Eating Well - Beaming with Health

218 The Commonsense Guide to Eating WeZZ
and lows of blood sugar levels leave you more depleted.
Eating sweet foods when stressed is like cruelty to a dumb
animal. You.
Brown rice, oats, root vegetables (such as carrots and parsnips)
and legumes (such as kidney beans and lentils) are
grounding and very nurturing for the stressed nervous
sys tem.
There is room for 'comfort' food in the anti-stress diet,
particularly in times of high stress. These may be foods of
your childhood, such as a roast dinner, porridge, rice
pudding, moussaka.
Caffeine is O.U.T. If you find a cup of coffee relaxing, it
is probably because you are addicted to the stuff. Kick the
habit. Caffeine increases the release of adrenalin the stress
hormone, something that is working overtime anyway.
Avoid coffee and caffeine-containing things, such as cola
drinks and guarana. Be prepared for whopping caffeine
withdrawal headaches 18 hours after your last cup of coffee.
Swear at me if you wish, it will take up to 48 hours. Once
released from caffeine's grip, take your comfort from a
range of herbal teas (see page 90) or one or two cups of
tea. While tea contains caffeine, it is not absorbed to the
same extent.
Although it is tempting to drown your troubles, alcohol is
counterproductive. It is a nervous system depressant. After
the initial euphoria, alcohol can leave you feeling more
stressed.
A B-complex vitamin is important at this time. Take one
each morning.
Take at least 1 gram of vitamin C daily; the adrenal glands
chew up vitamin C during stress.
Potassium is good for nerves and magnesium is good for
tense muscles - you probably need both by the truckload.
Stress-relieving herbs support the adrenal glands, the