Fuel up -- the right way

You would never consciously put the wrong fuel in your car, and you wouldn't expect it to run well on poor quality fuel or no fuel at all. So why do we expect our bodies and brains to run well on poor quality fuel? As your digestive system slows down and more acid is produced in your stomach when you're under stress, it's even more important than usual to be careful about what you eat and when. Your body will be better prepared to fight stress when it is fueled up -- the right way.

Consider the following suggestions:

• Breakfast is probably the easiest meal of the day to make consistently healthy. Try high fiber cereals, low fat milk or yogurt, whole grain muffins and breads, fruit and fruit juices.

• Plan ahead. This will increase your chances of eating healthy. Food selection is not at its best when we're stressed. We tend to chose comfort foods -- those easily obtained and usually sweet. They give us a quick but temporary lift, and are rarely the most nutritious. If you often eat fast food at lunch try taking a packed lunch, or buy a salad or soup.

• Don't regularly 'eat on the run.' Savor what you do eat. Eating one cookie slowly is more satisfying than downing five without noticing what they taste like.

• Snacking is often when we eat the least healthy foods. Have healthy snack food handy. Practice reaching for dried fruit or nuts rather than chocolate or potato chips.

• If prolonged stress is affecting your digestion, even the best food choices may not ensure that adequate nutrition is reaching important parts of your body, like your brain. This obviously makes it more difficult to rationally use your other stress management tools. In this case, consider incorporating quality protein, vitamin and anti-oxidant supplements in your diet.

• Often, a drop in energy is also a sign that you are dehydrated. By the time you feel thirsty you've already lost 2 to 3 percent of your body fluid. This lowers your blood volume, making your heart work harder to pump blood to your brain. Regularly give yourself an energy boost with a glass of cold water during the day.

• Be wary of drinking lots of coffee or other caffeinated beverages. Drinking 2 to 3 cups of coffee can double your body's production of cortisol, a stress hormone. If you're a die-hard coffee addict compromise -- counter each cup of caffeinated beverage with the same amount of water. It's a healthy habit that will help you cut back on caffeine while keeping you hydrated.

Today, why not ... Spend some time thinking about your eating habits. Do you have a variety of healthy breakfast and snack food in your house? Do you have the ingredients for several healthy meals? What's for lunch and dinner today? If this is a problem area for you, spend some time planning ahead and making a grocery list.

This month, why not ... Make a goal that you will eat at least 2 healthy meals a day.

"We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are."

~ Adelle Davis ~

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