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Body:
Beat Stress, Stay Slim
The Anti-Stress Dietary Do's
Know
Your Rhythm
Stress
hormones follow a daily bio-rhythm. The levels peak in the morning
and slowly decline through the day.
 To
stay in tune with this rhythm, you need to eat breakfast like a
king, lunch like a peasant and have dinner like a pauper.
Basically
eat less food after 3 pm and stop eating after 8 pm.
If
you have a poor appetite, the same rule applies. The only difference
will be that you will need to eat small meals and more meals to
match your small appetite.
Including
mid-morning, tea-time and supper snacks can help you meet daily
nutrient goals with ease.
Don't
Skip Meals
Skipping
a meal causes blood sugar levels to dip. This results in a craving
for sugar-rich foods, consumption of a sweet food, release of insulin
and another energy dip.
That
is, skipping a meal triggers off a vicious cycle of low blood sugar
levels, sweet cravings, eating and insulin release. So, eat regular
meals to ward off sweet cravings.
Choose
The Right Foods
·
Eat balanced
meals
 Your
body needs adequate nourishment to fight stress. So, aim to eat
balanced meals comprising rice, bread, noodles or wholegrain cereals;
vegetables; meat, fish or poultry; fruit; milk and milk products
to nourish your body.
If
you are a poor eater, eat small meals and snacks with a variety
of foods. Your ultimate goal should be to consume the recommended
servings of different food groups at the end of the day.
Don't
skip fruits, you probably need more than the recommended 2 per day,
especially vitamin C-rich fruits like orange, starfruit, kiwi, papaya,
watermelon and guava, since your need for vitamin C increases when
stressed.
·
Go for fiber-rich foods
When
sweet cravings strike or the urge to binge occurs, opt for high-fibre
carbohydrates
like wholegrains, vegetables and fruits.
Being
high in fibre, these foods are great fillers and can help curb binge
attacks; they take long to digest, and this implies a slow release
of sugar in the blood, which satisfies sweet cravings effectively.
Additionally,
like all other carbohydrates, these foods can also spur the release
of a brain chemical, serotonin, known for its soothing abilities.
·
Sip a cup of tea
Hot
beverages like tea, coffee and hot chocolate have always been recommended
for their reviving effect. The caffeine in these beverages has been
linked to this effect.
But
now, with new research hinting at the beneficial role of tea flavonoids
in helping peripheral blood vessels (which constrict due to stress)
to relax, you should actually consider sipping a hot cup of tea
for not only its revival, but its relaxing effect, too.
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