Managing Stress with Our Food Choices

It is hard to manage work-life balance, especially if you have tight deadlines and live in a stressful city. There would be a difference in your energy levels, mood and body because of exhaustion.

Stress can lead to snapping at the slightest provocation, mood swings, overeating or binging at unhealthy things, which means not doing what is best for your body. This article will focus on our diet and its correlation with increasing stress in our bodies. 

Have you ever eaten healthily before? Eating healthy makes you feel good. Every process is designed to get the results it produces. When we put low-quality, low-nutrition foods into our mouths, we can expect to feel symptoms like gas, bloating, diarrhoea or constipation. If we load up on sugar, processed foods and pre-packaged meals, our output will be low energy, unstable moods and low productivity.

Why is eating healthy important for managing stress?

      You’ll Have More Energy

One of the main reasons to eat clean is because it gives us more energy. Healthy foods with all the nutrients and vitamins our body needs take time to digest, which fuels our body for a long time during the day, while highly processed foods contain high levels of rapidly digesting carbohydrates. These get digested easily and release the energy they provide into your bloodstream at a much faster, less stable rate. As a result, your energy levels ‌peak and then crash. 

   Your body works better with good food.

Healthy foods are full of the nutrients your body needs to operate correctly. They support almost every function you can think of. For example, vitamin A is essential for healthy vision, not getting enough sulfur can prevent the nerves from functioning properly, chloride helps keep the fluid levels within your body balanced, and potassium helps keep your blood pressure under control.

    Prevention of Chronic Disease

Eating clean can keep you safe from almost any chronic disease. Consuming unhealthy foods has the opposite effect and can increase your risk of developing chronic diseases like hypertension and obesity. 

  Strengthen your immune system.

Your immune system keeps you safe from disease, infection and foreign bodies. If you have a strong immune system, your chances of getting sick are much lower. Another critical benefit of clean eating is that the wide range of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrient in these foods help keep your immune system strong. However, following a limited, unhealthy diet of processed foods means your body doesn’t get all these immune-system-boosting nutrients. As a result, your immune system becomes weak, and your body becomes much less effective at fighting disease, infection and foreign bodies.  This leaves you much more open to illness.

        Be More Productive

Fewer sick days, optimal body function, and higher energy levels mean you’ll be more productive at work. When we fuel our bodies with the proper nutrition, we’re more likely to be on our game. We’ll have the willpower to protect our time boundaries by minimising distractions. We’ll also have the focus and clarity we need to tackle demanding projects, come up with brilliant ideas in the strategy meeting, handle any fires that come our way and decide in the best interest of our teams.

      Reduce Stress And Burnout

Did you know eating clean can also help you reduce stress? It’s true! We know certain foods for their stress-busting nutrients. And the best part? Fruits are a big part of it. 

Some fruits prompt the brain to make more serotonin, which gives us that “feel-good moment”. For a steady supply of this feel-good chemical, it’s best to eat rich and healthy meals. Foods high in magnesium, like spinach, watermelon and banana, help prevent headaches and fatigue caused by excess stress. Plus, magnesium reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression, often exacerbated by the stress response. Fruits are chock-full of helpful vitamins: vitamin E to bolster the immune system, and B vitamins, which may make us more resilient during bouts of stress or depression. We can obtain all these vitamins from food sources such as natural fruit smoothies.

Keep a few of these key ingredients on hand, especially when things at work start to heat up. Regular stress management helps prevent burnout and the development of cardiovascular and other chronic diseases.

       The Takeaway

We all know we should eat better to stay healthy. And now you’re armed with the information you need to make better decisions about what you’re putting into your body.  The “whys” above are just scraping the surface. The bottom line is that eating healthy is one of the best things you can do for your body. So if you’re currently living off fast food, microwave meals and takeout (like I have been this past week), consider making a few simple changes to your diet. Need help? Check out our outlets and get a dose of refreshing 100% natural smoothies.

Eating clean doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. Grabbing a piece of fruit instead of a processed meal, drinking a glass of water instead of a glass of soda, or cooking up some chicken and vegetables instead of having a microwave meal are all quick and easy ways to eat clean and healthy.  Making intelligent choices like these a daily habit will help you maintain healthy work-life boundaries and achieve the balance you’re looking for.