How Stress and Food Affect on Human Health
Updated: Aug 20, 2023
Talk Title: How Stress and Food Affect on Human Health
Author: Lara Dinjar University North Croatia Email: ladinjar@gmail.com Volume: Psychology and Human Behaviour 2023_CN40_AA04
International Live Conference on Psychology and Human Behaviour Date: August 19, 2023 Time: 8 PM Indian Standard Time Location: Online Conference Theme: Exploring the Depths: Unraveling the Intricacies of Human Behavior
Abstract
Today, stress is among the leading reasons that are the precursors of all other diseases. Just as before man was prepared for extreme conditions, to be able to catch an animal or, on the other hand, to escape from it, stress was also needed. However, this stress caused susceptibility to the formation of blood clots, rapid heartbeat, release of sugar from the liver, release of fat, more precisely cholesterol, blood is drained from other organs, for example from the intestines and skin, so that the brain can receive as much blood as possible and fill itself with oxygen so that it is ready for the fight, and certain hormones were secreted that encouraged all this. However, this all happened in the human organism in the past, but it has remained until today, with the fact that we no longer run away and hunt, but when we do find ourselves in a stressful situation, today our life works completely differently. Stress is not always necessarily bad, there is also good stress that encourages us to be productive and pushes us forward. We are human and we can be productive, just not as some people on the Internet show that they can be active in everything 24/7, that is a lie, the body has stages in which it is productive and after that there should be a rest because without rest there is no productivity and this is the harsh reality and the way our body functions. When our body is constantly under bad stress, substances are secreted in the body and processes are accelerated, which result in a decrease in the immune system due to the fact that enormous amounts of good nutrients are consumed due to the body's preparation for some danger, automatically and the digestive system does not work as it should and all other body systems are out of balance. Many people today suffer from various diseases, be they mental or physical, anxiety, depression, migranes are ones of the most common diseases today, which is even more fueled by stress, and all of them can also be associated with the fact that people today do not eat healthy and this affects the body even worse and so is human health itself. Some people who are under stress lose their sense of hunger, and some people when they are under stress take something to calm down, be it high-calorie and fatty foods full of sugar, some intoxicants or something else. There is acute stress that can still be resolved if appropriate measures are taken, or chronic stress that has already turned into a more serious form and makes it difficult for people in their daily lives. Now, in order not to reach this chronic form, it is necessary to take certain measures. First and foremost, we should look at nutrition and how properly and regularly we eat, what food and in what quantities we take it into the body. While some supplements can help us with all of this, some medicines make up for it. Food rich in vitamin C, B complex vitamins and zinc have a very beneficial effect on stress in our body, i.e. they lower it. For example we can find vitamin B and magnesium in whole grain pasta, rice, oatmeal, legumes, potatoes, green vegetables, fresh and dried fruit, sprouts, eggs, grains, dairy products, seafood, nuts, poultry, lean meat, zinc protects against infections, is found in the liver, red meat, dairy products, egg yolks, whole grain products, seafood, vitamin B, potassium, magnesium can be found in banana, strengthens nerves and heart and reduces cholesterol so are walnuts. These foods only help us even more, but of course people who have various other diseases should be careful and adapt their diet to themselves. Supplements, i.e. dietary supplements, can be of additional use if the person knows what to do and knows that he will not be able to take in enough magnesium for his daily intake, for example, and the person previously had some more intense training that helped him release stress, the muscles will be exhausted, so magnesium supplement is not far away, but it cannot be the main source for the body. As for the absorption of magnesium supplements and food containing magnesium, it is not even close to similar, and you can see for yourself, for example, come home after work or a long hike or intense training and drink a supplement, that is just a supplement, it will not work without adequate food. While on the other hand, not all supplements are the same, there is really a lot of everything on the market today, but you need to know how to recognize and consult with experts, if a person does not know what and how. On the other hand, supplements are a help, and various medicines but not all of them for example antibiotics, are a problem for us when we want to get rid of stress. Antibiotics reduce and destroy, of course, depending on the strength of the drug and the dose, how much, but they still destroy our cells, the pro biotic biome, that is the good bacteria found in our intestines, but at the same time they act so that they are responsible for our immune system, which is already damaged as it is due to stress. Therefore, when taking antibiotics because we really needed it, which has increased significantly in the last few years, we should take additional probiotics through food in order to preserve the immune system as much as we can. Because if our immunity is already impaired due to stress, we damage it with antibiotics and the door begins to open in our body for other possible diseases that can attack us just when we do not specifically need it. Small children and the elderly are more susceptible to developing diseases, and getting a child to drink medicine is a pain in itself, how do I know? I may not have had my own children yet, but I had little siblings and cousins. All of them hated to drink antibiotics because they were usually antibiotics in the form of syrup, which small children do not like at all, but then I thought and remembered why antibiotics should not be put in chocolate, be it dark or milk, in small quantities it works great on human health, it is easy to use and almost all children love it. It has a beneficial effect on the immune, nervous, and digestive systems, and I think it would be a great idea that could be turned into reality, for now parents, grandparents showed quite a lot of interest in surveys in Croatia. Therefore, everything can be designed, as this idea came to me, there is so much that can be improved, but I think that with small steps it would help everyone a lot. You just have to want enough to help yourself and your loved ones, put in a little effort and I guarantee that everything will get better. If you don't believe it, try introducing small changes in your daily life and I guarantee that you will never go back to the old ways.
