This month, we are zeroing in on the food ways to help you through #stress. Let's add another delicious item (or itemssssss in this case) to your grocery list.

FRUIT.

Fruit! All of them.

I’ll tell you three reasons why, especially when it comes to supporting you through stress.

BECAUSE VITAMIN C

Your adrenals, as you well know, are one of the key players in the stress response. In order to get this response up and running, you need a lot of Vitamin C. In fact, the production of cortisol (that hormone released in the stress response) necessitates extra vitamin C. Not only that, but vitamin C is water soluble, we are poor at storing extra. Thus, it needs to be a regular part of meals in order to top us up all the time. Best spot to find vitamin C? FRUIT. All of them have some, but the highest sources will be your berries, cherries, citrus, kiwi, stone fruit, cantaloupe.

BECAUSE CARBOHYDRATES

When your body (which predominantly runs on glucose aka carbs) starts to run low on fuel, your brain will elicit that stress response in order to release cortisol into the bloodstream. This cortisol - tripped by your brain’s lack of fuel - frees up glucose into your bloodstream, so that your cells can now have fuel. GOOD WORK BODY.

Oh. Did you mean to trip that stress response?

Probably not. Did you know that well timed carbohydrates over the course of your day can help you reduce that stress response? Fruit are a brilliant way to provide some of those carbohydrates to help you move through your day with a bit more ease. Try adding them back in, and see how you feel!

BECAUSE FIBRE

Fruit - as opposed to fruit juice - carries with it fibre. This fibre is a crucial piece of the puzzle to help nourish the bugs of your gut, aka your microbiome! When they get the good food they love (in the fibre of your fruit), they’ll set you up for LIFE. Balancing your microbiome is one of those pieces of reducing what may be driving the stress response internally.

BEST PURCHASING TIPS: it’s a question of good / better / best when it comes to purchasing fruit. Where you can, opt for organic versions in order to reduce what may be contributing to hormonal imbalances. These imbalances only fuel that slow internal inflammation that contributes to your body’s overall stress load. Refer to the Dirty Dozen / Clean Fifteen to help you figure this piece out.

Struggle with stress, dear one? Get in touch. Let’s meet up to start drawing up your road map to help you better be able to meet life’s stressors.