If you’re anything like me at the moment, you maybe living your life a hundred miles an hour – or so it seems.  So much so I haven’t even had the time to blog (sorry about that!).

Whilst we are so busy looking after our family, work commitments and other usual day to day stresses, we forget to look after ourselves which can have a catastrophic effect on our health. Now, don’t get me wrong, I may be a little dramatic here using the word ‘catastrophic’ but long term stress can create a number of health issues and concerns including anxiety and depression, inflammatory conditions and even chronic diseases not to be laughed about.

I found myself recently taking a reality check in the mirror and could see the tell tale signs of sleepless nights with the kids, working non-stop on my passion – nutrition and planning my wedding! Dark circles under my eyes and lack-lustre skin with a little cold to top it off made me stop and think ‘hang on Debs – listen to your OWN advice’. Reducing stress and anxiety in your life is sometimes easier said than done – if you can try and relax more and learn to spend more time chilling then great stuff! If you can’t eradicate stress and anxiety altogether then there are ways in which you can help manage stress through food and lifestyle which can help the body’s response to stress leaving you less frazzled.

So I’m going to share my top 5 stress busting nutrition tips with you – go on, I will if you will!

1/ Reach for the herbal teas instead of the usual coffee. Chamomile or Borage tea (Starflower) have a calming affect whilst coffee puts more stress on the body.

2/ Avoid stimulants such as sugar, refined foods (biscuits, white bread and pasta), coffee, tea, alcohol and cigarettes. Stimulants create more stress in the body therefore hindering not helping your body’s natural responses.

3/ Balance your blood sugar levels by eating high quality protein with complex carbohydrates. Protein such as lean chicken, soya, fish and eggs are great with complex carbohydrates such as wholemeal rice and pasta or a sweet potato.

4/ Essential fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties and will encourage healthy cells. Aim to eat omega 3 rich oily fish – salmon, mackerel, fresh tuna, sardines, nuts, seeds and oils such as olive oil three times a week to give you that boost.

5/ Increase your B vitamins. B vitamins help nourish overworked adrenals (stress hormones) and are depleted in times of stress. Top up by eating foods such as chicken, fish, eggs, turkey, lentils, wholegrains, avocados, bananas, soya beans and seeds will replenish your B vits.

Hope that helps you busy bees in dealing with stress and anxiety.

If all else fails, have a long soak in the bath and …..lock the door away from those kids!