Telling an already stressed and anxious individual to ‘slow down’, ‘relax’, ‘don’t over think things’, in my mind is adding fuel to the proverbial fire. When a client has taken that daunting step of coming to see me (I say ‘daunting’ as most people arrive thinking I’m going to eliminate everything they ever enjoyed eating!), the last thing I’m going to do is add to their anxiety, insomnia and general stress by lecturing them and making them feel that it is their fault. The first step on any path towards change is the most difficult and anyone who comes through my door in my eyes is to be congratulated and assured they are 60% there already.
I believe we must first accept how life has evolved. We no longer spend days keeping the camp fire alive while the hunter gatherer goes out to kill our food. Instead everyone is on the go both physically and mentally from morning till night. Life is busy, life is stressful, life is fast, life is happy and sad, but it’s also exciting, invigorating, surprising, and I believe if we empower our bodies both physically (through food and exercise) and mentally (mindfulness, yoga, acupuncture) we will catch up, we will cope with stressors that make us anxious.
I will recommend ingredients to help promote sleep and good mood, however I want you to understand why I pick these ingredients. So please stick with me for the science bit; it will help you believe in the changes you decide to make in your eating routine!
Firstly, I must introduce Cortisol (aka the stress hormone), which has gotten bad press in the past but the reality is we can’t function without it. Cortisol is necessary for the efficient function of our circadian rhythm which is our body’s way of knowing when to sleep, wake, and run from that grizzly bear (or horrendous boss!). Ideally cortisol should deplete gradually over the course of our day and by bedtime our body is tired, cortisol is reduced, and we should sleep soundly. Perfect world, I know!
Our body reacts to cortisol production and what’s known as the ‘fight or flight’ reaction occurs. This reaction was a great asset to the ‘hunter gatherer’ of old when their prey tried to overpower them, it is even beneficial to us today if we need to run for a bus or make a deadline. However it is meant as a short term reaction because increased cortisol causes decreased immune function, decreased digestion, it causes function in other body systems to slow down so energy concentrates in your muscles to run from the stressor.
In order to complete this jigsaw I must introduce you to serotonin (neurotransmitter for good mood), excess cortisol can deplete this and result can be low mood, lethargy, and even poor digestion. By eating the correct foods we can help increase our ‘good mood’ neurotransmitters. Now I am happy to introduce, tryptophan which is an amino acid and precursor to serotonin and melatonin – our good mood and sleep neurotransmitters. Examples of tryptophan rich foods include oats, banana, eggs, turkey, and almonds.
Chronic stress and anxiety also causes build-up of toxins known as free radicals in the body which cause havoc with digestion and absorption of nutrients. For everyone who just isn’t ready to walk into a nutritionist clinic and create an entirely new eating routine but who suffers low mood, lethargy, insomnia and feelings of anxiety, I hope the following four step plan will help you in the path to empower your body physically and emotionally, and help to reduce those feelings:
- Remove stimulants from your daily eating routine e.g. caffeine, sugar, processed food – this will help to reduce stimulation of chemicals already increased by stress.
- Balance your plate – ensure you have adequate amounts of fresh vegetables, fruit, protein and slow release carbohydrates e.g. brown rice, quinoa.
- Include tryptophan rich snacks every day in your routine. Best to have one as part of your evening snack routine (check out my tryptophan rich snack ideas below).
- Lifestyle changes – exercise for a minimum of 20 minutes every day (seek advice on suitable cardio exercise for you). Engage in a downtime activity that helps you switch off e.g. walking in the fresh air, jogging, yoga, acupuncture, mindfulness.
Tryptophan snack ideas:
- 2xorganic oatcakes, 1.5 teaspoon of organic almond butter, half a banana chopped on top
- Banana Frappe: 200- 300 mls unsweetened almond milk (not UHT), full banana (try freezing the banana first as it makes the milk really cold), blend on full power for 30 seconds.
- 30g bowl of granola, 2xdessert spoon of organic live natural yogurt, sprinkle of chopped almonds, half a chopped banana.
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