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Taking some stress out of life through diet
Vicki Koenig, MS, RD, CDN
 When we’re stressed, we tend to eat poorly. When we eat poorly, we’re more likely to get stressed. How do we stop this vicious cycle?
Start with Breakfast
Breakfast lays the foundation for a better day. Eating breakfast helps increase alertness and stabilizes blood sugar. No time to sit down for this important meal? Grab a higher protein energy bar, a drinkable yogurt, a hard boiled egg or whole grain toast and peanut butter. The day can wait just a few minutes more.
Small Planned Meals
Uncontrolled grazing isn’t the answer but instead having healthy planned snacks. Aim for smaller lunches and dinner meals that don’t require all your energy to digest. Plan for a snack in-between that’s 250 calories or less. Take fruit, crunchy fresh veggies, low fat yogurt, energy bar, pre-measured pita chips, 23 almonds (1 serving) or make a fruit Smoothie. Skipping meals doesn’t help. Most people overeat at the next meal.
Emphasize Good nutrition with adequate levels of these nutrients:
- Potassium from citrus, dairy, tomatoes and potatoes helps reduce blood pressure
- Calcium from dairy products, fortified orange juice and cruciferous greens are calming and help lower blood pressure.
- Magnesium from soy, greens, nuts and grains helps regulate stress hormones.
- Zinc from lean protein, yogurt and fortified cereals helps boost the immune system
- B vitamins, especially vitamin B6, folate and B12 support important mood chemicals. Get plenty of whole grains, lean protein, dairy, fruits and vegetables.
- Vitamin C: Studies suggest C lowers stress hormones and boosts the immune system
- Complex carbs for a nutrient-rich promoter of the relaxing brain chemical serotonin.
Eating a well-balanced, nutrient-rich diet can be beneficial for stress. A multi-supplement provides extra insurance. Cutting excess caffeine and alcohol can also help.
Stress equals poor food choices
Two out of three people eat when stressed. When your body releases the stress hormone cortisol, your appetite can get turned on too. Cortisol stimulates cravings for carbs and fats. These fuel our “flight or fight” response. The problem is our response to stress isn’t physical movement. We’re not running away or fighting our predator! As we graze or binge to cope, cortisol encourages our bodies to store more abdominal fat, raises our blood sugar and blood pressure. Did you ever notice that stressed spelled backwards is desserts? Dessert is not the ultimate tension tamer. Emphasize good nutrition!
Other Good Coping Mechanisms
- Exercise helps lower cortisol levels. It suppresses appetite and stabilizes moods. Aerobic exercise helps oxygenate your blood and make you feel happy. Aim for 30 minutes 3 to 4 times a week.
- Yoga gets you to breathe, stretch and strengthen, which are all good for stress.
- Massage. Do I need to describe why setting time aside to have tense muscles rubbed is good for stress reduction?
- Support from friends and family. People who have a support network cope better.
For fast-acting relief, try slowing down. ~Lily Tomlin
References:
Exercise with your baby
Advice from Certified Fitness Trainer Dawn Bonic
Finding
time to exercise can be tough with a little one around. But have you ever
thought of making your baby your exercise partner? Exercising with your baby
can be fun. And as your baby grows, so will exercise resistance. With strength
training and toning, you need to periodically increase resistance to achieve
continual results. What better way to have "progressive resistance" than a
growing baby?
Here
are a few exercises you can do with your baby or toddler:
Baby bicep curls
You
can do these while either sitting or standing. Support your baby's weight with
your forearms. Resting baby's feet on your hips can help you balance. Lower the baby until your forearms are parallel to the floor,
then lift back up by bending at the elbows.
 
Kiddie crunches
Lie
on the floor and do regular ab crunches with baby in
your lap. Exhale while lifting your head, neck, and shoulders off of the floor
and inhale as you lie back down.
 
Squats
Hold
your child in your arms, or in a front carrier, while you perform squats.
 
Push up kisses
With
baby lying on the floor, perform pushups over her. Kiss her while lowering
down.
 
Baby shoulder press
Hold
baby in front of you while standing or sitting.
Straighten arms as you exhale while lifting baby up toward the
ceiling. Finish the movement with a
slight bend in the elbow and keep the abs tight to support the back. Lower baby down while inhaling.
 
Baby leg extension
Let
baby lie on your shins while you lie with your back on the floor. Exhale while
lifting the shins until you achieve a 90 degree angle in the knees or slightly
beyond. Inhale while lowering legs.
 
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