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In This Issue
How Does Stress Affect Your Body?
Life Skills For Coping With Stress
Recipe: White Bean Soup With Kale And Butternut Squash
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| Did you miss any of the past issues? |
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If you have any questions about the topics discussed in this newsletter, please feel free to send me an email. |
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| Stress is not what happens to us. It is our response to what happens. And RESPONSE is something we can choose.
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 How Does Stress Affect Your Body?
Stress is not necessarily a bad thing; a little stress can motivate you. The only time you won't have stress is when you are six feet under.
In primitive times, if someone encountered a bear or a tiger, his body would start producing catabolic (stress) hormones called cortisol so that he could be physically prepared to engage in "fight or flight". For modern man, the very same mechanism is at work as a response to the stressors each of us encounters on a daily basis.
Stress can shorten your life. It interferes with the regenerative work that stem cells do in your body. When stress hormones damage tissues, cells and organs, stem cells come to the rescue. They stay idle in your bone marrow until needed, then snap into action to replace damaged cells.
However, if you are always mentally revved up, stem cells can't do their jobs. Your brain needs to be on idle before stem cells can go to work. Also, you don't have an infinite supply of stem cells. The more you use to repair stress damage, the fewer you have to make other repairs to your body later. That explains why stress plays an important role in the development of degenerative diseases, including cancer and heart disease.
Stress can make you fat. Stress hormones encourage anabolic processes like fat storage, especially in the abdomen. When you are chronically stressed, your body produces too much cortisol which slows down your metabolism. You tend to crave fatty, salty and/or sugary foods. Prolonged stress can also alter your blood sugar levels and lead to greater health problems such as diabetes.
Stress can affect proper sleep. Some people seem to lose sleep over periods of stress while others seem to sleep like a baby. Research suggests that the difference may be explained by the ways people cope. Those who tend to get wrapped up on their emotions and anxiety during the high-stress period are more likely to have poor sleep, while those who tend to stay focused mainly on the tasks at-hand sleep better and shut themselves off from stress. Hence, it is essential that we learn how to cope with the stressors in our daily lives.
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Life Skills for Coping with Stress
Gather the gang. Leaning on friends or family during major life events (such as divorce, job loss, or death) can help alleviate the stress you encounter from these upheavals in life. Never under estimate the importance of a good support system.
Act like a mountain climber. When you face an insurmountable task, instead of complaining or resisting it, change your attitude to accept the challenge. Then do what mountain climbers do: take one step at a time. Break unmanageable obstacles into smaller, doable pieces.
Learn to relax. Deep breathing, meditation, guided imagery, journaling, positive affirmations, massage, yoga, humor, and pet ownership are some ways to help you relieve stress. It is particularly important to de-stress before bedtime to ensure that you have quality sleep during periods of stress.
Many people use alcohol to relax themselves. Alcohol, after causing a short period of stimulation, does have a sedative effect and help you fall asleep faster. However, alcohol is metabolized rapidly in your body and it actually impairs your sleep during the second half of the night. You tend to have shallower sleep and awake more easily. Alcohol is also likely to worsen snoring and sleep apnea (a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep).
Get moving. With all the demands on your schedule, exercise may be one of the last things on your to-do list. However, the secretion of too much cortisol can have an adverse impact on your immune system. Regular exercise is useful in removing the byproducts of the stress response and allows the body to return to equilibrium. Furthermore, the release of endorphins during physical activity will provide an analgesic (pain relieving) effect and promote a sense of euphoria.
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| Recipe Of The Month:
White Bean Soup With Kale And Butternut Squash
Kale is one of the most nutritious foods you can eat. It is greatly valued for its high calcium content as well as vitamins A and C. One cup of cooked kale contains 3 grams of fiber but only 36 calories.
Cooking time: 90 minutes
Bean soaking time: overnight
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
2 cups dried white beans 1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon curry powder
½ teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
3 cups butternut squash, cut into ¾ inch cubes
3 cups kale, chopped and leaves only
3 cups vegetable stock
Sea salt and pepper
Directions:
1. Soak 2 cups of white beans overnight in plenty of water to cover. Drain and discard soaking water.
2. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Saute onions until translucent. Add garlic, curry and cumin. Saute for another minute.
3. Add beans and 5 cups of filtered water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 60 minutes. Do not add salt until cooking is complete.
4. Add vegetable stock, basil, butternut squash, and kale to pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Season with sea salt and pepper.
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About the Author
 Carol Chuang is a Certified Health Counselor from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and Columbia University. She is board certified by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners.
Apart from having her private practice counseling individual clients, she is also the nutrition and wellness consultant for San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Council and the APA Family Support Services in San Francisco. She conducts regular workshops for their clients on various topics of nutrition and wellness. |
Schedule For a Free Consultation
I believe that the way to a happy, healthy and fulfilling life is to have loving relationships, a satisfying career, regular physical activity, and a spiritual foundation. Coupled with a diet that is wholesome and natural, our mind, body, and soul would thrive and flourish. If you would like to live an energized and passionate life, I invite you to a free one-hour consultation to discuss your health history, concerns, and goals, as well as what you have always dreamed for in your life. |
Carol Chuang
Certified Health Counselor
415-652-9942 |
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