Managing Stress Caused by our Food

In a previous article I wrote about the different forms stress can present itself. Things like emotions, physical and chemical stressors can all put our body in a state of stress. This then will engage the natural response of a “fight or flight” mode, which can become chronic if we don’t properly handle the stressor. In this article I want to address the biggest stress trigger – the food we eat. The good news is that it’s the one stressor that we can change with a little effort to help in managing stress. The saying, “We are what we eat” is very true but it’s not always just about calories. There are new studies that show what you put in your body is much more than just calories. The quality of food you consume directly influences your genes and the stress response.

Many of us have seen the movie Super Size Me with Morgan Spurlock. For those who have not seen it, it’s a documentary of what would happen if someone ate fast food three times a day for one month. I think most of us realize that it is extremely unhealthy eating processed, fried food loaded with trans fat, high fructose corn syrup and calories. Health issues like obesity, heart disease, diabetes and even a fatty liver are concerns with this kind of diet. During the movie Morgan Spurlock would eat all fast food and routinely get his blood work and weight checked to see the direct impact of fast food on your health. What was disturbing besides his overall decline of physical health was how his personality changed. He became aggressive, depressed, foggy and only felt better when he ate more fast food. Think about that and the difference between a drug or alcohol addict. Not much difference! Morgan Spurlock became addicted to that type of food and felt drugged because of it, pointing to the fact it’s laced with chemical additives.

Fast food is not the only culprit of genetically modified, nutrient depleted and petrochemically filled foods. Unfortunately many of our foods are becoming more foreign to our cells because of the way they are now grown, treated with pesticides and fertilizers, then shipped thousands of miles away to the grocery stores. According to the book, “The Ultramind Solution” by Dr. Mark Hyman – the stress response in our body created by “foreign” molecules in food is called xenohormesis. The concept of xenohormesis describes how the stress-related cascade of events can lead to making us sick. The foods we eat directly impact the state of our health. We have a choice between a greasy hamburger and a grilled chicken salad. We all need to focus more on making the correct decisions. It’s interesting to see the correlation of increased child obesity and the increase in brain dysfunction. More studies are pointing to the close correlation between obesity and the rise of ADHD and other behavior problems in children.

Parents already have a daunting task of raising children with so many crazy external influences today. However, its so important to think about the nutrients in the food we feed our children and maybe more importantly the quality of that food. For instance, Fruit Loops that market themselves as a food high in anti-oxidants is probably not the best choice! Those foods are not sending the right message to our body. Just like Morgan Spurlock, kids and even adults will crave that food if given a chance and will begin stress-related events that can make them sick. My advice is to fill your house with “whole” foods, preferably organic if you can, to force yourself to eat foods high in minerals and nutrients naturally. For those on the run, plan ahead, and supplement with whole food supplements to ensure that you always get the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables. If you would like more info on ways to begin managing stress in your life, please contact Living with Motion Chiropractic at (513) 831-4433.

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