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zest123
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Joined: 19 Jul 2007
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# Posted: 19 Jul 2007 01:44
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Is there a specific diet for stress?
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Vishal
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# Posted: 20 Jul 2007 01:13
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Nutrition can play a vital role in managing stress. Here's a good article on what to eat and what to avoid to keep stress under control:
Eat Right to Manage Stress Dos and Don'ts
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Dr_Broadland
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# Posted: 25 Jul 2007 10:35
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Diet for stress has to take into account other concomitant conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, etc. However, there are some dietary aspects that should be discussed.
1. Complex carbohydrates - A dietary must, complex carbohydrates release serotonin, a naturally occurring chemical that has a calming effect on the body and mind. Complex carbohydrates occur in whole grain bread and oatmeal. Complex carbohydrates are found in whole grains (bread, pasta, cereal, etc.), bananas, potatoes, and corn and to a lesser extent in vegetables like broccoli and leafy greens.
2. Magnesium and calcium.- Magnesium is an essential mineral that the body uses to fight stress, relax muscles and promote sleep. Magnesium is found in leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole grains.
Not as commonly known is the relaxing effect of a combination of that calcium, and magnesium. You may consider adding a combined calcium/magnesium supplement to your daily intake.
3.Vitamin C and B6 - Vitamin C is nor stored in body so there has to be a daily intake. Citrus fruits are a good source.
The B vitamins are calming nutrients and B6 helps deliver magnesium into the cells. While they are found in many food items, they get easily destroyed by cooking.
A good source can be B-Complex plus Vitamin C supplement that includes all of the B vitamins, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, B6, folic acid, B12 and biotin.
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Dr_Broadland
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# Posted: 25 Jul 2007 17:08
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Undesireable foods
Some food items are totally irrelevant to healthy living. and they should be reduced or eliminated in any healthy diet..
1. Refined sugars - Excessive amount of simple sugars can actually cause low blood sugar levels because of an over-production of insulin (the hormone that helps transport glucose to the blood). A sugary snack can give you a quick burst of energy and even be a life saver to a diabetic in insulin overdose, but in a non-diabetic it is soon followed by a sudden drop in energy.
2. Alcohol is another form of simple sugar, and in addition to the lowing inf blood sugar is also harmful to the liver.
3. Caffeine This is one product that is so obiquitous and unnecessary that it will become a subject of increasing concern in any healthy diet discussion. It is found in coffee, tea, and chocolate and on some soft drinks. Caffeine has a stimulant effect that increases the stress that your body attempts to manage.
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TajviRAC
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# Posted: 14 Apr 2008 13:02
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Thanks Broadland for your informative post.
But what about this caffeine story?
i believed that caffeine has got some positive effect on stress control. very often we saw people taking tea or coffee to manage stress. but what you say is completely oposite.
could you plz refer some informative sites?
cheers !
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Vishal
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# Posted: 15 Apr 2008 01:04 · Edited by: Vishal
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Quoting: TajviRAC i believed that caffeine has got some positive effect on stress control. very often we saw people taking tea or coffee to manage stress. but what you say is completely oposite.
Caffeine drives the adrenal glands to produce stress hormones that can remain in the blood stream up to 18 hours after consumption. These hormones produce the "fight or flight" response nature designed to help save our lives when every bit of energy was required to survive an impending disaster such as an attack by a foe. In today's world, where we are more often sitting at a desk, driving in our car, or eating a meal, caffeine can put us into a chronic state of stress with no way for our body to burn off the extra fuel and hormones. Caffeine-induced stress can produce mood swings and insomnia, increase muscle tension, impair digestion and nutrition, restrict blood circulation to the brain, elevate blood pressure, create blood sugar swings, and accelerate heart rate. [1]
A study of 72 regular coffee drinkers by researchers at the Duke University Medical Center found that they produced high levels of adrenalin and nonadrenalin hormones... Professor James Lane, who took part in the research, told a behavioural medicine conference on Thursday: "Moderate caffeine consumption makes a person react like he or she is having a very stressful day... "If you combine the effects of real stress with the artificial boost in stress hormones that comes from caffeine, then you have compounded the effects considerably." [2]
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CoolNcalm
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# Posted: 15 Apr 2008 03:03
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One of the best things that I have found for stress management as far as dietary supplements is concerned was valarian root. Some herbal stress relief pills, they helped me no end when I was going through some of the worst times in my life.
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TajviRAC
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# Posted: 23 Apr 2008 13:03
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I think its best to depend on full natural foods only.
Many of the artificial or genetically modified foods are not enough to give a complete cure.
I heard about senior citizens saying that the seasonal fruit contains the best of the season the nature has to offer.
A non-seasonal fruit might be lucrative and costly, but the seasonal fruit and vegetables are the best!
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Dr_Broadland
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# Posted: 25 Apr 2008 12:18
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Let us look at the dietary habits in a broad and a historical perspective.
Coffee has been a drink for many societies for a long time. Tea probably for even longer in Chinese and Indian societies. That the British brought tea from china to India is all rubbish. The records indicate that there has been interaction between the Chinese and the Indian people for at least 2000 years. If we accept that the Buddhists have existed in china for over 20 centuries, then w have to accept that there was contact by the Buddhists of India where Buddhism started 2500 years ago.
Coming back to tea and coffee, the use of coffee is much more recent probably 600-700 years. Alcohol in various forms and other "addicting" type of concoctions has been prevalent in societies for a long time. Societies very slowly realize the values and side effects of these drinks. At intervals they decided on the ill effects of various "addicting" or hallucinogenic concoctions and banned them in most cultures. Alcohol has not had such a strong negative impact and recent research has shown that in moderation it might be beneficial.
There is evidence of coffee producing stimulus and increased adrenalin secretion. It can't be said that a little stimulus is harmful. Tea has always been considered soothing rather than stimulating. On the whole, I would say that coffee in small quantities and tea in moderation is not harmful and might even be beneficial.
The oldest established drink milk and water remain the most harmless drinks.
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TajviRAC
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# Posted: 30 Apr 2008 11:13
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I knew that milk was an ideal food. But again I heard something about milk.
Many people think that milk is not suitable for people above 40 or those below 40 but don't have much physical activity.
Doesn't milk contain much fat and also animal protein?
And some vitamins like the vitamin C are destroyed once the milk is boiled.
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Dr_Broadland
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# Posted: 30 Apr 2008 15:09
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Quoting: TajviRAC I knew that milk was an ideal food. But again I heard something about milk. Many people think that milk is not suitable for people above 40 or those below 40 but don't have much physical activity. Doesn't milk contain much fat and also animal protein? And some vitamins like the vitamin C are destroyed once the milk is boiled.
There are several issues here.
1. People over 40. Their ability to digest milk decreases with age. But my mother who is 90 now must have her two glasses of 4% milk on in the morning and one in the evening. If it does not upset your digestion there is very few contraindications to taking milk.
2. The fat content and cholesterol content has been the subject of intense discussion over the last 20 years. It is generally recognized that the amount of animal fat in milk is deleterious to health and does in fact induce hypercholesterolaemia (excessive cholesterol in blood) making the person prone to arterial disease and heart problems.
3. There are many better sources of vitamin C notably fruits and vegetables.
4. Pre-menopausal women benefit a lot from the calcium content of milk. This statement has to be weighed against the fact that the amount of calcium needed is much more than a good intake of milk can provide and supplements of calcium in the form of tablets are desirable and cost effective.
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Newbie Shield
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Joined: 11 Oct 2008
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# Posted: 6 Jan 2009 12:33
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Quoting: Dr_Broadland ...2. Magnesium and calcium.- Magnesium is an essential mineral that the body uses to fight stress, relax muscles and promote sleep. Magnesium is found in leafy vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole grains. Not as commonly known is the relaxing effect of a combination of that calcium, and magnesium. You may consider adding a combined calcium/magnesium supplement to your daily intake. 3.Vitamin C and B6 - Vitamin C is nor stored in body so there has to be a daily intake. Citrus fruits are a good source...
Hi Dr. Broadland,
I didn't realize that vitamin C isn't stored in the body. Good thing I make sure I either eat a piece of fruit or drink at least one glass of fruit juice each day.
Same is true in regards to magnesium. I do get it naturally each day from various foods but didn't realize it's specific value.
Thanx for the info.
~Newbie Shield~
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Vishal
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# Posted: 7 Jan 2009 00:47 · Edited by: Vishal
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Quoting: Newbie Shield I didn't realize that vitamin C isn't stored in the body. Good thing I make sure I either eat a piece of fruit or drink at least one glass of fruit juice each day.
One of the richest sources of vitamin C is Gooseberry. We make Gooseberry jam (using jaggery) and have it everyday with breakfast. It is also very good for digestion and is one of the ingredients of famous Ayurvedic medicine, Triphala.
Gooseberry Jam Recipe: Cut and de-seed Gooseberries. Put it in a blender and puree it, without adding any water. Mix the puree with double the quantity of jaggery. Cook on a medium heat for 10-15 minutes till the mixture changes to brownish color (depends on the color of jaggery) and the liquid turns a bit to syrupy consistency.
This jam needs to be stored in a refrigerator and can be used for over a year.
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Newbie Shield
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# Posted: 7 Jan 2009 11:07
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Hi Vishal,
Fascinating Wikipedia article on Gooseberry. I'll show it to the wife. I'm looking forward to trying it since I run a tad hot and it has cooling properties plus vitamin C.
Thanx!
~Newbie Shield~
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