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Eat right to boost your mood |
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Feeling a bit
grumpy and stressed? There’s bad news everywhere, so who can help it? But don’t let it get you down. Eat and move to live, and give your mind (and your body) a lift.
Doom. Gloom. No wonder we’re feeling stressed. Our bodies’ natural response to cope with stress is elevated adrenaline levels. Part of this response is gearing the body for quick-action, fast-thinking and lots of available energy for running away from or fighting the threat. Nowadays, we suffer more from situational stress (deadlines, financial fears, emotional problems) than from physical stress. Yet, we feel the physical effects of adrenaline: a faster heart beat, higher blood pressure, increased utilisation of energy and blood-sugar fluctuations, aggression and irritability, sleep disturbances, compromised immunity, and appetite changes.
When we’re stressed, we tend to eat badly and opt for foods that are high in sugar and refined carbs. And it’s not just poor willpower that makes us ‘comfort eat’; it also has a physiological basis. If we increase our blood-
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sugar levels by noshing sweet things and carbohydrate-rich foods, we manipulate the chemicals in our brains so that we produce more serotonin (the 'calm' chemical).
Soon the problem becomes two-fold: firstly, the food we choose to increase serotonin is usually rich in hidden fats as well, so there is an increase in production of serotonin, and of fats entering the blood. Secondly, due to the stress response, our bodies have produced more cortisol than usual. This, apart from causing stomach disturbances and increased proneness to infection, causes a disturbed insulin activity. The fats which we unknowingly ingest during these comfort-eating episodes are stored all the more easily because of the presence of cortisol.
Stress-beating eating
Here’s how you can improve your stress levels through sensible eating.
- Prevent low blood sugar – don’t skip meals. Eat regular, healthy, small meals.
- Avoid stimulants which may increase anxiety, such as caffeine.
- Keep a store of low-energy snacks handy such as carrot and celery sticks, unbuttered popcorn, chewing gum, rice cakes spread with Marmite and the odd hard sweet to satisfy your sweet cravings.
- Sip away your stress: herbal teas with chamomile, lemon balm, lavender, and valerian, together with a spoonful of honey, soothes the nerves.
- Eat calming foods: tryptophane, an amino acid, boosts the formation of serotonin, the ‘feel good’, calming brain chemical. Unrefined carbohydrates, nuts and bananas are rich in tryptophane.
- Boost your energy levels. Small amounts of protein (cheese, eggs, chicken, meat) contain the amino acid tryptamine that can give you a boost when stress tires you out. Take ready prepared portions to work.
- Be carb wise. Avoid refined starches like white bread, pasta, rice and potatoes. High-fibre, whole-grain alternatives break the cycle that stimulates hunger by keeping blood sugar levels stable. Fruits, vegetables, low-fat yoghurt and cottage cheese work well, too.
Lighten the load by moving more
We’re all about bringing the fun back into exercise – and into your life! And more fun means less stress. So get over to Virgin Active and take the load off with a host of exciting exercise tools. Technogym®, Power Plate®, Gravity®, Cardio Wave™ and Pure Strength are all part of the unique Virgin Active experience; along with boxing rings, climbing walls, and brand-new class revelations like Nike® Rockstar workout, Kettlebells™ and Punch. And if you fancy something a little more slow-paced, join in the feel-good factor of a yoga class, or luxuriate in our pristine spa facilities, and feel your stress melting away...
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