Nutritional Support for Stress

Stress depletes: Vitamin C - our bodies cannot produce Vitamin C, animals that can produce vitamin C produce approx. 10x more while under stress, B vitamins (especially B5 and B6), magnesium, potassium, zinc, protein, essential fats (omega 3 is the main concern) and water (due to increased water loss through breathing and perspiration). Symptoms of deficiency of these nutrients are low energy, anxiety, irritability, depression, nervousness, allergies, weakened immune system, hormonal and mood concerns, headaches, insomnia, increased susceptibility to injuries (due to weakened collagen and connective tissue), skin problems, hair loss, bruising, increased blood pressure, bleeding gums.

Coffee and alcohol (diuretics) further deplete these nutrients, which are all water soluble. Caffeine and alcohol promote anxiety and depression. Sugar pushes calcium and magnesium out of the body and significantly weakens the immune system (the activity of white cells is depressed about 50% for 1-5 hrs after an average size serving of sweets). When you're stressed, you need optimal nutrition, not diuretics and nutrient deficient/nutrient depleting foods.

Fresh vegetable juice and blended "green drinks" (recipe below) are the next best things to nutrient IVs to help keep you strong while under stress. Vegetables have more vitamins and minerals per calorie than other foods. Spinach (raw baby spinach is the best choice) is #1 on the list of foods high in vitamins and minerals per calorie. Also important: protein, unrefined carbohydrates (fruit, whole grains like brown rice and oatmeal, beans and lentils) and essential fats.

Spinach and other vegetables are low in calories, so add avocados, olives, vitamin C fruits like oranges and papayas, and even bananas if you'd like to the salad to get more calories while eating more spinach to help with stress. Add sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds for extra protein, calories, essential fats, vitamin E, magnesium and other nutrients.

Salad dressing: juice 1/2 to 1 lemon, 2-4 TBS of flax seed oil (or 1/2 flax, 1/2 olive oil), sea salt, pepper, and if you’d like: 1/2 of a jalapeño, 1-2 cloves of crushed garlic, ginger, oregano or other spices.

Vitamin C: papaya, red bell pepper, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, strawberries, oranges, cantaloupes
B vitamins: beef, lamb, chicken, fish, snow peas, asparagus, spinach
B5: sunflower seeds, crimini and portabello mushrooms, unsweetened yogurt, organic corn (non-GMO)
B6: tuna, bananas, cod, spinach, Brussels
Magnesium: pumpkin seeds, spinach, Swiss chard, green beans, salmon, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, black beans
Potassium: Swiss chard, winter squash, spinach, avocados, papaya, most fruits
Protein: animal products, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, spinach, asparagus, broccoli
Omega 3 fats: salmon, sardines, scallops and other fish, flax seeds and oil, hemp seeds, organic soybeans (non-GMO), walnuts.
Water: use clear plastic bottles not cloudy plastic bottles (they leach more plastic into the water).

1/2 of the vitamins and minerals in food are destroyed by cooking.

With a blender, you can make "green shakes" to get lots of nutrition when under stress: tons of raw spinach (or Swiss chard or romaine, but spinach is best) + orange (or papaya or red pepper, the two highest sources of vitamin C) + banana (or two) + 2-3 tablespoons of flax seed oil + enough water to make it thin enough to blend well. You can add apples, pears, mangos, or other fruit for variation if you'd like. Here's a few videos on making "green shakes": 1, 2.

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Nutritional Supplements

Kitchen Equipment

Blender to buy if you're serious about doing more greed drinks

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