In this episode of the Nutrition Edit Podcast, we delve into the unavoidable reality of stress and its impact on our lives.
Stress comes in many forms, some of which we can control and others we can't, like political unrest or environmental toxins. But regardless of the source, stress affects us all differently, influenced by our circumstances and resilience levels.
While we can't always eliminate stressors from our lives, we can manage our response to stress through healthy lifestyle choices. Today, we're focusing on how to use food and exercise to increase resilience and reduce stress, even when external stressors remain unchanged.
Interested in working with Jeannie? Schedule a 30-minute Coffee Talk here.
Connect with me on Instagram @joliverwellness and check out the options for my more affordable self-study programs here: https://www.joliverwellness.com/diy-programs
Music credit: Funk’d Up by Reaktor Productions
A Podcast Launch Bestie production
Download my Sleep Better Strategies cheat sheet here.
References:
Hello, beautiful.
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:Welcome to the nutrition edit podcast.
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:I don't know about you, but just
saying or hearing the word stress
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:makes me feel well stressed.
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:We all experience stress to
varying degrees every day.
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:And there are many stressors in this world
that we have absolutely no control over.
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:Things like political unrest, war,
environmental toxins like air and
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:water pollution and social injustice.
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:These are all stressors that most of
us have little or no control over,
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:although we can and absolutely should
get out and vote and do whatever
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:we can to create positive change.
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:But my point here is that stress is
an inescapable part of life, and how
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:we react to these stressors is vastly
different from person to person,
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:depending on each individual's response.
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:Circumstances and resilience.
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:Resilience is essentially a combination
of a person's mental and physical
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:well being, or our ability to
bounce back and recover from stress.
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:Thankfully, we do have some agency and
control over how resilient we are, and two
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:of the most powerful tools that we have
at our fingertips are food and movement.
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:So today I want to share with you
how you can use food and exercise to
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:increase your resilience and feel less
stressed out, even if the external
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:stressors in your life are not changing.
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:So first let's talk about the difference
between acute stress and chronic stress.
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:Acute stress is momentary or short term.
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:So like when you're driving
and maybe you have a near miss.
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:almost accident or someone cuts you off.
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:Maybe you have to run to catch a plane.
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:This is what's considered acute stress.
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:It's short term, right?
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:It's not ongoing and lasting.
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:Whereas chronic stress
is long term or ongoing.
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:And this is the kind of stress that can
contribute to health issues, disease,
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:mental illness, including things like
high blood pressure, heart disease,
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:obesity, and metabolic syndrome.
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:Leading to type two diabetes,
it can contribute to depression
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:and even chronic pain.
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:If you have a very stressful job
or maybe a tense living situation
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:where there's strife or abuse, maybe
you're a caregiver for an ill or an
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:elderly parent or an ill child, or if
you're someone who is marginalized or
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:subjected to racism over and over, these
are all examples of chronic stress.
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:Another source of chronic
stress that I should add is
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:trauma, which is all too common.
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:Most of us have some level of trauma,
what's called either little T or big
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:T trauma in our lives, but its effect
on our health is often overlooked.
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:And research shows a direct link
between childhood trauma and
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:chronic illness in adulthood.
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:And I'll tell you, I've never personally
met somebody who has a chronic illness
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:who hasn't also suffered significant
trauma at some point in their lives.
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:Now, depending on your situation, you may
be able to remove certain stressors from
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:your life, but that's not always possible.
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:So when I talk about stress management,
I like to emphasize what you can do to
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:help yourself navigate through the stress
in life in the healthiest way possible,
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:because inevitably it's stress management.
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:It's going to come up
at some point, right?
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:No one can escape stress.
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:One of the most common complaints that
people come to me with is chronic stress.
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:And after working with me one on
one, one of the most common things
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:I hear is that their stressors
haven't necessarily changed much.
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:But they feel like they're
not as negatively affected
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:by those stressors anymore.
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:In other words, they're less stress
reactive and they feel more resilient.
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:So let's jump in and talk about what
you can do to fortify your body and
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:mind so that you're more equipped
to handle whatever comes your way.
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:I want you to take a moment and ask
yourself, what are you most likely to eat
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:or crave when you're stressed or anxious?
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:What are the foods that
you're typically drawn to?
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:Are you likely to eat more or to
eat less when you're stressed out?
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:Some of us eat more, some of us eat less.
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:When we're stressed, it's normal to crave
foods that stimulate the pleasure centers
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:in our brain and make us feel good.
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:I call these blissey foods or things that,
give you that kind of quick, Dopamine hit.
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:But sadly, that only lasts momentarily
and those foods are highly addictive.
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:And here's the thing that I
want you to remember, okay?
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:Food can either be a source of stress,
or it can be a source of stress relief.
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:And while we may not be able to
control our external stressors,
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:we can control what we eat, right?
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:Most of the time.
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:Now, not everybody has full choice over
what they eat or access necessarily
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:to healthy, nutritious foods.
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:But today, I am, I'm talking to those
of you who do have access to good food.
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:and have that choice available to you.
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:So I want to clarify too the
difference between internal
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:stressors and external stressors.
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:External ones Can include things like
work, relationships, your finances
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:different circumstances, like maybe
you're in the midst of a move or social
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:media is a source of external stress,
the news is a source of external stress.
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:Our perception is also a
source of external stress.
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:So how we perceive something
can be a stressor as well.
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:Internal, although that can be
argued that's an internal stressor,
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:but I would say that's on the cusp.
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:Internal sources of stress would
include a lack of sleep, poor
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:nutrition, poor digestion, an
inflammatory or a high glycemic diet,
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:caffeine and alcohol toxic load.
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:So maybe you have, a heavy mercury load,
or you've got mold on this and exposure
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:to lots of chemicals, things like that.
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:Any other illnesses are sources of
internal stress, and then also too
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:much or too little exercise can
be very stressful for the body.
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:Something here to keep in mind,
that's also a major point I want
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:you to take away from this episode
today, is that less internal stress
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:equals increased resilience and
less reactivity to external stress.
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:Okay?
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:So food, as I've talked about
before, is so much more than
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:just calories in, calories out.
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:It is a chemical messenger.
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:that tells our body what
to do or what not to do.
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:Okay.
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:You probably have heard me
talk about the donut versus the
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:chicken breast illustration.
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:How our bodies react to each is
drastically different and they
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:stimulate different hormones
or chemicals in the body.
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:All right.
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:So for example, that chicken breast.
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:is going to stimulate leptin.
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:Leptin tells your brain,
Hey, I'm full, I'm satiated.
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:You don't need to keep eating.
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:It's also quite nutrient dense, right?
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:Lots of protein.
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:It's got some healthy fats,
minerals, vitamins, et cetera.
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:Whereas a donut that's really loaded
with just empty calories, sugar,
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:starch, inflammatory fats, both
have basically the same calories.
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:If you're looking at your average
glazed donut and you're, maybe six
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:ounce, skinless chicken breast.
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:Okay.
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:But that donut is going to
stimulate something called ghrelin.
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:We often call that the hunger hormone.
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:This tells your brain
like, Hey, keep eating.
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:I'm hungry.
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:Keep eating.
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:And it's stimulated by these foods
that spike your blood sugar, but don't
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:have any real nutrient density there.
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:There's no real nutrition.
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:There's nothing that's actually
feeding your cells or giving
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:you nutrients that you need.
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:So your body is essentially
saying, Hey, I'm not getting
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:anything really useful here.
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:You need to keep eating.
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:That's why someone could easily eat
a few donuts before you felt full.
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:You may feel sick before you
actually felt full and satiated.
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:If you tried to eat more than
like one, maybe one and a half
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:or two chicken breasts, you
would be stuffed to the gills.
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:Like you couldn't, most
people can't do it.
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:So that's just a simple example of, the.
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:fact that food is so much
more than just calories.
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:It's a chemical messenger.
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:Okay.
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:So when we're talking about what we want
to achieve with a stress reducing diet, so
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:to speak, or, how we want to eat to feel
less stressed or be less stress reactive,
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:the goals for this are the positive
outcomes typically that we want are going
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:to be, Mental emotional and physical.
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:Those are the two categories
that we're looking at.
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:So on the mental emotional side, you
really want to have mental clarity
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:and focus, increased motivation.
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:We'd all like more of that, right?
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:Less stress reactivity or more resilience.
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:Like I mentioned before, less anxiety.
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:That's a big one.
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:And better interpersonal relations
or, better relationships.
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:We feel more positive about
our interactions, right?
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:We can communicate better.
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:We maybe have less social
anxiety, things like that.
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:And then physical benefits or outcomes
that we're seeking with this would
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:be better energy, more sustained
energy, better sleep, increased
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:stamina and athletic performance.
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:This is really important for you athletes,
and I know there's a lot of you out there.
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:An overall increase in your health and
being, of course, that's an obvious one.
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:And then healthier hormones.
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:So those are really key.
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:And In order to achieve these outcomes,
here are the big points that we want to
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:achieve when we're looking for, how to
eat for stress reduction, essentially.
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:All right, this is what, this is
the to do portion of the program.
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:So first you want to eat
nutrient dense foods.
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:These are foods that are
high in nutrition, right?
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:Vitamins, minerals,
antioxidants, things like, your
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:macronutrients, plenty of fiber.
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:Plenty of protein good healthy fats
healthy nutritious carbohydrates
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:versus empty calorie carbohydrates
This is just about giving your body
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:what it needs right nutrition versus
calories So we want to increase those
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:whole foods like real unprocessed
foods These include colorful seasonal
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:vegetables try to eat the rainbow.
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:Don't just go for greens Get a
really wide range of colors clean
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:responsibly sourced animal proteins.
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:What do I mean by that?
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:You know try to choose organic pasture
raised grass fed For things like eggs
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:you want those from pasture chickens
free range cage free means very
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:little And so look for pastured eggs.
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:Wild caught fish is a big one.
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:The smaller they are, the lower on the
food chain, the better because you'll
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:have less exposure to those toxic metals
like mercury, cadmium, lead, aluminum,
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:that unfortunately are really toxic.
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:Prevalent in our oceans.
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:Nowadays, nuts and seeds are
another great nutrient dense food.
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:Dark chocolate or raw cacao.
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:Now, this is not highly processed like
candy chocolate I'm talking about.
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:It can be a candy, a dark
chocolate candy bar, but look
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:for 70 percent cacao or above.
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:I like to go for an 80
percent dark chocolate.
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:bar.
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:You want it to be organic because it's
a very heavily sprayed crop, but yeah,
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:dark chocolate is one of those amazing,
feel good high antioxidant foods.
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:It's actually pretty nutrient dense
and great for killing sugar cravings.
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:Another wonderful food to incorporate
are fermented vegetables like
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:sauerkraut and kimchi and then fruit.
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:Fruit is wonderful.
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:I think that fruit has been demonized when
we're talking, low sugar, low carb eating.
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:And yeah, some fruit is very high in
sugar, especially your tropical fruits.
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:So in moderation, I always say treat
fruit like nature's dessert and eat
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:it instead of just having it on its
own, have it maybe as dessert when
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:it's buffered by a meal that's rich
in protein and fiber, things that are
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:You know, dampen that glycemic effect
that it has on you or any blood sugar
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:spike that it would have on you.
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:And really here, the point is just to
focus on eating more of these really
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:whole nutritious foods and think
less about what you want to avoid.
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:And, I've done a workshop on this before
and I had a whole slide showing like what
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:our brain actually needs when we're super
stressed out versus what our brain wants
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:or asks for when we're super stressed out
and the what our brain needs photo is all
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:of these wonderful whole foods and salmon
and avocados and all these veggies, right?
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:And the what our brains want.
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:wants picture is the junk food, the
chips, the doughnuts, the sugar,
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:whatever, sweet or salty, crunchy stuff.
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:And even though your brain is asking
for that's not actually what you need.
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:So for me, it's just helpful to remind
myself, Hey, yeah, my brain wants
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:this, but what I actually need Are
the nutrients and building blocks to
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:help me be more resilient and to cope
with stress better and to, create
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:those wonderful neurotransmitters like
serotonin and dopamine and all those
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:things that help us feel good and steady
and less stressed out, less anxious.
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:Those foods are going to help your
body do what it needs to do so
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:that you can actually feel better.
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:Whereas those kind of quick dopamine
hit foods that are high in sugar
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:high glycemic, quite inflammatory.
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:They give you a momentary feeling of
okay, I feel a little bit better, but they
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:really work against you in the longterm.
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:So just keep that in mind.
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:Another really important thing that
we want to do is boost digestion
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:because you want to make sure
that you're getting the nutrients
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:from the food that you're eating.
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:You've all heard the saying, you are
what you eat, but in actuality, you are
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:what you can actually digest and absorb.
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:If you're not absorbing it, you could
eat the healthiest food in the world and
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:you're not going to reap all the benefits.
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:So quick tips for boosting digestion,
chew your food well and eat slowly,
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:and try to be relaxed when you eat.
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:Try not to eat on the
run whenever possible.
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:I know sometimes that can't be avoided,
but try to eat in a calm, relaxed state.
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:Ideally away from your computer or other
distractions, chew well, eat slowly, be
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:present and just experience your food.
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:Experiencing with others
is a wonderful thing too.
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:And sometimes it helps to just take
a few deep breaths before you eat
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:to calm your nervous system, put you
into more of that parasympathetic
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:like rest and digest state.
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:Okay supplementing with digestive
enzymes can be super helpful.
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:So if you have.
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:problems with digestion, or
you tend to get like gassy and
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:bloated after every time you eat.
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:Digestive enzymes can
make a huge difference.
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:It can be super helpful.
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:Insufficient stomach acid is
something that's really common.
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:Stomach acid is also known
as hydrochloric acid.
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:And if you're not producing enough
stomach acid, which can get down regulated
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:when we're highly stressed, especially
for women, it will prevent you from
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:absorbing things like B12 vitamins.
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:You won't break down necessarily your
proteins well enough or fibers well
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:enough to get the benefits from them.
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:So you really want to make sure that
your digestive fire, so to speak,
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:which encompasses everything from
like the enzymes in your mouth to
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:the, enzymes, stomach acid bile,
pancreatin, all of these things that
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:we produce to break down our food.
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:So we want to support our body
to produce that digestive fire.
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:And we can do that by, um, smelling
our food, looking at it, cooking
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:for ourselves, all of those things
will stimulate digestion and eating
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:slowly will help with that too.
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:Sleep, all of these things
are really important.
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:Another thing that people do often is they
drink a lot of water with their meals.
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:I know that this is really common,
especially with people trying to lose
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:weight because they feel like if I
have a bunch of water in my stomach,
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:I'll feel fuller and I'll eat less.
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:The problem with this is that it
can really dilute that stomach
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:acid we were talking about.
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:I want you to stay hydrated.
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:You've heard me bang on about
drinking enough water over and
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:over, and it's really crucial to be
well hydrated and to drink enough,
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:but I'd love for you to avoid it
about 30 minutes before and after.
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:If you're sipping a little bit with
meals, not a big deal, but don't
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:like gulp down a giant glass of water
before a meal because that can actually
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:diminish your digestive capability.
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:Okay, next is reducing inflammation.
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:So think of inflammation
as Internal stress.
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:All right.
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:Now, inflammatory foods are way too
prevalent in our world nowadays,
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:especially in America, high sugary
foods, like high glycemic foods and
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:it's going to spike your blood sugar.
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:Those are inflammatory.
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:Um, But also things like what we call
industrialized or highly processed or
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:refined vegetable oils, things like
canola oil processed seed oils, soybean
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:oil, peanut oil Sunflower and safflower
are really common ones that are used.
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:All of these things are
highly inflammatory oils.
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:And those are what are used in
restaurants because they're inexpensive.
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:I mean, you're not going to find, you
know, coconut and avocado oil in, or
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:ghee in restaurants, because those
are very expensive fats to cook with.
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:So just keep in mind, if you're
eating out often, that is
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:something that you want to have to.
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:Just you want to be cognizant of try
to eat home at home more often and
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:definitely take your omega 3s like
your fish oils to help just keep that
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:balance of omegas, omega 3s to omega 6s.
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:And it can help counteract that
inflammatory effect to some degree, but
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:your best defense is cooking at home more.
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:Additionally, inflammatory foods would
include just processed foods, fast food.
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:If something is packaged and
it has a million ingredients,
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:that's usually a big red flag.
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:I don't have time today to get into
specific ingredients, but just look
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:for organic foods that are minimally
processed and have fewer ingredients.
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:That's the easiest way to go about that.
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:And you want to just go for something
that's closer to its natural state, right?
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:Poor quality animal proteins.
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:So this would include anything that's
factory farmed or from feedlots.
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:So yeah, again, going to be hard to
avoid if you're eating meat and poultry.
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:in restaurants or outside the home.
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:Now, if you're eating at someplace
that is truly farm to table, or is an
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:organic certified restaurant, or is just
really careful at their sort, with their
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:sourcing, that's a different story, but
those places are few and far between.
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:And seafood again, if you're going
to eat seafood, which is what I often
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:default to when I'm eating out, I usually
try to go for like wild salmon or.
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:Something that's smaller
and lower on the food chain.
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:So that's what I'm talking
about when I'm talking about
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:poor quality animal proteins.
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:Just try to get the best
quality that you can.
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:Another thing that I would
really recommend avoiding
327
:is artificial sweeteners.
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:These include things
like aspartame sucralose.
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:What's the latest one?
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:Oh, allulose.
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:I had a whole episode on that last season.
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:Check that out for sure.
333
:But all of these artificial
sweeteners are really problematic.
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:Aspartame is a neurotoxin and they can
actually trigger more sugar cravings and
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:cause issues with blood sugar regulation.
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:So while they may not contain
sugar, they're still problematic
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:and quite inflammatory.
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:I was going to say something
else about that, but.
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:It'll come back to me.
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:Oh, I know.
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:I was gonna recommend just organic
stevia or organic monk fruit.
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:Things like Truvia um, monk fruit in the
raw, like a lot of those things have a lot
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:of nasty additives that you do not want.
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:So stevia and monk fruit are fine,
but just use them, in smaller
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:quantities and make sure that they
are minimally processed and organic.
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:Okay, next, regulating your blood sugar.
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:This is really interlinked
with stress and anxiety too.
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:If your blood sugar is all over the
place, that can absolutely cause anxiety.
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:And it's a super stressor for your
body to have dysregulated blood sugar.
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:So that's coming from those high
glycemic foods, anything that's high
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:sugar, high processed starch, or,
simple sugar simple carbohydrates.
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:Those foods are going to be the
ones that spike your blood sugar.
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:And you want to kind of keep your
blood sugar as even keel as you can.
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:You don't want big peaks and valleys.
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:This is a big deal.
356
:It's really crucial for brain health.
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:We talked about that in the last episode.
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:But I'll tell you a little
story to illustrate that.
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:Like when we're thinking about stress, we
have to think about the sympathetic and
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:parasympathetic nervous system states.
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:Okay.
362
:Sympathetic is when you're in
that sort of fight or flight
363
:state, fight, flight, or freeze.
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:And parasympathetic is what
we call like rest and digest.
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:That's when your nervous
system perceives safety.
366
:It's conducting bodily
functions in a healthy manner
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:and everything's hunky dory.
368
:But if you go into a sympathetic state or
that fight freeze state, a lot changes,
369
:your body's going to shut down digestion.
370
:It's going to, increase and
produce stress hormones.
371
:I often tell the story of if you're
out walking or hiking on a trail and
372
:suddenly a mountain lion jumps in
front of you, what happens, right?
373
:Your pupils dilate, like you're going to
produce adrenaline and cortisol, which
374
:are these, quote unquote stress hormones.
375
:Your, Blood sugar is actually going to
increase because your liver is releasing
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:glucose to send energy to your big muscles
so that you can run like hell or jump
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:up and down and scare the predator away.
378
:Now, the thing to keep in mind here is
that your cells don't necessarily, they
379
:can't distinguish between running from a
predator and being under chronic stress.
380
:All day, every day.
381
:So we already have a stressful
lifestyle typically here in the U S.
382
:So if you have a stressful life, just know
that you have to be even more vigilant
383
:about your blood sugar regulation,
because you're probably already.
384
:I won't go too much deeper into
that, but this is an important thing.
385
:So trying to eat low glycemic food,
those nutrient dense foods, high
386
:in fiber, protein healthy fats.
387
:These things will help you
regulate your blood sugar.
388
:And breakfast is really what sets the
stage for your blood sugar, your stress
389
:hormone fluctuations throughout the day.
390
:And it can dictate.
391
:often cravings that you have at night.
392
:So what you want to do is really
set yourself up for success by
393
:choosing the right breakfast of,
it's high in protein, healthy fats.
394
:I generally recommend avoiding
starchy carb or carbohydrate.
395
:Dominant breakfast foods.
396
:Okay, and then caffeine in the morning.
397
:Again, I've talked about this before,
but I always recommend having food
398
:for caffeine versus hitting your
system with caffeine on an empty
399
:stomach, especially for women.
400
:Men seem to tolerate this a lot
more and depending on your genetics.
401
:You may be a really fast caffeine
metabolizer, but if you're somebody
402
:who finds that you're having energy
fluctuations throughout the day,
403
:cravings, especially at night or after
dinner, then you really might want
404
:to try not having that caffeine on
an empty stomach because it's really
405
:It's pretty stressful for your system.
406
:It's hard in your adrenals and
it can mess with your energy
407
:and hormones throughout the day.
408
:Okay.
409
:Moving on replenishing
nutrients depleted by stress.
410
:This is a really big one.
411
:In fact, I have an entire handout
for my clients that lists all of
412
:the foods that are rich in the
nutrients that are depleted by stress.
413
:So magnesium B vitamins, omega threes,
vitamin C, calcium, zinc, selenium,
414
:antioxidants, and even protein.
415
:If you're under increased stress, it
increases your need for these nutrients.
416
:Okay.
417
:So this is where you really want to
eat nutrient dense foods and possibly
418
:even take a really good quality
multivitamin and mineral as sort of a
419
:nutrient insurance policy, if you will.
420
:That can be helpful.
421
:But it should always come from diet first
supplements or just that they should
422
:supplement a good nutrient dense diet.
423
:Okay.
424
:Oh, and one more thing
I'll say about that.
425
:If you can think of your
body as a race car, right?
426
:If it's driving faster, it
has more of a need for fuel.
427
:So if you're putting more demand on your
body via, pushing yourself harder with
428
:fitness, like you're training harder
or you have increased stress in your
429
:life, you have more of a need for fuel.
430
:An increased need for nutrients.
431
:All right.
432
:So just think of it like that,
like more stress, more nutrient
433
:need, not more calorie need
necessarily, but more nutrient need.
434
:They are different.
435
:Okay.
436
:Next big tip, reduce caffeine and alcohol.
437
:And I know that this is a tough
one because typically when we're
438
:stressed, what do we think?
439
:I want to drink or I want a glass
of wine and then we're tired, right?
440
:Because we're stressed out.
441
:So in the morning, we kick the day off
with coffee and then we wind down with a
442
:drink and it's just this vicious cycle.
443
:Both caffeine and alcohol
are essentially liquid.
444
:Stress because they both
stimulate production of our stress
445
:hormones, particularly cortisol.
446
:A lot of you come to me
complaining about belly fat.
447
:Guess what contributes
to belly fat storage?
448
:Increased cortisol.
449
:Especially those of you who, like me, are
in perimenopause or are in menopause now.
450
:This is a big one.
451
:Alcohol is a huge
contributor to belly fat.
452
:And if you want to keep off that minnow
pot, so to speak, I really encourage
453
:you to cut out the alcohol, or be
really strategic when you do have it,
454
:and minimize or eliminate caffeine.
455
:Because those are two ways that you can
really manage that internal stress, okay?
456
:And definitely avoid both on an empty
stomach if you're gonna have them.
457
:Food will buffer the effects, and if
you do drink and you're having more
458
:than one drink, have at least eight
ounces of water in between each.
459
:This is another thing,
that women don't tolerate.
460
:As well as men do typically
men will metabolize alcohol
461
:and caffeine better than women.
462
:So unfair, but that's just the reality.
463
:Yeah.
464
:So caffeine just really limited
avoided after noon, like 12 PM.
465
:Typically it depends on what
time you go to bed, but typically
466
:after 12 PM is when I tell people
like, just avoid it altogether.
467
:And then also don't combine
caffeine with a lot of sugar.
468
:I know.
469
:I hear so many people say I'm so
struggling with my weight, or I'm really
470
:anxious, and they are often the same
people who, in the afternoon, have
471
:a big energy crash, and that's when
they go for a coffee and a pastry.
472
:And it makes sense.
473
:I understand that.
474
:Like it gives you that quick boost.
475
:You feel a little bit better.
476
:It gives you a little break.
477
:You have that treat, but it will
serve you better and you will feel
478
:much better if you can replace
that with a different ritual.
479
:Maybe make a cup of tea.
480
:Preferably herbal tea if it's in the
afternoon, have something with good
481
:protein, or eat half an avocado,
something that's really nutritious
482
:that will actually increase your
energy on a cellular level versus
483
:just giving you that kind of, hit of
adrenaline and that little dopamine
484
:hit that's going to make you crash
again and put you back into that cycle.
485
:Okay.
486
:All right.
487
:Next big tip for stress reduction is to
optimize your body's ability to detox.
488
:And this is a huge subject, but
in short, you want to make sure
489
:that you are eliminating properly.
490
:So drinking plenty of water.
491
:Yeah.
492
:You'll pee often.
493
:That's okay.
494
:It's good.
495
:You want to stay hydrated
in order to stay regular.
496
:You should be pooping at least once a day,
if not twice, two or three times is ideal.
497
:But one time is absolutely gotta happen.
498
:You should be pooping every single day.
499
:Sweating is a great way to detoxify.
500
:Through exercise is the most effective
way, but sauna is also super helpful.
501
:Breathing is another way that we detoxify.
502
:I really notice personally that
when I'm under stress, I have,
503
:I take very shallow breaths.
504
:And I'll catch myself during my work
day, not breathing deeply enough.
505
:We're taking full breaths.
506
:So that's another one to
really pay attention to.
507
:And if you're like me and you
tend to breathe shallow and you're
508
:stressed, just check in with yourself.
509
:Maybe even settle in an
alarm in your phone to remind
510
:you, Hey, are you breathing?
511
:And it sounds simple and silly, but it's.
512
:astounding how many people are actually
not breathing well or taking full
513
:breaths during the day or just will
stop breathing and then realize Oh my
514
:gosh, like I've been holding my breath.
515
:So breathing is key.
516
:The other one is , lymphatic drainage.
517
:So your lymph is the fluid that's in
and between all of your, organs and
518
:tissues and bones and everything.
519
:And it is a key component
of our immune system.
520
:A lot of toxins and things are
dumped into that lymphatic fluid.
521
:And the only way that we can get that
to circulate is through movement.
522
:or massage.
523
:It does not have a pump like our
circulatory system does with our heart.
524
:So we have to either move or be
massaged in order for that lymph
525
:to move and essentially, move
all that stuff out of our body.
526
:Okay.
527
:So getting regular massage is amazing.
528
:Obviously, Move your body with exercise
is the best thing that you can do.
529
:Dry brushing is a really great
thing for lymphatic drainage.
530
:Jumping on like a mini trampoline
or rebounder is really, really
531
:great for lymphatic drainage.
532
:So those are all ways that you can
optimize your detoxification ability.
533
:And of course, your diet is
a key component here, right?
534
:Eating those nutrient dense foods.
535
:whole foods, especially things that
are highly antioxidant and foods like
536
:cruciferous vegetables, broccoli,
cabbage, cauliflower Brussels sprouts.
537
:Those are really wonderful
liver supportive foods.
538
:That can really support your body's
natural abilities to detoxify.
539
:And like I mentioned before, we're
just exposed to a lot of gunk
540
:in our daily lives that we don't
necessarily have control over.
541
:And we often can't even see.
542
:So supporting your body's
detox pathways is really key.
543
:Another component here is sleep.
544
:And while this may not seem to
you, like it's directly linked with
545
:nutrition and exercise, it absolutely
is because your body is doing so
546
:much work and so many important
processes are happening during sleep.
547
:That's when we actually build
and repair muscle tissue.
548
:We burn fat.
549
:Your brain is detoxing.
550
:You're healing.
551
:There's so many things that are going on
and if you're not well Are you getting
552
:insufficient sleep on a regular basis?
553
:you will be less emotionally resilient.
554
:You're going to be more stress reactive.
555
:You will be more insulin
resistant, which is not good.
556
:And you're going to have more sugar
and carbohydrate cravings, which
557
:just make everything harder, right?
558
:So sleep is really crucial.
559
:And it's hard to overemphasize the
importance of sleep and how You
560
:know, crucial that is so, definitely
make that a priority for yourself.
561
:So here's some common food and beverage
swaps to throw out there for you.
562
:And hopefully this will make things a
little bit easier for you to just move
563
:in a better direction when it comes
to what you're eating and drinking.
564
:So sparkling water is a great, nice thing.
565
:There are a lot of really interesting non
alcoholic spirits out there right now.
566
:Some are higher sugar than
others, so read your labels.
567
:Just be cognizant of what you're having
and don't go for the high sugar options.
568
:Kombucha, like a low sugar
kombucha can be great.
569
:Or tea, like herbal teas.
570
:instead of alcohol.
571
:I personally love to make a pretty
little, mocktail or drink at home with
572
:sparkling water and maybe some interesting
bitters or I'll mix it with one of
573
:those interesting non alcoholic spirits.
574
:I might sweeten it a little bit
with a couple drops of monk fruit
575
:and I'll put it in a fancy glass
with a little sliced piece of fruit.
576
:So it's a fun, relaxing ritual and
it feels like a really special treat.
577
:Instead of going for the sugar
processed foods, go for those nutrient
578
:dense foods, like I mentioned before.
579
:So protein, produce, your
veggies, healthy fats.
580
:Those are the things that are
really going to serve you.
581
:Well, again, tea instead of
coffee can be less intense.
582
:Even caffeinated tea can
be a little less intense.
583
:A lot less stressful on
your body than coffee.
584
:It seems to be easier on the
adrenals for most people.
585
:Obviously this depends on how
much you're drinking, right?
586
:Green tea, I am a huge fan of, because
green tea is actually very high in
587
:L theanine, which is very calming.
588
:Yes, it has caffeine, and it
can give you that little, it
589
:can perk you up a little bit.
590
:Give you that little boost, but it's
balanced out by that L theanine and
591
:green tea is also incredibly antioxidant.
592
:So that's a really great swap that I love.
593
:As someone with ADHD, I find green tea is.
594
:It's really helpful for my focus
and it doesn't give me the jittery
595
:feeling that coffee often does.
596
:So you might give that a try.
597
:And then just keep healthy snacks on hand.
598
:So nuts, seeds protein like,
maybe organic jerky or tinned
599
:fish that you can easily access.
600
:Avocado is one of my favorite things.
601
:Having those on hand instead of
sugar or empty calorie foods.
602
:is really helpful because there are
going to be times when you're like, I
603
:need something and I need it right now.
604
:And if you have something healthy
on hand, you're a lot less likely to
605
:take that trip to, Starbucks or the
cafeteria or the candy bowl, whatever
606
:it is, that's normally tempting.
607
:That's not serving you well.
608
:So those are my tips for
reducing stress with nutrition.
609
:Exercise is also a really crucial thing.
610
:And there has been a lot of
research lately showing that.
611
:Regular exercise is as effective and
often, or sometimes more effective
612
:than antidepressant medication
for depression and anxiety.
613
:So moving your body is really crucial.
614
:And look, this does not mean you
have to suddenly overnight become,
615
:a gym rat and be working out
for an hour or five days a week.
616
:No, just get out and walk.
617
:In fact, walking and yoga,
walking, yoga, and strength
618
:training, I believe were the three.
619
:Things shown to be most effective
for better mental health.
620
:So moving your body is, again, a stress
reliever if you're doing it the right way.
621
:When it can become a source of
stress is if you're over training.
622
:I see this a lot with the
women I call my cardio queens.
623
:They come to me and they're doing
like five, six days a week, an hour
624
:a day of spin class or a bootcamp
or, something really high intensity.
625
:And they're doing too much of it.
626
:With an already stressful lifestyle
and it's actually working against them
627
:and becoming another source of stress
versus being a stress relief and That
628
:can be tough because I know sometimes
that feels like a stress relief.
629
:It's an outlet you're shaking off the
stress of the day What have you but I
630
:really encourage you if you're gonna do
high intensity cardio workouts limit them
631
:to 30 minutes Especially if you're doing
them really frequently I'd rather see you
632
:Add in a couple of strength training days.
633
:And maybe you do a couple yoga
days and then you do a couple,
634
:30 minute high intensity cardio
days over the course of a week.
635
:You may find you actually
get better results.
636
:You feel less stressed.
637
:Your sleep might improve.
638
:You might have less cravings, less
hunger simply because your body
639
:is getting more of that kind of
low intensity and restorative.
640
:Exercise and movement.
641
:And look, if you're someone who's not
into exercise yet, just start small, just
642
:maybe get out and, especially now that
it's coming into spring, the weather's
643
:a little better here in the Northwest.
644
:I don't know where you are.
645
:You may be in the Southern hemisphere,
in which case you're coming into fall,
646
:different story, but just getting out and
walking is such a powerful thing to do.
647
:And it's really wonderful.
648
:You don't have to speed walk, just walk
as humans were meant to walk a lot.
649
:And instead we end up sitting all day
long and it's really not good to be
650
:indoors, sitting on our butts all day.
651
:Even if you watch TV and march in
place, like this is super, super
652
:helpful, just move your body, get
a little rebounder trampoline.
653
:You can get them really inexpensively.
654
:Do that while you're watching TV
in the evening or listening to a
655
:podcast, whatever that is, right?
656
:Just get some more movement in and try
and get it regularly because that is
657
:a big needle mover when it comes to
reducing stress, depression, anxiety.
658
:Okay and I'm going to include
a lot of references in my show
659
:notes this time because there's so
much science behind all of this.
660
:This is not just my opinion.
661
:There is a lot of
research to back this up.
662
:So I want you to access that
if you're looking to learn
663
:more or you just want proof.
664
:And at the end of the day, too, I want you
to remember that everybody is different.
665
:There's no single way of eating
that's right for everybody.
666
:However, we can pretty much rely
on, eating less processed, more
667
:nutritious food as being consistently.
668
:Good for our bodies.
669
:All right, that may look a
little different for everybody.
670
:So I'm not saying here oh,
you know You have to do this
671
:or that or the other thing.
672
:I think people get really dogmatic
about We have to do keto you have to
673
:do You know Mediterranean or a specific
carbohydrate or whatever Look, there can
674
:be really effective therapeutic diets
depending on your individual situation.
675
:If you want to learn more
about that, I am here for you.
676
:You can always schedule a consult with me,
but in general, it's so individual, right?
677
:So you have to experiment.
678
:And getting professional help
can be super helpful with that.
679
:So let me know I'm here for you, but just
don't feel like, Oh well, you know, don't
680
:be intimidated is what I'm trying to say.
681
:I think that there's just so much
noise on social media and just.
682
:out in the internet and media in general,
it can get so overwhelming and confusing.
683
:And it really doesn't have to be just
start eating, start moving away from
684
:the processed foods, eating more real
whole unprocessed things that are more
685
:nutritious and focus on incorporating
more of those foods, try not to focus
686
:so much on, I shouldn't eat this,
I shouldn't eat that, because that
687
:will definitely make you think about
those foods all the time, right?
688
:So focus on what you should
do, not what you shouldn't.
689
:And remember too, that nobody gets
the stuff down perfectly or right
690
:away, just start incorporating
what you can and then build on it.
691
:Creating a healthy lifestyle and
a healthy diet is a skill and it
692
:is going to take time to build.
693
:So be patient with
yourself, but be consistent.
694
:And when I say consistent, Just try
to make choices that serve you well
695
:more often than not and often enough
to reap the benefits because if
696
:you're not reaping benefits and not
seeing Changes you'll get discouraged.
697
:So try to be consistent enough, especially
at first so that you can actually start to
698
:see changes and Even if you're not seeing
results right away Stay the course because
699
:I promise you are reaping the benefits.
700
:You just may not see that either on
the scale or invisible ways right
701
:away, but it certainly cannot hurt you.
702
:It can only Benefit your
health your mental well being
703
:everything To eat this way.
704
:All right.
705
:And don't try to wait until circumstances
in your life are ideal, right?
706
:Because that's never going to happen.
707
:And when we're under tremendous stress
or heightened stress, or in the midst
708
:of hitting the fan in our lives, like
I realized fully that is a really
709
:tough time, maybe the toughest time
to start making changes in our daily
710
:routine when it comes to food and such.
711
:But I want you to reframe to
think about it differently.
712
:Think about.
713
:treating your body and fortifying
your body in a way that will help
714
:make you more resilient, that will
help carry you through those times
715
:of stress versus just letting food
be an afterthought or a stopgap or
716
:grabbing, something here and there on
the go, that's junky and inflammatory.
717
:And that's just going to increase your
stress and make it harder for you.
718
:And again, if you want help
with this, reach out to me.
719
:There is so much more to cover here.
720
:And I've actually done a whole workshop
on nutrition for stress relief for
721
:companies like McKinsey and company.
722
:I've done it for the association
for women in communications.
723
:So if you're interested at all in offering
this workshop to your employees, or you
724
:just want one on one individual support
to learn more about this and how you
725
:can better Increase your resilience
and reduce stress in your life.
726
:Message me, or schedule
a 30 minute coffee talk.
727
:You can go to my website, joliverwellness.
728
:com to schedule that, or you
can shoot me a message there.
729
:And either way, I'd love
to connect with you.
730
:I'm so glad you joined me today.
731
:And I really hope you found the show
helpful and enjoyed the episode.
732
:So until next time, take good
care of yourself and we'll see
733
:you next week with a new episode.