keep stuffing food of any kind in your mouth; generally, however, the richer, the better.
You are a stress-eater, or equally dangerous, stress-drinkers, drinking alcohol to numb your frazzled nerves, often followed by high-caffeine drinks to rev you back up. Some of us are stress-non-eaters, equally dangerous. We simply stop eating and our body feeds on itself wasting our muscles and affecting our brain chemistry, adding to our already depressed state.

Sometimes understanding the body’s physiological response can help us to make better choices. For our Neanderthal ancestors, when in danger, you either had two choices; you stand and fight or you take flight. Either way, the body has a system that kicks in immediately. Your brain signals your body to release a hormone called cortisol that begins a cascade of responses. You become highly alert, your heart races, breathing becomes faster; blood vessels constrict and divert blood from functions such as digestion, (making some prone to upset stomach or diarrhea,) to muscle mass, so as to make that fast getaway. These fight or flight stress responses keep us alive in a highly stressful situation.

Chronic stress is another story. The initial stress reaction does not turn off and the production of cortisol continues. Chronic stress depletes your energy reserves; therefore your body craves calorie-laden foods to rebuild energy stores. In our body’s innate wisdom, the fat reserves are stored right in our abdomens where they are easily called upon. Nutritionists often refer to this as one’s ‘stress-meter,’ or ‘cortisol-meter.’ An unfortunate side note is that abdominal fat, also known as visceral fat or intra-abdominal fat, is a marker for fat around vital organs, increasing our risk to high cholesterol, insulin resistance, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some types of cancer. Prolonged stress also increases your risk of obesity, infection, because of decreased immune function, anxiety, depression, sexual dysfunction and memory problems.

Now that you understand the dangers, what to do?
Mental health. This is the biggie. Sometimes we simply can’t do this alone; the situation is bigger than ourselves. Personally, I had a situation in my life that spun me completely and without my daughters, son, and sisters, Mom and girlfriends constantly cheerleading me, my healing would have taken a very long time. I am a stress non-eater and someone was always asking me what I had eaten that day to help keep me on track.

If you can, take advantage of a trained mental health professional OR try to get in touch with your spiritual side whether that be church or temple or meditation; whatever you do to feel a power greater than yourself or simply to realize that you have the power within you to get through this situation. Talk to someone, share your emotions and know you will feel better. You will, I know.

If you are a stress eater, first you need to recognize the fact that you are opening the freezer door. If ice cream is your weakness, why not put a sign on the freezer saying, “Go for a walk instead.” Or have an apple with a little peanut butter on it. Basically, we’re talking about redirecting our focus to healthier choices that won’t make you feel guilty and hard on yourself afterwards, which, as we know, increases our stress.

If you are a stress non-eater, perhaps you need to place cards about the house saying, ‘Please feed me, I need fuel.’ Again, make healthy choices.
Graze. Have healthy snacks at your home, office and with you at all times. Yes, snacking is healthy! Keep raw (never roasted, you don’t know what kind of unhealthy fat they have been roasted in) nuts and seeds with you. Now here is the key. Don’t eat a cup of walnuts or almonds, (which are excellent choices) or you will be overeating yet again. A portion for most people is 15-20 almonds and ¼ cup of raw pumpkin seeds. If you like a roasted flavor, you can simply place them in a skillet on the stove (no oil needed) and stir them for a few moments until they are golden brown. Vegetables and fruit are excellent choices for snacks. Raw cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, celery, jicama with a bit of salsa, or a piece of fruit are great choices.

Prepare. Even if you are terribly depressed, please take just a few moments to pull yourself up and be healthfully selfish. If you are a caregiver, remember that you can’t take care of anyone else if you are not strong and healthy yourself. Remember, that this too shall pass and that you will feel better. Believe it! I know it’s true. Plan some easy menus. Throw a chicken breast and veggies in the oven and go take a bath. Or steam some veggies and sauté a piece of fish. Brown rice takes 1 minute to place in a pan and while it’s simmering, go for a walk; with your kids if you have them. This is a healthful diet for you and your family. If you are a vegetarian, please do not turn into a ‘junk-food vegetarian’ consuming only cheese burritos and kidding yourself that it’s healthy. Steam some tempeh and marinate it in your favorite marinade before placing it in a pan with lots of veggies and baking, just like the chicken dish.

Plan to be healthy. Remember, we all need healthy fats, adequate protein and healthy carbohydrates (not white bread, but veggies, whole grains, beans and the like) all three macronutrients (macro means large) are needed for health. Balance your diet.

Drink plenty of water. Unless you have kidney problems, drink 8 glasses of pure water a day. Herbal teas are another good choice, or if you like ‘fizz,’ try mineral water with a bit of fruit juice. Remember, that alcohol is a depressive, and that is the last thing you need. Sodas are a huge health problem, laden with either sugar or fake-sugar (chemicals, almost worse) and should be avoided. Watch your caffeine intake.

Exercise! This is vital! You will feel so much better. We all know we need to exercise, but think we’re too busy to do it, but remember that there is always time to do the things you really want to do. Make exercise one of those things. Find something that you like to do, and then you will be more likely to stick with it. Join a gym, walk, chase your kids, dance around the house. Do some strength bearing exercises such as light weights or pushups. Strength bearing exercises are wonderful for bone health. I understand that when you are depressed, you simply want to crawl in bed and make the world go away, but please make yourself get up and walk in nature if you can or move in some fashion.

Be cognizant of your food choices or sometimes lack of food choices. Trust that you will be healthier each day that goes by and this will help your mental well-being. Soon you will be making healthy choices without having to remind yourself to do so. You don’t need good luck, just education and well wishes, which you now have!

In good health!
Patty

Regaining Vitality through Healthy Adrenals

In the spring time, many people feel a renewed vitality harmonizing with the natural rhythm and flow of nature. Everything is fresh and new; energy abounds and often a new sense of purpose. What if however, you have a high-stress job, a too-busy lifestyle and are feeling burned-out? Perhaps you have suffered the loss of a loved one or relationship. Everyone seems to feel spring-fresh but you! You feel burned out. How do you regain your vitality?

The Adrenal Glands (and how they affect how you feel)

Anatomy and Physiology is where we begin: The adrenals are two little triangular shaped organs that are situated atop the kidneys. They are the major glands the body uses to respond to stress. Two hormones, adrenalin and epinephrine, raise the blood sugar, blood pressure and promote energy production in response to emergencies, often known as ‘fight or flight.’ Longer-acting anti-stress adrenal hormones such as cortisone and cortisol are also produced as is the adrenal hormone, aldostreone, which causes sodium retention and increases the blood pressure. When the adrenals become depleted, the body is unable to handle stress well.

How to Heal from the Effects of Adrenal Overload or Burn-out

With regards to the foods we eat, some people become stress-eaters, while others become stress-non-eaters, neither option a healthy one. Adrenal burnout may be caused by a single event or prolonged circumstances. Recovery from adrenal burnout is certainly possible, but it takes time and usually requires a change in diet, lifestyle, and attention to one's emotional and spiritual health.

A whole-foods (brown rice, not white rice, as an example) diet, preferably organic and seasonal, is an important factor for everyone. Eat a little protein with every meal; eggs, poultry, almond or peanut butter and nuts are good sources. Consume plenty of vegetables, rotating all of your proteins and vegetables so you don't eat the same thing every day. You are more likely to obtain all the nutrients you need and less likely to develop food sensitivities when you rotate your diet. My general rule is, if you eat it today; don’t eat it for 4 days.

Many people have sugar cravings during times of high stress, which by the way includes alcohol. Stay away from processed foods. Be sure to drink at least 8 glasses of pure water a day and obtain plenty of sleep, preferably 8-9 hours per night. The B vitamins, vitamins A and C as well as zinc may be helpful. Just a side note, drinking alcohol on an empty stomach is hard on your stomach lining and burns up B vitamins at a much higher rate, so when you do drink alcohol (certainly not when you are trying to heal yourself) always have something in your stomach first.

Personal Practices that Heal

There are spiritual, emotional and mental health aspects of adrenal burn out that are imperative to regaining your health. A key to recovery from burnout is improving attitudes and values. Negative thinking is a bad habit that eventually wears down the body and of course, affects your health and the health of those around you. Anger, worry and fear place added stress on the adrenal glands as well as the immune system.

Many techniques and choices are available to help shift one's thinking. Perhaps therapy is a good choice for you. Reading inspirational books or listening to beautiful music may be helpful. Chat with trusted loved-ones. Remember that searching for love outside of you is not the answer. Find the love inside yourself first, and then find the companions and activities. Sometimes we can’t trust our own instincts when we are completely burned out. It is important to listen to the wisdom of the body, and not be blinded by fixed ideas and habits that no longer serve us. Most people live their lives based on fear of change and the blessing of burn out is that often an awakening can manifest within you. Adrenal burn out can be a wake up call and the first step to living a simpler life. You don’t necessarily need to sell everything you own and move to a tropical island, but then again, maybe you do! It’s not always running away from life when you choose to make big changes, but running to a new life.

Following are links to simple recipes full of the vitamins that your adrenal glands will love. Take care of yourself.

• Red Pepper “Cheese” Dip
• The Best Kale Salad Ever
  

How’s this one for easy? Sprinkle homemade popcorn (no microwaves please) with a little olive oil, fresh garlic or garlic powder and nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast is high in B vitamins and has a bit of a cheesy flavor.

A New You This Spring

Renew Yourself this Spring!

Spring is the time of year when the natural world awakens from winter slumber. The sun seems brighter, days are longer and the warmer weather invites all of life to be renewed. Spring is a natural time for each of us to make changes in our habits and lifestyle that put us in harmony with the rhythm of the season. You can replace old habits with new and by next winter, you will not have the typical winter weight gain because of food and drink excess.

The Season of Cleansing begins with the Liver

Chinese medicine teaches us that each organ is associated with a season. In the spring, the organ is the liver, which is the most important cleansing organ in the body. In the nutrition world, when all else fails, support your liver.

The liver processes toxins for excretion and sends them to the intestines for elimination. Fiber binds with toxins so they are not reabsorbed into the blood. When you don’t eat enough dietary fiber (vegetables, fruit, whole grains, beans and legumes) and drink enough water, you reabsorb toxins. Constipation is very common among both adults and children. Headaches are common complaints for those with constipation. Many people who have migraines are simply constipated. The kidneys, skin and intestines are active in cleansing.

Ring in the New!

New habits to replace old bad habits.

If you begin with the mind-set of additions rather than subtractions, then your chance of success is greater. Add more water, vegetables, fruit and plant foods to your diet. Eat more whole grains, beans, legumes, raw nuts and seeds. When you add more of these foods to your diet, you won’t be hungry as these foods are naturally filling. Foods high in chlorophyll will help boost immunity and assist the body in removing toxins. Leafy green vegetables are a great choice. The supplements Spirulina and chlorella are also effective cleansers.

Here are a couple recipes to get you going. Enjoy the spring!

• Best Kale Salad Ever and Dolmas with Feta and Cranberries