We are all familiar with the word "stress''. Stress is when you are worried about getting laid off from your job, worried about having enough money to pay your bills, or worried about your mother when the doctor says she may need an operation. In fact, to most of us, stress is synonymous with worry. 

Stress is inevitable. However, there are ways to minimize its grip on your life, starting with your diet. Dieting may not be the most exciting word in your vocabulary, but it sure has a lot of benefits. Eating healthy food not only makes us healthier in general, but it can also diminish the effects of stress on our bodies. 

Most of us recognize that certain foods have brutal negative effects on the brain. Too much chocolate can leave you dragging after the sugar and caffeine jolts fade away. An overdose of salty chips dehydrates the body and the brain, bringing on fatigue. High-fat meals raise stress hormone levels and keep them high. 

The problem is that these are precisely the foods we reach for at exactly the wrong times, as they increase tension from work and daily life just when we seek relief. While you may not have much control over the events that cause you stress, you have a lot of control over your reactions to them, including how much, and what you choose to eat. 

At times like these, it's important to build some structure into your eating habits. Some strategies that limit your choices of food and your opportunity to eat can really help when you don't have the time or mindset to think. 

Here are a few simple rules to help you: 

1. Try not to skip meals. Eat at least three meals a day, with a few simple snacks. Although it may seem like a good idea to eat less often to lose weight, skipping meals too often and eating too little food stresses your body and mind more, and reduces your energy when you need it most. Eating regular meals can help reduce the temptation to snack on junk food, and to eat too much in one sitting. 

2. Try to eat at the same time each day. Develop a routine where you don't have to make too many extra decisions. Space your meals and snacks out about every three or four hours. Eat smaller meals and snacks more often. 

3. Separate eating from other things. If you have a hectic schedule or stress makes you feel hurried, you will be tempted to eat while doing other things like driving, working, walking, etc. This can lead to overeating simply because you don't realize how much you've eaten because of the distractions. Hectic meals can lead to poor digestion, poor food choices, and feeling bad - which means more stress! 

4. Eat in a very structured way. Buy some healthy convenient meals. Read the labels and follow the eating guidelines and rules for making the best choices when it comes to packaged foods. Some of these choices are quite healthy, and they have the added benefit of being a very controlled amount of food, reducing the chance that you'll overeat. 

5. Taking a multivitamin with adequate levels of Vitamins B and C, calcium, and zinc is not a bad idea, especially during stressful times, and especially if you're trying to reduce your calorie intake to lose weight. 

Make your first step the decision to become healthy and fit. Once you have firmly made that decision you are on your way. Now take the time to evaluate your lifestyle and really look at it. Be honest with yourself about your eating habits. Once you have recognized this, learn to take things one step at a time. Start by accomplishing a simple goal that you set for yourself; for example, eating 3 meals a day. Then you can move onto another goal that you can set according to your diet. Moving slowly helps you adjust to the changes without feeling overwhelmed.  

Changing your diet to eating healthy whole foods is a good way to start. It'll not only help you lose weight and help you feel better, but it will enhance your quality of life. You'll have more energy. 

Life just feels better when you are healthy! 

If you would like to discuss this further or need some help or support in this or any other area, our counsellors would be happy to help.