By SARA HAUFF DORAN
SARA HAUFF DORAN
Or your newborn baby would not stop crying today no matter what you tried, so it’s time to dive into a bag of potato chips [or insert your food of choice here].
Perhaps it’s the pressure of getting everything done for the busy holiday season. You’ve been doing things for other people all day long and you want to treat yourself to something good to eat.
Yes most of us have succumbed to stress eating. Everyone has their different triggers, but often the result is the same — you eat something under the not so good for you category and you eat a lot of it.
But there are better ways of dealing with everyday stress. Instead of your usual go-to food when you are under stress, there are actually healthy foods that help you fight stress.
Foods can fight stress in several ways. Comfort foods, like a bowl of warm oatmeal, actually boost levels of serotonin, a calming brain chemical. Other foods can reduce levels of the stress hormones, cortisol and adrenaline.
Finally, a nutritious diet can counteract the impact of stress, by shoring up the immune system and lowering blood pressure, according to www.webmd.com. And a large part of a nutritious diet includes complex carbohydrates (carbs), such as whole-grain breakfast cereals, breads and pastas. All carbs prompt the brain to make more of the feel-good chemical serotonin. Complex carbs can also help you feel balanced by stabilizing blood sugar levels, according to www.webmd.com.
There are also vitamins, ideally ingested in food, or taken as a supplement, that can boost your immune system. Studies suggest that Vitamin C, found in oranges and strawberries among other foods, is one of those heavy-hitting vitamins.
Another item to add to your diet is Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish like salmon and tuna, that can prevent surges in stress hormones and protect against heart disease, www.webmd.com states. There are other healthy foods to help beat stress including black tea, pistachios, almonds and avocados.
Instead of eating, a better way to let off steam is exercising. Go for a run on a treadmill, go for a walk outside — whatever you can do — it’ll be much more satisfying than overeating and feeling guilty afterwards.
Aerobic exercise is the most effective, because it increases oxygen circulation and produces endorphins — chemicals that make you feel happy. And isn’t that the best defense against stress — being content.
