DEALING WITH STRESS - FOOD

This week it is National Stress Awareness Week and it’s something that is very close to us at Number Nine. We have all felt the effects of stress at some point in our lives, whether it be through work, relationships, personal pressures or through financial stress, and some of us deal with it more often than others. Some people also deal with it better than others - I know that I personally (Alanna - the design & social media freelancer) am really really bad at dealing with stress. It affects me so bad that when I don’t have it under control, it will come out through panic attacks, severe bloating or negative mental chat to myself.

Next up in our series is about how food and eating seasonally can help deal with stress and depression.

Folic Acid & Vic B12

Folic acid is important for the functioning of the nervous system, no matter your age, and it also has a big impact on your brain and boosting your mood. There is some evidence that the body uses it to create serotonin — a neurotransmitter that affects mood — but there’s no conclusive evidence as to how it works. High levels of folic acid can be found in leafy greens, oatmeal, sunflower seeds, oranges, fortified cereals, lentils, black-eyed peas, and soybeans.

Stress & Berries

Stress can aggravate symptoms of depression and cause exhaustion. Berries such as blueberries, raspberries and strawberries help prevent the release of cortisol, a hormone produced by the adrenal gland. During stressful situations, cortisol heads toward your hippocampus, a major portion of the brain that stores memories, provides emotional responses, and helps with navigation. Not only that, but blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries are some of the highest antioxidant foods available to us, and antioxidants are like DNA repairmen. They go around fixing your cells and preventing them from getting cancer and other illnesses.

Sugar

Although sugar may give you a little boost of energy and happiness at first, there are plenty of studies to suggest that too much sugar can functionally change your brain, slow it down and increase symptoms of anxiety and depression. Lots of refined sugar and refined carbohydrates (meaning white bread, pasta, rice and most processed foods,) is also linked with depression because these foods not only supply very little in the way of nutrients but they also use up the mood enhancing B vitamins; turning each teaspoon of sugar into energy needs B vitamins.

The British Journal of Psychiatry published a study where a group of 3,456 middle-aged-servants found that those who had a diet which contained a lot of processed foods had a 58% increased risk for depression, whereas those whose diet could be described as containing more whole foods had a 26% reduced risk for depression.

Sugar also diverts the supply of another nutrient involved in mood – chromium. This mineral is vital for keeping your blood sugar level stable because insulin, which clears glucose from the blood, can’t work properly without it.

Eating Seasonally

Eating seasonally supports your bodies natural nutritional needs. In the winter, nature provides us with all things citrus and citrus is very high in Vitamin C - this is very important at helping your body prevent infections as well as the notorious cold and flu’s. Another veggie that are in season during the winter months are mushrooms, and mushrooms are very high in Vitamin D, also known as the ‘sunshine vitamin’. Your body can make Vitamin D by using cholesterol and absorbing natural sunshine and your mood will improve with as little as 10 minutes sun exposure which is why light therapy is SO important for people who suffer from SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).

Summer fruits are another great example of this, as stone fruits provide us with extra beta-carotenes and other carotenoids that help protect us against sun damage. So interesting, huh!

More Environmentally-Friendly
Eating seasonally reduces the demand for out of season produce which further supports more local produce and supports local farming in your area which means less transportation, less refrigeration, less hot houses, and less irradiation of produce.

Foods that are grown during their season are naturally, more nutritionally dense. When foods are grown out of their season, they aren’t able to follow their natural rhythms of growth, which means chemicals are sprayed onto them, as well as the use of gases and heat processes to speed up the natural process. Obviously, artificially ripened produce is often not as nutritious or tasty as naturally ripened produce. There was a study on monitoring the vitamin C content of broccoli. And it was found that broccoli grown during its peak season (the autumn) had a higher vitamin C content than broccoli grown during the spring. 

If you notice that you suffer from any of the above, try and eat more seasonally this time round and see whether you notice any difference. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this!

Number Nine, x