Stress is often viewed as a thing, but it’s really a response within the body.
Gabor Mate gives this great description of stress in his book, When The Body Says No:
“Stress is a biological process, a wide-ranging set of events in the body, irrespective of cause or of subjective awareness. Stress consists of the internal alterations—visible or not—that occur when the organism perceives a threat to its existence or well-being.”
Why do I think food is so important for stress? Mainly because of how it impacts our blood sugar and can help rebalance it when we are dealing with outside stressors. When cortisol (stress hormone) increases, this sends us on a blood sugar rollercoaster. We experience highs in blood sugar followed by lows. This adds more stress to the body, weakening our healthy foundation and causing hormone imbalance down the road.
While food (or lack thereof) can definitely create stress in the body, I think it’s most powerful for reducing it.
Here’s how a balanced nutrition approach can reduce stress:
1. Gives energy to the cells to support metabolic health and energy production in the body.
2. Balances blood sugar.
3. Glucose balanced with the proper nutrients reduces cortisol.
4. Provides essential nutrients needed for functions in the body (think liver, thyroid hormone production, blood sugar, etc.)
5. Takes the body out of the stressed state when done properly.
If you often feel stressed or feel like you don’t handle stress well, looking at your nutrition is one of the most powerful places to start. Listening to our Are You Menstrual? Podcast episode 2 from season 1 will help you create a nourishing nutrition foundation
You can also check out my free nourishing meal guide resource here for some recipe ideas!
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