Stress and Nutrition

By Team Beachbody

When your life is extra stressful, you might wonder if that means you need extra vitamins and nutrients to help your body cope. Predictably, there are different opinions on the subject.

According to the American Dietetic Association: "It's a common myth that our bodies use more nutrients when we're under mental stress. Although pressures at home or work sometimes cause people to neglect eating well, we do not use any more or fewer essential nutrients while under stress."

However, Leo Galland, M.D., author of Power Healing (Random House, 1997) reports, "Chronic stress is not just harmful to the heart, it depletes the body's essential supply of magnesium, the nutrient most important for handling stress and contributing to sound sleep; relaxed, healthy muscles; and staying calm."

He goes on to say, "The fight-or-flight syndrome causes magnesium to pour out of the cells, which makes you more vulnerable to anxiety's negative effects. What's more, the substances we often reach for when we're tense--caffeine, sugar, high-fat foods and alcohol--leech even more magnesium from the body. Leafy vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, on the other hand, are full of this nutrient. Load up on these foods if you're under a lot of stress. And it's not a bad idea to consider taking a magnesium supplement."

Judith Wurtman, Ph.D., a research scientist at MIT adds, "Complex carbohydrates are champion stress-fighters, too, because they boost the brain's level of the mood-enhancing chemical serotonin. These include an array of vegetables (broccoli, leafy greens, potatoes, corn, cabbage, spinach), whole-grain breads and pastas, muffins, crackers and cereals. Make them a part of your regular diet. Bananas also help quell anxiety."

Is someone right or wrong here? It's hard to say. History shows that western science is usually slow to embrace ideas which are intangible or which lack scientific study. But a closer look at the potential of following a nutrient rich "stress-reducing" diet shows this could be very healthful.

Both the ADA and other doctors recommend certain teas to reduce stress. Certainly it seems like many herbal teas have properties, which can have a calming effect.

The safe assumption is that if you eat healthier and pay closer attention to the details of eating, the level of stress in your lifestyle will most certainly decline. And if you feel more run down or sluggish as a result of stress, it can only help you to get back on your feet by making sure to get the proper nutrition from food and supplements.

Whichever side of the relationship between nutrition and mental stress you agree with, if you're mentally or emotionally stressed out, these few eating tips may help:

1. Take time out for a healthful breakfast before your day starts. It will help you get going for your busy day and will keep you from feeling hungry just when you need to be gaining momentum.
2. Don't binge, or just grab whatever is in sight--take time for eating well. If food has ever altered your mood or made you feel sluggish, you know what we're talking about. Smart choices will prevent sinking further into stress, and possibly help you turn the corner.
3. If you have stress related to time constraints, try planning meals ahead of time or try quick healthy foods and recipes, such as fresh, canned or frozen veggies and fruits. Order-in if you have too, but try not to skip meals. Hunger makes stress feel worse, and then you're in a cycle, which gets worse before it gets better.