Simple foods to support stress
/It’s the last week of school for most of us in the Wood River Valley. It’s also a stressful time for us parents, endeavoring to be present to the milestones, anticipating summer with kids home and simultaneously navigating work and other commitments. In my own world, we moved again this week, adding another thick layer of complications and anxiety to an already full schedule. It’s a tempting time to forego good food for convenience; yet being lax on well-balanced, nutrient-dense meals can easily set us up for habits that translate into three months of ultra-processed, easily accessible pre-packaged foods for summer travel, camping and kids’ irregular activities.
Adults, let’s ensure we have simple meals to nourish our adrenals and moderate our stress response.
I know I’m stressed when I crave dark chocolate with nut butter and sea salt in various forms—homemade triple chocolate brownies; chocolate or coffee-based ice creams; dark chocolate dipped in nut butter with sea salt. Other folks might crave cookies, chips or candy, but these cravings equate to the body’s need for nutrients depleted during high stress—fats, carbs (read: quick energy and brain nutrients).
Choosing quick carb foods is reasonable sometimes, but overdoing any of them results in excess—and the reduction of whole, fresh foods our mind-bodies need to stay alert, energetic and functioning well during crazy times.
What we really need is not quick energy, but nutrient-dense foods to support our adrenal function: magnesium, zinc, sodium, B-vitamins and vitamin C. Also, healthy fats to help make cortisol, the body’s main “stress” hormone released by the adrenal glands.
Something to keep in mind regarding the stress response is that we’re considering all the interconnected systems in the body—we cannot consider just adrenal glands. Two neuroendocrine glands in the brain involved in the stress response are the hypothalamus and the pituitary, which speak to each other upon the onset of stress, release hormones which then communicate with the adrenal glands, located above our kidneys. Then, cortisol (or other corticosteroids, like adrenaline) are made in and released by the adrenals, sending more messages into the body, telling the immune, digestive, cardiovascular and reproductive systems to shift to survive the stressful situation. This is the HPA-axis, in a nutshell.
Hence, long-term chronic stress affects our entire mind-body, resulting in gut imbalances, systemic inflammation, high blood pressure (or abnormally low), higher risk of autoimmunity, mental health conditions like anxiety, muscle function, fat distribution, energy depletion, hormone imbalances, impaired cognition, and metabolic disorders like obesity. Yikes.
Further, chronic stress depletes nutrients. Normally, we make B-vitamins in our gut—but remember we don’t digest when we’re stressed so we use B-vitamins for the stress response and simultaneously stop synthesizing them. Also, stress causes increased excretion of minerals magnesium, sodium and zinc and vitamin B12. Impaired digestion also means we’re not effectively breaking down or using nutrients from our food, so even if we’re eating well, nutrient depletion is likely. Also, giving into cravings for nutrient-poor, convenience foods further exacerbates the problem of low nutrients to support HPA-axis function.
I don’t say this to stress y’all out, but please, let’s get stress in check, friends! Personally, I strategically focus on ways to moderate my stress response every single day, as I work through the constant challenges of single-parenthood, running a small business, moving all the time, and committing to my own growth, self-care and evolution into a super-chill human. Life is more fun when we’re easygoing.
Yes, this stress-less effort absolutely includes good sleep, yoga and breathwork, mindfulness, journaling, time in nature, socializing with friends, volunteering and having purpose. It also includes eating well as a daily non-negotiable.
What we eat matters—release of cortisol is directly related to diet. Besides requiring most B-vitamins, including folate (B9), the HPA-axis also needs vitamin C to make and regulate stress hormones; zinc to help regulate cortisol secretion; healthy fats (especially omega-3 fatty acids) for corticosteroid synthesis; polyphenol-rich foods (chocolate!) to protect against inflammation and stress-induced oxidation; probiotic-rich foods (ferments!) to support gut function and the gut-brain connection; and fiber-rich foods (plants!) to balance blood sugar and improve gut health. Contrarily, a diet high in sugars and simple carbs increases cortisol release.
Basically, we need a lot of vitamins, minerals and plant foods. The key takeaway: nutrient-dense plant foods, containing polyphenols, fiber, omega-3 fatty acids and sometimes probiotics. They also are low in simple carbs and saturated fats. I’m talking about leafy greens, cruciferous veggies, nuts and seeds, beans and lentils, berries and citrus—not ultra-processed foods with ingredients your body doesn’t recognize (stressful on the liver and gut).
When we eat also is important in the stress response. If you wait too long to eat and crave quick energy, that’s a sign either of low blood sugar, which causes a stress response and tells the liver to produce more sugar for energy or a result of chronic stress itself, which causes your body to constantly need to make energy. Either way, you’ll often opt for something high in sugar and fats, which provide energy. Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) coupled with a meal containing high-carbs and saturated fats actually elevates cortisol release, again contributing to the vicious cycle. So, plan ahead—I cannot emphasize this enough.
To help you plan and focus on a wide variety of plant foods below is a suggestion for ten servings of plants containing stress-support nutrients one might consume in a single day:
1. Chia seeds
2. Raspberries
3. Spinach
4. Beets
5. Brussels sprouts
6. Pistachios
7. Cacao
8. Lentils
9. Artichoke
10. Sauerkraut
How to incorporate these foods easily into your meals? Chia pudding for breaky with berries; salad with roasted veggies and nuts for lunch; lentils and artichoke for dinner with a side of kraut; dark chocolate dipped in nut butter with a pinch of sea salt, for a midday snack. Fill in with other whole foods ingredients, to your preferences and needs, and you’ve got easy and delicious meals to support you during stressful times.
References
· https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4290459/
· https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12653711/
Need help meal planning? Check out the last two articles HERE (meal planning as self-care) and HERE (tips for getting started).
Article originally written for and published by 5BGazette.com