If you find yourself feeling frazzled, overwhelmed, your body won’t relax or you’re having trouble sleeping, then life’s stresses may be getting the best of you.
Stress is the body’s normal physical response to events that make you feel threatened or have upset your balance in some way and is also a sign that it’s time to take action to bring your life back into sync.
There are many reasons why reducing stress is critical to enjoying life. Though most troubling is that long-term exposure to stress may lead to serious health problems1.
While there are many lifestyle choices you can make to reduce stress, there are some simple choices you can make through your diet to help feel less stressed.
When we are feeling most vulnerable some people tend to engage in all sorts of unhealthy eating habits — which can lead to more stress!
A simple step which can be taken to have you feeling a little better is to remove these detrimental foods from your diet.
Fast Food
Stressed and busy people may be particularly prone to seeking out the more time efficient option of just driving through a fast food outlet, rather than cooking at home. Over the longer term, this is bad as fast foods are often high in fat, sugar and salt, which may contribute to the above effects.
Caffeine
When you’re pushing your limits by burning the candle at both ends, people often find themselves using coffee and other caffeine drinks to get through the long hours. However, having too high an intake of caffeine can lead to some health issues2.
Sugar
By consuming food or drinks with high levels of sugar and too little protein, as well as too little carbohydrates, we can experience blood sugar fluctuations. These fluctuations can lead to mood swings, fatigue, poor concentration which further contributes to your stress levels3.
Hopefully by following these tips on foods to avoid in your daily diet, you can feel the positive effects of being less stressed!
1 Better Health Channel:
http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Stress_can_become_a_serious_illness
2 Royal Australian College of General Practitioners:
http://www.racgp.org.au/familyhealth/Palpitations_general
3 Health24.com:
http://www.health24.com/medical/Condition_centres/777-792-3728-3729,20360.asp