I use the analogy of a bucket, or glass, when I think about stress on the body.
It gets filled with the different stressors that life throws at you.
Work deadlines
Financial uncertainty
Relationship friction
Not enough sleep
A global pandemic
Too much or too little exercise
The list goes on, and might look slightly different for you.
The point is, we’re all under the pressure from a variety of stressors at any given time. In other words, our stress buckets are nearing capacity, or already overflowing.
What we don’t often recognize is that food can play an important role in that stress. It can either add to that stress: by leading to nutrient deficiencies (like low vitamin D, for example), or as pro-inflammatory or not well tolerated foods (like gluten, or ‘seed’ oils, for example).
OR we can use food to support our body’s resilience to stress.
Did you know that stress causes us to actually burn through our nutrient stores faster? We utilize micronutrients like B vitamins, Magnesium, and Vitamin C at a much higher rate when our system is up-regulated, like it is during chronic stress. Eating foods with many micronutrients supports our bodies stress response.
Another large source of stress and inflammation in the body is poor digestion. This is usually marked by: gas, bloating, constipation or diarrhea, or food sensitivities. Improving gut health, and removing foods that we’re sensitive to (ie. have an inappropriate immune response to), can lift a huge amount of this inflammatory burden off the body.
We already have a huge amount of stress on our brains and bodies! We don’t need to be adding to the pile.
Consider this a friendly (and informative) reminder of how food and diet contribute to your overall health.
If you’re looking for some help to get started eating a more nutrient-dense diet, check out the Meal Planning Quick Start I have for you!
Ideally we want to include a source of carbohydrates, fat, protein and fiber with each meal, and prioritize vegetables as the base of each meal. Check out the Quick Start guide for more information and to see how it’s done!