We all like our ‘comfort’ foods, especially when we are feeling stressed. You know the kind I mean - fast food, big meals, takeout, fatty foods, sweet foods, and alcohol. Let’s face it – we all find some comfort in a tasty meal and a bottle of beer or glass of wine when we stress out or get upset about something.
There is nothing wrong with that in moderation; however, it’s not a good permanent solution.
When you are turning to what you regard as unhealthy foods you can feel better temporarily, but in the long run, you will feel worse. If your body is not getting the right nutrition, you will feel less energetic, more lethargic, and sometimes unable to concentrate and focus. What does that lead to? YES - even more stress.

Stress-less foods
If you’ve been feeling more stressed out than usual lately, it’s important to know which foods to choose and which to avoid when it comes to redressing stress and helping you to deal with feelings of anxiety.
With food and nutrition, the best way to stress-less is to have a healthy, balanced diet, which includes each of the different food groups.
Filling up on foods such as whole grains, leafy vegetables, and lean proteins as the basic staples of your diet is the best way to ensure your body gets the optimum amounts of nutrients to fight both physical and mental health problems. When choosing the foods to eat, remember many have a range of magnificent properties that help the body redress stress. Choosing stress-less foods will help to heal and calm your mind permanently, rather than providing a temporary fix.
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Some of the best stress-less foods include:

• Avocado – Avocados are a creamy and versatile fruit that you can eat in a range of different ways whether you enjoy it raw, made into sauces, dressings and dips, or in a smoothie. These nutrient-dense fruits have the properties to stress-proof your body, thanks to their high glutathione content, which specifically blocks the intestinal absorption of certain fats that cause oxidative damage. Avocados also contain higher levels of vitamin E, folate, and beta-carotene than any other fruit, which boosts their stress-less properties. 
• Blueberries – If you’re feeling stressed out and reaching for the snacks, swapping chocolate or chips for one of the best superfoods is a great way to help you deal with your stress levels and achieve a higher level of calm. Blueberries have some of the highest levels of antioxidants, especially anthocyanin. This berry has links to a wide range of health benefits including sharper cognition, better focus, and a clearer mind – all of which can help you stress-less.
• Chamomile Tea – Of course, it’s not all about what you’re eating, what you’re drinking can also ease or increase the stress you’re feeling. Drinking liquids high in sugars and caffeine, such as coffee, energy drinks or soda, can increase your stress levels if consumed regularly. Chamomile tea is a natural bedtime soother, and clinical trials have determined that chamomile is effective in reducing the symptoms of generalised anxiety disorder.
• Chocolate – Although it’s usually seen as an unhealthy treat, there is an undeniable link between chocolate and our mood. Studies have shown that eating chocolate can actually make you happier. However, that doesn’t mean that you can start munching on chocolate bars every time you’re stressed out – chocolate helps you stress-less when eaten in moderation and as part of a healthy and balanced diet. Dark chocolate particularly is best for you, as it contains more flavonols and polyphenols, two hugely important antioxidants that can help redress stress, more than many fruit juices.
• Beef – Grass-fed beef is not only kinder to the planet and to animals; it is good for people too. Grass-fed beef has a huge range of antioxidants, including beta-carotene and Vitamin C and E, which can help your body to stress-less. If you are looking for more reasons to spend a little more money on organic, grass-fed beef, it is also lower in fat than grain-fed beef whilst being higher in omega-3.
• Oatmeal – Oatmeal can be a filling comfort food, but also has many healthy properties to make you feel better from the inside out. A complex carbohydrate, oatmeal causes your brain to produce higher levels of the feel-good chemical serotonin, helping you to feel calmer and stress-less. Studies have shown that kids who choose oatmeal for breakfast have a tendency to be much sharper throughout the morning in school compared to kids who had alternative breakfasts.
• Walnuts – If you are looking for a healthy snacking option that will help you stay in control of your stress levels, walnuts are a superb choice. Walnuts have a sweet, pleasant flavour and are a tasty snack for in-between meals or as part of a desert. A versatile nut, walnuts are great for salads, or add them to a sweet treat such as coffee and walnut cake.
• Pistachios – another great snacking food that helps to redress stress and anxiety in the long term is pistachios. Did you know, simply eating two small, snack-size portions of pistachios per day can lower vascular constriction during stress, which puts less pressure on your heart by dilating your arteries. Along with this, the rhythmic, repetitive act of shelling pistachios can actually be quite therapeutic.
• Green Leafy Vegetables – leafy, green vegetables should be a pivotal part of everyone´s diet. Along with helping you to stress-less, leafy greens are full of nutrients and antioxidants, which help to fight off disease and leave your body feeling healthier and more energised. Dark leafy greens, for example spinach, are especially good for you since they are rich in folate, which helps your body to produce more mood-regulating neurotransmitters such as serotonin - a ‘feel-good’ chemical. Making leafy greens a part of your diet will help you feel happier and stress-less.
• Fermented foods – eating fermented foods like yogurt can help to keep your gut healthy, improve your mental health, and reduce stress levels. The beneficial bacteria found in fermented foods have a direct effect on your brain chemistry and transmit positive mood and behaviour regulating signals to your brain via the vagus nerve.

Plan to stress-less
Planning your meals wisely is the key to  staying physically fit and healthy, mentally strong, and being able to stress-less. It really helps to know the foods to avoid and the foods that are best to reach for as snacks when you are feeling worried and anxious. 
During stress it can be tempting to eat classic ‘comfort foods’ – these are usually foods high in sugar, very starchy, or greasy. However, although these foods can make you feel temporarily better, they will  make you feel worse in the long run.
Stress-less snacks include:

• fresh berries
• dark chocolate
• yogurt
• walnuts
• pistachios
• fruit smoothie with avocado and leafy greens

Eating a healthy, balanced diet is one of the best ways to stress-less.
When you are dealing with worry or anxiety leading to stress, it is a good idea to make sure you have a selection of stress-less foods in your kitchen. Making sure that your meals include foods such as lean proteins and leafy green vegetables will not only make you feel healthier overall, it will improve your mental health and stress levels, too.

An example of a healthy, stress-less menu:
Breakfast: Oatmeal with berries / fruit smoothie with avocado and berries
Mid-morning snack: Natural yogurt with fruit /handful of pistachio nuts
Lunch: A whole-grain pasta salad filled with plenty of leafy greens
Afternoon snack: Dark chocolate
Dinner: Grass-fed beef with vegetables
Before bed: Chamomile tea
 
There is a saying – “you are what you eat”.
Make sure you are filling yourself up with foods that are good for your mental health.
Everything in moderation - and balance is the key! Stress-less!

Find out how to Redress Stress in 5 easy steps here....

If anyone had asked me about the "C" word in 2019, I would have replied that I did not use that word, and please do not use it in my company. Today in 2021, I say the same even though I know it's not the same word they referred to in 2019, and it is the hot topic in all conversations, therefore unavoidable most days, so I had to find a way to live with it and stay sane and healthy.

The thing about the "C" word is that it causes so much anxiety, defensiveness, separation, and hopelessness in so many. This, in turn, leads to tension and stress. 
When medical research estimates as much as 90 percent of illness and disease is stress-related, it makes sense to avoid unnecessary stress. 
How to do that in today's environment?
What if there was a way?
What if I told you that you had all the tools you needed to relieve and redress stress?
You were born with these tools.
You do not need to go out and buy them.
All you have to do is identify them, access them, and unleash them. 

Would you want to know more?
Find out how free flo living can help you to  to restore your body´s natural equilibrium -leading to optimal health & wellness. 
Contact me here.
Or read my new book Redress Stress ​http://getbook.at/Redress-stress

Think for a minute. When you cut yourself, do you worry that it will keep bleeding out and not heal? Usually, the answer to that will be no-we know that in a healthy body, the blood will clot and the cut will heal.
When you break a bone, sometimes you need to have it "set" so it heals properly. The doctor will align the bone to make sure it knits together optimally, but the body does the healing. If you leave the bone misaligned, it will still knit together and heal. 
The trick is to know when you need to give your body a bit of help.
Some of the times when you need to help your body are:

• Pregnancy
• If you cannot eat a healthy balanced diet
• When you are vulnerable to viruses and bacterial infections

In this post, I would like to focus on strengthening the immune system right now as winter is here, and we have some "little critters" around.
In a nutshell, what happens is whenever you get some kind of attack your immune system kicks in to defend you. It has three lines of defence (soldiers) that keep your body safe. Your body is very clever. 

1. The first line are the protectors - your skin and mucous membrane that runs throughout your body, and your tears, sweat, saliva are all part of the first line. They are the foot soldiers, the infantry. They sound the alarm and often defeat the enemy. 
2. The second line is your innate immune response -these cells are different, they identify and destroy the attacker if they get past the foot soldiers. They are the jet fighters and paratroopers - the big guns. If the enemy is overwhelming, they will send an SOS for more help. They often defeat the enemy and send a message to mount a strategic defence against further attacks. 
3. The third line is your adaptive immune response - this is where it gets interesting. They are the generals - building a solid defence. These cells are specific to the attackers (adapted). This is your inbuilt defence strategy. It takes time to develop and to build immunity. They help your body to build a defence that can quickly and effectively attack the invader next time. They develop your long- term defence/immunity. 

So, how can you help maintain a strong immune system?

• Breathe. Yes, you would not be walking around if you were not breathing; however, conscious, focused breathing is fundamental for a healthy body and immune system.  
• Redress your stress. Stress is healthy, yes you heard me correctly. However, chronic or long-term stress compromises your immune system and leaves you open to attack. By identifying and redressing your daily stressors, you will improve your immune health. 
• Get enough sleep. When you are asleep your body is regenerating, self-healing, and excreting toxins. Lack of sleep can cause the body's stress response to remain activated leading to chronic stress. 
• Stay hydrated. 
• Eat nutritious food. Your body needs energy and nutrition to do its work. A balanced diet is important at any time in your life. 
• Use supplements wisely. 

***** Please remember that we are all very different. We all have different lifestyles and diets. A healthy, balanced diet is always preferable to taking supplements, and just because a supplement is right for your friend does not mean it is right for you. The best thing is to speak to a nutritionist and have a full assessment done. This does not take long. ****

Daily exercises
Breathing exercises should be done at least twice a day, when you wake up and before you go to sleep.It is also beneficial to do them if you feel stressed, anxious or are in pain.

• Breathe in, through your nose, feeling your belly expand higher than your chest, this fills the base of the lungs with oxygen.. (if it helps you can count as you breathe in.....1..2..3..4..)
• Hold this breath for a few seconds, not uncomfortably long just pause,  and then exhale slowly, through your mouth, (4...3...2...1....)
•  As you exhale feel the breath move through your body releasing all tension
•  Remember to exhale completely, contract the belly muscles, completely emptying the lungs.
• Repeat this so that you do 5 breathes in and out.
• Repeat at least twice a day but you can also do these exercises while watching television, standing in a queue or at other times throughout the day. If you feel at all stressed or tense , take a step back and breathe. The more often you do them the quicker you will breathe like this automatically.
• As you learn to breathe consciously exhaling properly exhale through your nose.Only exhale through your mouth to practice full exhalation.

If you would like more information on different breathing techniques to improve your health contact me at www.lindaledwidge.com ​

#FreeFloLiving #KISS #TotalHealthWhateverWorks