When I lead workshops, I am always asked about the relationship between food and and stress. I turned to a leader in her field for some helpful tips:
Brought to you by Dages Juvelier Keates of Delicious Dialogues
Moody? Irritable? Maybe you need a snack!
Hypoglycemia is a condition characterized by fatigue, confusion, crying spells, depression and mood swings. Sound familiar? While it is estimated that 100 million US citizens are suffering from hypoglycemia (Dr. David Williams of Hypoglycemia: The Deadly Roller Coaster), we all get hypoglycemic when our blood sugar dips too low. I can personally attest to how nasty I become when I have waited too long to eat- I don’t know what I want, nothing seems good enough, I have no motivation to get, let alone make, a healthy meal for myself.
Why does it happen? Not only are many people not eating in an attempt to lose weight, many don’t eat because they don’t have the time. There are ways around this. Check out the ideas listed here:
- Eat real foods as much as possible: vegetables, yams, beans, whole grain, good fats (yep- high quality olive oil, nuts, seeds), lean proteins.
- Eat breakfast. If you don’t know what to eat, experiment with some different kinds of meals and see what works for you.
- Have a plan- think about what you need for the week at you office and at home and make sure you are supplied.
- Keep snacks on hand: this is so important. People tell me that they don’t want to have foods around because they are afraid of overeating. If you starve yourself all day, you will overeat at night. Period. Your body wants you to survive.
- Stock up: keep clean fresh veggies in the fridge at work with a dip you enjoy (no fat free kinds; they are laden with sugar), keep tamari almonds or dried mango in your purse, some lara bars in the dashboard, organic canned soups at the office and pantry.
- Avoid excessive sweeteners, especially corn syrup; it is twice as sweet and addictive as sucrose.
- Don’t let yourself go into starvation mode. You will regret it. Your metabolism drops, your mood is negatively affected and your body will strive to defend itself against starvation. Your cravings for non-optimal foods that don’t actually nourish you will become unbearable. Don’t let this happen to you. There is an epidemic of mood disorders in this country; fight back with food!
“The low blood sugar of today is the diabetes of tomorrow” Seale Harris, M.D.
“I have never, ever seen an alcoholic who wasn’t hypoglycemic. It just doesn’t occur, it’s the same problem.” Dr. Douglas M. Baird, HSF Medical Director, author of The Blood Sugar Hotline
Best energy boosting snacks:
- Green Naked or Odwalla juice- grab one in the morning and enjoy all day long.
- Lara bars- nothing but fruit and nuts!
- Bag of organic washed veggies and hummus
- All fruit smoothie from Whole Foods, Jamba Juice, or make your own by blending frozen berries, a banana, a bit of almond milk and pinch of salt
- Amy’s organic soups
- Grab a box of prewashed greens and a bottle of Annie’s Goddess Dressing- keep in the fridge at work for instant high energy salad snacks!
{ 1 comment }
I found this very useful. My family falls into 2 categories: Hypoglycemics before age 50 and Type II diabetes after. And the only remedy has been diet and number and timing of meals. Thank you for some great suggestions.
Comments on this entry are closed.