Stress and Nutrition Introduction
The body responds differently to acute vs. chronic stress. When faced with a tiger, the body and brain focus on survival, and when we’re either eaten or escape, the stress response stops. Chronic stress is different because the body and brain experience a constant ‘tiger’ threat, and there’s no escape. The pandemic, which has gone on for over two years now is such a chronic stress ‘tiger!’
The body synthesises adrenalin, for our short-term stress response, and then cortisol, for a longer, chronic stress response. Regardless, nutrients are required to synthesize these stress hormones and they are used in preference to their use for making other compounds, such as serotonin and melatonin. This leads to a shift in the brains ability to manage emotions and predisposes the brain to anxiety and depression. The long-term impact of chronic stress is also far reaching for the body, as it changes the body’s natural repair and heal mechanisms and reduces immune function.
To get the body and brain back into a state of equilibrium requires both a nutritional and mindset shift. But starting with the nutritional shift enables the mindset shift to occur with greater ease.
