Concepts Relating to Stress

Behaviors

Exercise

Nutrition

Smoking

Handling Stressors

Ways to Reduce Stress

References

NUTRITION

• Balance
• Moderation
• Variety

Good eating habits alone do not make one healthy nor stress free; good habits can help one keep and improve their health and can reduce stress symptoms.  Eating nutritiously is one important way that an individual can maintain a sound body and mind.  It also indicates that the individual is in control of his/her life.

AINTAINING A HEALTHY WEIGHT

Overweight means being heavier than average for one’s height at age 25, but not more than 20% above the average.  Most fullbacks on the local football team are technically overweight, but they are muscular rather than fat.  The term fat means heaving excess body fat.  Obesity is defined as being more than 20% above average weight at age 25 for specific height and sex.  This term represents the extreme in body fatness.

Those individuals who accumulate more fat in the abdominal region are more at risk for heart disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure and breast cancer (in women) than those who accumulate fat in the hips and buttocks.

Obesity is in itself a source of stress.  Those individuals who are obese are endangering themselves and their health.

Obesity is associated with high blood pressure, increased levels of blood fats and cholesterol, diabetes, stroke and heart attack.  It is best to try to maintain close to ideal weight.

A quick, simple test to see if you need to lose weight is the pinch test.  If you can pinch an inch or more of tissue between your thumb and forefinger, you are carrying excess fat.  You can lose weight simply by:

• Increasing your physical activity.
• Eat less fat and fatty foods.
• Eat less sugar and sweet foods.
• Eat more fruits and vegetables.
• Eat more grains and cereals.
• Eat smaller portions.
• Eat slowly.  Put your fork down between bites.
• Take seconds only after you have waited 10–15  minutes.  Your stomach needs a little time to tell your brain that it is full.
• Drink a glass of water 15-30  minutes before eating.
• Use herbs and spices for flavoring instead of salt and dressings.
• Eat at appropriate eating places (not in front of the TV or at the desk).
• Eat off a small plate.  It will take less food to fill your plate.
• Choose a variety of foods from all of the food groups.
• Serve your plate from the kitchen.  It is easier to refrain from taking seconds.
• Make each meal last for at least 20  minutes.

Nutritionally correct habits are best established in childhood, so adults need to be positive role models for children.

BALANCED DIET:  Needs to include the following:

FAT

Fat:  no more than 30% of the total daily calories should be from fat.  Ways of reducing fat in the diet are:

• Trim all visible fat from meat before cooking.
• Remove skin from poultry before cooking.
• Select lean meats and eat only small portions of meat.
• Reduce the amounts of butter, salad dressings, etc.  Also try some of the new low calorie salad dressings.
• Use non-stick cooking oil instead of butter or oil.
• Bake, broil, boil or microwave foods instead of frying them.
• Select low or non-fat dairy products.
• Substitute low fat snacks such as carrot sticks, low-fat yogurt, etc., for high fat snacks such as potato chips, cookies, pies, etc.
• Remember that saturated fat from animals, coconut and palm oils are worse for you than unsaturated fats.
• Learn to calculate the percentage of fat calories in any given item.

Formula, for calculating the percentage of fat calories:  Determine the number of calories and the grams of fat in one serving.  This will be found on the package label.  Multiply the grams of fat in a serving by nine (9) (there are 9 calories in a gram of fat).  Then divide that number by the total calories in the serving.

Formula = (grams of fat X 9) divided by (total calories).  An easy way to roughly figure the percentage of fat is to multiply the grams of fat by 9; if the result is more than a third of the total calories, the food is higher in fat than you may want to eat.

FIBER

Fiber:  Increase fiber content in your diet slowly.  Add only one high fiber food item for the first few days.  Then gradually add additional foods, one at a time.  Be sure to drink plenty of water.  Easy suggestions for adding fiber:

• Eat apples with the peel left on.
• Eat tomatoes with the skin left on.
• Add bran to casseroles and meat loaf.
• Eat plain popcorn as a low calorie, high fiber food.
• Eat a green salad each day with plenty of fresh vegetables.
• Try dried fruits for snacks.
• Choose whole wheat or cracked wheat bread.
• Chose brown rice instead of white.
• Eat oranges instead of drinking orange juice.  Be sure to eat some of the inner white pith part.
• Add seeds and or nuts.  These will also add calories.  Use sunflower, pumpkin, poppy, sesame, filberts, almonds or pecans.

SODIUM

Sodium:  Ways to reduce the amount of sodium you consume:

• Cook without adding any salt to the food.
• Leave the salt shaker in the cupboard.  Bring it to the table only when someone asks for it, after they have tasted their food.
• Read food labels carefully.  If it is processed or cured, it is more likely to contain sodium than if it is fresh.
• Try a salt substitute.
• Omit highly salted foods such as potato chips, pickled foods, salty condiments, cured meats.

SUGAR

Sugar:  Ways to reduce the amount of sugar you consume:

• Choose fresh fruits whenever possible instead of canned.
• When choosing canned fruits, select the ones packed in natural juice or light syrup instead of heavy syrup.
• Read labels to determine sugar content.  Be aware that the various sugars may be listed individually rather than grouped together.  As a clue, most of the words ending in dose are sugars.  You have to add them together to get the real picture.
• Use less of the various types of sugars.  Try a sugar substitute.
• Eat less of the foods that contain large amounts of sugar, i.e., candy, ice cream, cookies, soft drinks, etc.

VITAMINS AND MINERALS

Vitamins and Minerals:  The commonly accepted direction relating to vitamin and mineral supplements is that most Americans do not need to take them.  That statement assumes that one is eating a well-balanced diet.  Americans are spending many dollars on these supplements when the real emphasis should be on planning and eating the correct foods.  The fast-paced fast-food lives that many live, may make supplements necessary.  The caution here is in taking mega doses of any of the supplements.  Mega doses can be toxic and cause illness.

FOOD ALLERGIES

Food allergies:  There is growing evidence that allergies to certain foods may trigger headaches, digestive disturbances, fatigue, anxiety and depression as well as diseases such as hay fever, asthma and hives; which have long been associated with food allergies.  These are often hard to diagnose, but if a patient has unexplained mood swings, it is another avenue to explore.

EATING FOR ENERGY
Eating for energy:  The indications are that an individual needs to concentrate protein in the foods eaten for breakfast, because the body needs the protein for sustained blood sugar levels, rather than the sharp peaks and valleys of blood sugar that a breakfast high in sugary foods would elicit.  To avoid that mid-afternoon slump, one needs to eat a smaller lunch.

There is a good argument to be made for eating several small meals in a day instead of three bigger meals.

Specific foods related to stress:

• The B vitamins.  Stress increases your need for these vitamins.  Make sure that you are getting enough of each.

Remember that coffee and alcohol consumption will increase your need for these vitamins.  So, if you react to stress by drinking more coffee or alcohol, you are increasing your body’s needs above what the stress is doing to it.

• Vitamin C is also considered to be an anti-stress vitamin.  As you review your nutritional requirements, consider these two as additional factors.

Remember:

• There are no free lunches and there are no miracle diets.
• Foods have their very own taste.  Try them without all the extras.  You may like the natural taste.
• Read the labels.
• Eating habits are lifestyle habits.

Reminders for traveling and eating out:

• Instead of an appetizer, order iced tea, a diet soda or a large glass of water.  Drink it before you order your meal.  This action should reduce the amount you order and eat.
• Always have the salad dressing served on the side.  Instead of pouring it on the salad, dip the tip of your fork into it and then take a bite of dressing.  That way you get the taste of the dressing without consuming so many of the calories.  If you eat out a lot, carry your own packages of low calorie dressing.
• Ask for open-faced sandwiches with lots of lettuce and tomatoes.  Avoid processed meats and pickles.
• Choose fruit or angel food cake for dessert…without the whipped cream or ice cream.
• Ask that bread or rolls be served with the main meal instead of with the salad.  Once you are full of salad, it will be easier to resist the rolls and butter.
• When your plate is served, if the portion is too large (which it often is), cut off a portion and ask for a doggy bag at that time.  It is easier to resist eating it if it is off your plate and out of sight.
• If you were reared as a member of the clean plate club, don’t fight it, just choose which foods you will clean up.  Give yourself permission to not clean up all of the food.  Ask for a doggy bag.
• Share a dinner.  If two of you share, you can order an extra salad and maybe split a dessert.
• If you know that high calorie foods are going to be the choices (at a buffet or party), eat a rice cake and drink a big glass of water just before you go.
• Have a contest with yourself.  See if you can make it through the party eating only vegetables.

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