Stress Awareness

What does stress look like? Can you see it? 

We talk about stress like you can’t see it, but it's right there. 

It's in the extra wrinkles, dry skin and gray hairs that pop up. It's even in the irregular digestion, weight gain and high blood pressure that have snuck up. 

Yes, a lot of what we feel daily as stress is definitely caused by today’s culture, but its symptoms are made drastically worse in adults and children alike from malnutrition and deficiency of key nutrients. A lot of us are overfed but undernourished. We end up choosing easy, quick options for food and drink because we are so stressed and busy. And even though they fill our stomachs at the time, they don’t give us the vitamins and minerals we need to combat stress and feel our best.

There are a number of things you've maybe heard you can do to reduce stress like meditating, exercising, reorganizing, delegating and prioritizing. Maybe even seeking help from a counselor or support group. These can help tremendously and should not be overlooked. But today we’re going to focus on nutrition. I know diet can be a taboo word, and this article points out food to add to your diet, not remove. Below are examples of what we can put inside our body to give it the building blocks for ultimate health so that we can actually reduce stress and not allow it to lead to dis-ease and illness.

We need a mix of vitamins and minerals to keep our hearts and minds healthy which will keep stress at bay. 

• B vitamins are known to help improve mood and brain health and stabilize emotions. 
• The antioxidant properties of Vitamin C helps control cortisol and therefore reduce stress levels as well. 
• Vitamin E will help remove free radicals that we end up with in a stressed state, this can then level out stress and make it more manageable. 
• We use up magnesium when we’re stressed and being depleted only makes symptoms worse as it will make you more fatigued, irritable and can even cause headaches. 
• We can get Vitamin D from the sun, but many don’t get enough, and this vitamin is crucial for mood and sleep, without it people feel tired but can’t sleep well and can get the blues. 
• Foods high in omegas are known to promote a healthy brain and keep cortisol levels in check. 
• Zinc is a mineral known to also support brain health and improve neural pathways and overall regulates the nervous system.

The above list gives you an idea of how important a well rounded diet is for stress reduction. Try adding new foods to your diet to increase your vitamin and mineral intake. But rest assured that you are getting a balanced supplemental dose with our trio of MineralRich, Solu-C and Vita-Sprout.