By Desire Moore
One of the most common comments I get from people is that they drop weight dramatically without trying. It just happens.
So let's continue on this topic of losing pounds.
Because over and above diet and lack of exercise, there's an unknown factor that can add to the thickness of your love handles and the thunder in your thighs.
It's stress.
You see, when your body gears up to deal with outside stressors, both mental and physical, two hormones (adrenaline and cortisol) are released to jump-start fats and carbohydrates in your body for quick energy.
This reflects the way the human body functioned back in the day of our caveman ancestors, whose lives depended on how quick their "fight or flight" reactions were.
Although we're no longer running from saber-toothed tigers or fighting rival tribes (our modern stresses are more mental), that biological programming is still there.
When an event (physical or mental) occurs that your body deems as stressful, adrenaline increases your heart rate, blood pressure, cardiac output and carbohydrate metabolism.
Cortisol directs the necessary energy to meet the increased needs of your muscles or brain to respond to the stress.
Once your stressful event is over, your adrenaline level drops pretty quickly, but cortisol sticks around to refuel your body and bring it back to balance.
One way it does this is it gives you a HUGE appetite, hoping that you'll replace the fat and carbs you used up during the "crisis."
This process is fine if the stress you've just dealt with is sudden and short-lived, like maybe getting in a fender-bender or going for a root canal.
But the problem arises when people have constant stress, day in and day out.
With chronic stress, cortisol levels go up and remain high.
This causes you to "stress eat" a lot because the cortisol in your body is constantly telling you to refuel.
Are you starting to understand how stress leads to overeating and - a spare tire or muffin top?
Chronically elevated cortisol levels can also lead to other problems including depressed immune function, low thyroid function, problems with blood sugar control and eventually adrenal burnout and chronic illness (like type II diabetes, repeated infections, chronic fatigue, high blood pressure and hypothyroidism).
So... in order to help take off those extra pounds and keep them off (as well as help prevent chronic illness), it's important to keep your stress level low.
The terrific news is there are certain nutrients that can naturally help you combat stress. They include:
Zinc
Zinc is part of at least 80 different bodily enzyme reactions, and a deficiency of it can lead to irritability, chronic anger, poor memory, impaired intellectual ability,
loss of taste and smell and reduced ability to handle stress.
Zinc is found in oysters, meats and poultry, beans, nuts and whole grains.
Copper
Copper helps stimulate the growth of red blood cells and is part of several digestive enzymes. Being low in copper causes physical weakness, digestive problems and breathing problems.
Excellent sources of copper are oysters, clams, crab, cashews, hazelnuts, almonds, peanut butter, lentils, beans and whole grains.
Vitamin B6
B6 is involved in over 100 different enzyme reactions in the body, including the one that converts the amino acid tryptophan to serotonin (your body's natural antidepressant).
A Vitamin B6 deficiency can cause irritability, depression, confusion, mouth sores, weakened immune function and intellectual decline.
Dietary sources of B6 include bananas, salmon, turkey, chicken, potatoes, and spinach.
Essential Fatty Acids (EFA's)
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential because they are involved in the functioning of the brain.
Deficiencies are linked to decreased memory and mental abilities, nerve tingling, poor vision, lowered immune function, increased LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and irregular heartbeat.
Easily found food sources of Omega-3′s are walnuts, Brazil nuts, avocados, dark leafy greens, salmon, tuna and sesame seeds.
==========
Now, each of these stress-fighting nutrients is released during digestion, being absorbed through the intestines into your cells and bloodstream. So it's essential to make sure your digestion and nutrient absorption are as efficient as possible, so you actually GET the nutrients your body needs.
Two keys to being able to absorb those stress-busting nutrients
In order to maximize your nutrient absorption and make your digestion smooth and thorough, it's important to eat combinations of foods that don't result in overproduction of acid (and destruction of nutrients).
It's also crucial to keep your population of intestinal beneficial bacteria strong, since they too help aid digestion and nutrient absorption.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Desire_Moore
No comments:
Post a Comment