Eat real whole food and skip the junk food, processed foods and sugar. Simply go back to eating the way your grandparents ate!- Eat breakfast every single day and make sure to include protein (like eggs, meat, whey, fish) to help keep blood sugar levels even through the day and therefore reduce stress
- Also eat three meals and two healthy snacks to keep blood sugar levels even. Some great snack ideas: some fresh fruit, a boiled egg, grass-fed beef jerky and even a packed lunch. Raw baby carrots and ornamental green/yellow/red peppers are crunchy and tasty, especially dipped in hummus. Another easy snack are left-overs from dinner, such as a chicken drumstick or wing. Cans of sardines, oysters and salmon are good for emergencies if you get stuck at an airport or arrive late when traveling. Pumpkin seeds are a great source of tryptophan and zinc, both of which help improve mood.
- Pass on the coffee (yes, really!) especially if it makes you more anxious and affects your sleep – try herbal caffeine-free teas instead. Licorice herbal tea is delicious, rooibos herbal tea from South Africa is rich in antioxidants and chamomile tea is calming. If you can’t function without coffee and use it to give you energy then you need to figure out why – low iron, burned out adrenals, low catecholamines or underactive thyroid?
- Get outside and do some exercise – to raise serotonin levels to help you feel less blue and worried. You’ll also get some vitamin D which improves mood and reduces stress.
- Enjoy yoga regularly – yoga, tai chi and guided imagery actually raises GABA (a calming neurotransmitter) to help you feel less overwhelmed
- Consider using a good multivitamin and a good B complex to support your busy lifestyle as an entrepreneur. Also consider the amazing amino acid supplements tryptophan or GABA for short-term relief of anxiety, worry and stress.
- Slow down, make “me-time” a priority and learn to say no. As women we are natural caretakers and often everyone else comes first. Learn to take care of yourself too! Go for nice quiet walk in nature, relax with a good book, take a soothing lavender bath, have a good chat with a girlfriend or treat yourself to a massage.
Guest Writer – Trudy Scott
Trudy Scott, is a Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, speaker and author of The Antianxiety Food Solution: How the Foods You Eat Can Help You Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood and End Cravings. Her nutrition practice focuses on food, mood and women’s health. She educates women about the amazing healing powers of food and nutrients, to find natural solutions for anxiety and other mood problems. You can find out more about Trudy at www.everywomanover29.com and www.antianxietyfoodsolution.com. Trudy’s goal for all her clients (and all women): “You can be your healthiest, look your best and feel on-top-of-the-world emotionally!”