Retrain yourself for healthy eating and drinking

The fitter and healthier we are, the more likely we are to boost our self-esteem and build up our resistance to the detrimental effects of stress. We can combat stress and its effects through what we eat and drink.

Keep a check on your fat intake and type of fat consumed. When our stress response is activated, fat is released from the body stores into the blood stream to provide energy for action. If there is no action, the released fat is not used. Over time excess blood fat will be deposited inside our blood vessels causing them to fur-up (atherosclerosis). This makes us more susceptible to a heart attack. Eating a diet loaded with saturated fats will clearly make things worse.

Ensure that you eat plenty of fruit, nuts and vegetables. This is important because vitamins (particularly B, C and E) and minerals, such as selenium are essential for the production of the stress hormones required for the stress response. So if we are under a lot of pressure and trying to cope with many demands, we could use up our body stores of these vitamins and minerals. Many of these chemicals are antioxidants and are vital for neutralising the damaging effects of free radicals that are produced naturally by our body chemistry. A diet rich in fruit, vegetables and nuts will provide an adequate supply of these antioxidants.