Stress Pillar 3: Eat

In relation to stress, we can approach our diet in two ways. The first being we can use food to reduce the negative impacts stress is already having on our health. For example, high blood pressure, inflammation and digestive issues. The second approach is eating healthy in order to improve our gut.

Have you ever heard of the gut being referred to as the second brain? That’s because it is! Your gut is directly linked to your brain. So closely linked in fact, that it is often difficult to differentiate whether stomach distress is caused by, or the product of, anxiety and/or depression. Hence why it’s important for us to improve our diet as both a preventative and reactive measure to stress.

Our top tips for improving your diet

Eat the rainbow(and we don’t mean Skittles!) Choose whole natural foods in a variety of colours. The more colours, the better the range of nutrients & vitamins.
Cut the crapReduce the amount of processed foods and refined sugars. Our hormone functions are significantly influenced by blood sugar levels and our goal is to keep these as stable as possible.

That doesn’t mean you have to give refined sugars up completely but do know they are a short term fix to your stress and in the long run are detrimental to both your physical and mental health.

Vit C/D & MagnesiumThese are important vitamins and minerals for gut health & stress reduction. Look at increasing the amount you’re getting of each of these in your diet.Sources of Vit C: citrus fruits, blueberries, kale, cauliflower, tomatoes, spinachSources of Vit D: oily fish, red meat, egg yolks, mushrooms, fortified cereals, or supplementation.Sources of Magnesium: whole grains, leafy vegetables, legumes, or supplementation.
Seek professional adviceIf you’re not sure where to start with your diet, simply reach out and we can help.

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