Sit Down, Stay A While, and SAVOR!
Did you know that your body’s response to stress can also impact its ability to pull out quality nutrients from your food? Cue sounds of shock and awe, but it’s true, and isn’t that one of the craziest fun facts you’ve ever heard?
But first thing’s first: we already learned on day 1 that the body doesn’t differentiate between the types of stress we experience. Now, let’s break down what happens physiologically during a stressful event:
First, your Central Nervous System prompts a gland called the hypothalamus to trigger your adrenal glands to release the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones are responsible for your racing heart, and blood rushing to the areas of your body that need it the most like your muscles, heart and other important organs. Next, your digestive system basically shuts down so that you don’t expend energy on digesting food. Instead, your body will trigger a system to make your access to glucose (sugar) quick and abundant. Part of that pathway means that the body encourages insulin (the hormone that helps to regulate glucose by transporting it from the blood to other areas of your body) to decrease so that the body can access as much glucose in the blood as possible. The decrease in insulin also prompts some of the storage organs of glucose, like our muscles and our liver, to release their stores of glucose. Afterall, glucose is our primary source of fuel. All of this is to prepare us for RUNNING away from the stress lion! Side note: because our digestive system was basically in “do not disturb” mode, acid production in the stomach plummeted. What happens when the acid in our stomach plummets, you ask? Well, that’s why we become more susceptible to things like stomach ulcers and acid-reflux. Stress, man! It’s a real pain.Once you’ve actually run away from the lion and the threat of stress has been removed, however, your body goes back to equilibrium and your digestive system turns back on.
So why all this science-talk? Well, because most of us live in a state of ongoing, CHRONIC stress. Chronic means that we are just always in a low (or high) grade state of stress without any breaks for our body to readjust and re-equalize. This also means that many of us are becoming insulin-resistant (one of the main drivers of Diabetes and weight gain), if our digestive systems are quote-unquote “half-asleep” much of the time. This causes maldigestion of our food, which leads to nutrient deficiencies, a lack of adequate stomach acid production, and can even cause gaping holes in our gut (or gut permeability) increasing our likelihood for digestive issues like diarrhea, bloating, gas, GERD and more.
Overtime, our body attempts to heal itself quickly by building up internal inflammation, but too much inflammation over long periods of time can lead to still more chronic diseases. Chronic stress is therefore one of - if not THE - main contributor to the development of chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune conditions, obesity, IBS, and allergies.
Whoooosh!
So what’s today all about? Stress management, of course! We want to create calm, relaxing environments around our mealtimes, specifically, because when we sit calmly, without interruptions, and be present with our food, we are calming our nervous system down, and allowing our digestive organs to work optimally as they should.
Today’s Activity:
Creating calm while you eat.
Practice this before each meal today.
Carve out time and space to eat without distractions - no phones or TV
Make sure you are sitting.
Before eating, take a few deep belly breaths. Feel your heart rate slow down.
Refer to “Day 2” and take a moment to thank your food. Reflect on how the particular meal you’re eating is nourishing some part of your emotions.
Take inventory of your body and your emotions - how are you feeling?
Eat slowly, chew your food well and put your fork down in between bites. (no talking while you are chewing!)
How did this practice change your experience during your meal? Jot down your notes in your Master Document.
Bon appétit, mon chéries, and happy digesting!
