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The loss of a family person, unhappy love relationships, illnesses or other serious problems are literally able to destroy us mentally and physically. Luckily for some of us stress really leads to a drastic weight loss. However, this is not the right way for losing weight. Being under stress is not only emotionally unhealthy for us, but also physically. I am sure everyone knows what usually comes right after the rapid weight loss? Yes, I am sure you would say rapid gain, and you are exactly right. I hope that nobody wants to achieve the slim and elegant figure by being stressed out and powerless all the time.
What hormones affect your body to lose weight?
Your body weight usually increases when you think, communicate, eat food, work, or even when you have sex (many people really tend to gain a lot of weight if they have sexual intercourse often). However, when the hormones called corticosteroids are combined with the thyroid hormones, weight decreases. This explosive combination burns a lot of your fats and proteins and leads to a sharp weigh loss. This hormonal disproportion is characteristic of stress conditions. They are sometimes accompanied by muscle tension, sweating, and increased level of your voice. In other cases the combination of these hormones has no external signs but have deep inside painful experiences. The level of fatigue you would experience during the combination of these hormones would be the same as if you went for an hour and half run. Yeah, it is really that much!
Your immunity drastically decreases in periods of stress. The food you eat remains undigested and the hydrochloric acid starts irritating your stomach walls very badly. In this way you increase your risk of cardiovascular diseases.
What you should eat when you are under stress?
If you eat junk or any unhealthy food while under stress you will only additionally increase your level of stress. What you should have are healthy balanced meals rich in antioxidants. These meals will definitely reduce the harmful effects of the stress. In order for you to feel calm and relaxed, you need to also consume foods containing vitamins C and E, beta carotene, and selenium flavonoidi.
Vitamin E is of a big importance to your entire health. It is contained in very large quantities in vegetable fats such as: olive oil, sunflower, corn oil, and nuts.
Vitamin C is also extremely important for your health. You can find it in most of the vegetables and in green herbs. Vitamin C is contained in big quantities in citrus and berry's fruits as well.
Beta carotene is found in the dark green (spinach, nettle, lettuce), orange ( carrots, apricots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins), and red vegetables (tomatoes, red peppers), as well as in almost all fruits.
Flavonoidi can be found in citrus fruits, apples, pears, broccoli, grapes, red wine, dark beer and green tea.
Selenium - this valuable mineral you can find in oat kernels, nuts and seafood.
We MUST include fruits and vegetables in our daily meals and especially in periods when we are under stress. However, the most important anti stress factor is physical activity. By exercising regularly you will not only make your body stronger and better looking, but you will also be in a better mood and therefore decrease the level of your stress.
