Savoring Serenity: A Feast of Stress-Relieving Nutrition and Herbs

Ever wondered how a simple herb could shield you from the perils of stress? Take a seat at my table, where we'll feast on the knowledge of how nutrition and natural remedies can be your armor against anxiety. In this enlightening journey, we navigate through the stormy seas of stress, learning to harness the power of cortisol, adrenaline, and our body's own fight or flight mechanisms to our advantage. It’s not just a talk; it’s a treasure trove of personal stories like how swimming laps can be more than just an exercise but a rhythmic meditation that calms the mind and strengthens the body.

Prepare your palate for a gourmet experience of stress-busting flavors—from the creamy embrace of avocados to the rich decadence of dark chocolate—each bite promises to support your body's resilience. The enchantment doesn't end there; we sprinkle our conversation with the magic of adaptogenic herbs like ashwagandha and lemon balm, exploring their use in everything from a soothing cup of tea to a revitalizing tincture. And while we don't all aim to be herbalists, I'll show you how embracing the study of these potent plants can spice up your self-care routine without the pressure of a career change. Let's embark on this path to tranquility together, savoring the essence of peace and wellness nature gracefully provides.

Heart of Herbs Herbal School 
The Heart of Herbs Podcast with Demetria Clark! 🌿 Tune in for herbal wisdom & wellness tips!

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The content provided in this podcast is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or medical condition. It is always recommended to consult with a qualified healthcare professional

Chapters

• 0:00 Managing Stress Through Nutrition and Herbs
• 15:07 Food and Herbs for Managing Stress
• 25:38 Navigating Stress With Herbal Remedies

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:37

Welcome to the Heart of Herbs Herbal School Podcast, your go-to source for holistic health and wellness. I'm Demetria Clark, and today we're diving into a topic that really does affect so many of us stress. We'll explore what stress is, how it impacts our bodies and, most importantly, how we can use nutrition and herbs to help manage it effectively. So let's get started. Okay, first things first. What exactly is stress? Well, stress is your body's natural response to perceived threats or challenges. When you encounter a stressor, whether it's physical, emotional or psychological, your body releases a cascade of hormones, including cortisol and adrenaline, to help you respond to the situation. Cortisol and adrenaline are two key hormones that play crucial roles in the body's stress response. Adrenaline is often referred to as the fight or flight hormone, so some of us constantly live in this state of fight or flight, and these are when we can never seem to relax, when we feel drained, when we're always ready for something to happen. It's because our bodies are perceiving a threat or a stressor, whether it's physical danger or an emotional stressor, and when this occurs, the adrenal glands release adrenaline into the bloodstream. Adrenaline triggers a rapid increase in heart rate, blood pressure and energy levels, preparing the body to respond quickly to the perceived threat levels, preparing the body to respond quickly to the perceived threat. This response can help you either confront the danger head on, fight or flee from it flight, hence the term fight or flight response. And I only giggle because often it sounds like to myself whenever I say that I'm saying like fight or fight, fight or fight. Maybe that's my stress stuff. I'm not running, I'm fighting or fighting. But so the reality is is that adrenaline triggers these responses in our body, and these are really important. This is what you know. These reactions are what made us human beings today Like we're still able to survive. We've been around for so long because we are, you know, reacting to what this hormone does to our body.

Speaker 1: 3:20

Cortisol is another hormone released in response to stress and it's often referred to as a stress hormone. Like adrenaline, cortisol is produced by the adrenal glands and involved in the body's response to stress. It helps regulate a wide range of processes in the body to include metabolism, immune function and blood sugar levels. In times of stress, cortisol levels rise to provide the body with a quick source of energy by increasing glucose availability in the bloodstream. It also helps to dampen the body's inflammatory response to stress.

Speaker 1: 3:57

While both adrenaline and cortisol play important roles in helping the body cope with acute stressors, chronic or prolonged stress can lead to dysregulation of these hormones and they can have a negative effect on our health. So if you're someone who has excessive or prolonged levels of cortisol, it could be linked to a wide range of health problems, to include immune suppression, weight gain, digestive issues and cardiovascular problems. Understanding the roles of cortisol and adrenaline and stress responses can help us better manage stress and how it impacts our health. So by adopting healthy strategies to coping with stress, such as relaxation techniques, exercise mindfulness, we can help regulate our body's stress hormone levels and promote overall well-being. For me, I swim. Swimming is a great way for me to work out anything I'm going through or stress, or, you know, it's where I can have those conversations with myself that I can't get away from because I'm in the water. These stress hormones serve a vital purpose in the short term and they help you to fight or flee from danger. However, when the stress becomes chronic or prolonged, it can wreak havoc on your health.

Speaker 1: 5:20

Chronic stress has been linked to a host of negative effects, to include impaired immune function, so chronic stress can weaken immune systems, making us more susceptible to infections, illnesses and autoimmune disorders. Stress hormones like cortisol can suppress immune responses, so this can really reduce our body's ability to fight off pathogens effectively and this can result in more frequent illnesses and slower recovery times. Stress is also linked to digestive issues, so the gut and brain are closely connected through the gut-brain access, and stress can disrupt this connection, leading to digestive problems, chronic stress and it can chronically exacerbate I always say that funny, I apologize. Sometimes I just say words funny, so bear with me. Irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease and acid reflux. Stress can also affect digestion, nutrient absorption, leading to symptoms like abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea and constipation. So it can also affect how we sleep. Stress can interfere with sleep in several ways. It can cause difficulty in falling asleep, fear with sleep. In several ways it can cause difficulty in falling asleep, staying asleep or resulting in poor quality sleep. So if you wake up a lot during the night, stress could be affecting your ability to sleep. Stress activates the body's fight or flight response, increasing alertness and making it harder for us to relax and unwind. Additionally, high levels of stress hormones like cortisol can disrupt the natural sleep-wake cycle, leading to insomnia and fragmented sleep patterns.

Speaker 1: 7:11

Stress is also linked to mood disorders. Chronic stress is a significant risk factor for the development of mood disorders such as anxiety and depression. For the development of mood disorders such as anxiety and depression, prolonged exposure to stress hormones can dysregulate neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, which play key roles in regulating mood and emotional well-being. Chronic stress can also contribute to feelings of irritability, sadness and hopelessness. I mean, how often are you just like dealing with emotions that you're not sure where they're coming from? And I think, if you take a step back and you go, oh okay, I'm really really stressed out about this, I'm really stressed out about money, I'm really stressed out about my relationship, or there's something that's really stressing me out that can actually be linked back to these feelings that we're having, and it can also be linked back to our moods and our sleep and our digestion.

Speaker 1: 8:20

Stress can also have a profound impact on the cardiovascular system. It increases the risk of hypertension, which is high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. Chronic stress can lead to elevated levels of adrenaline and cortisol, which raise blood pressure and heart rate. So do you ever like suffer from like red white coat syndrome, where you go into the doctor's office and your blood pressure is like really, really high, and then they take it a few minutes later and it's normal and you can almost feel that change in your body. You're like, oh my gosh, I know it's going to be high, I know it's going to be this, I know it's going to be that because you can feel what's going on and that is a really easy way to determine, like stress and its effect. So stress hormones can also promote inflammation and contribute to the buildup of plaque in the arteries, increasing the risk of antherosclerosis and cardiovascular events.

Speaker 1: 9:19

But listen, don't stress out. There's plenty of natural strategies you can employ to help manage stress. So one of the most powerful tools in our arsenal is nutrition. Consuming a balanced diet rich in whole foods can help support our body's ability to cope with stress. Foods high in antioxidants, such as berries and leafy greens, can help combat the oxidative stress caused by chronic stress. What are some other good foods that you can eat to help combat stress? So let's start off with complex carbohydrates. So these are, you know, your whole grains rice, quinoa, oats, beans, lentils, starchy vegetables like sweet potatoes and squash that can help regulate serotonin levels in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that promotes feelings of calmness and well-being.

Speaker 1: 10:16

I love using like squash and sweet potatoes and like new ways. So I love doing sweet potatoes with roasted pumpkin seeds with some tahini drizzled on it. I think that's just so yummy tasting. I love making soups out of squash or curries, using squash like ground up, ground up, pureed squash. It's like a base you can use it in pasta sauces. I have some allergies so I stay away from some of the, the beans, the legume families because they can bother a health condition that I have. But I do like using, you know, oats. I love oats. I love oats and teas. I love oats and oatmeals. I make my husband like these oatmeal cookies that you know they're made with very few ingredients and dried fruit and he can just munch on them all day long. So I love using those kinds of things in our foods because I think it, also because we grow almost all of our food now and so I think it also really promotes a feeling of calmness and connection and wellbeing. But I also like the fact that we can bring these complex carbohydrates and just really keep it simple.

Speaker 1: 11:38

Another one that can really help with stress is fatty fishes. So like salmon, mackerel and sardines are high in omega-3 fatty acids. I you know I myself try to get everything as close to the source as possible, and these omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce levels of cortisol and adrenaline and the stress and stress hormones. So omega-3s have anti-inflammatory properties that can benefit the physical and mental health and wellbeing of our bodies. And you can get these from other sources than fatty fish, but fatty fish is really like an easy way to get it.

Speaker 1: 12:18

Leafy greens such as spinach and kale and Swiss chard are rich in magnesium, which is a mineral that plays a role in relaxation and stress reduction. I also like dandelion greens, collard greens, rainbow chard, radish greens, turnip greens. I just love eating all different kinds of greens in all different kinds of ways. One of my favorite recipes is using just all the different greens from the garden to make sag paneer, which is an Indian quote spinach dish. But I just use all the greens that we have and I only say like quote spinach because I know in India they use all different kinds of of greens and palak and sag paneer, so I just love like doing them that way you can do them in smoothies. Look, I'm not the kind of person that's going to tell you to like do mixes and powders and stuff like that. I mean, get things as close as you can to the natural source no ultra processing. Be kind to yourself, learn how to buy foods that make you feel good and give you a good mental outlook.

Speaker 1: 13:24

Nuts and seeds are also great. So, like almonds, walnuts, flax seeds and chia seeds are packed with nutrients such as magnesium, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to have stress reducing effects. I also like to. I live in the South, so I'll do pecans, I'll do pumpkin seeds and squash seeds from our garden. I think it's really important that we think outside of the box too, like we don't only have to use, like the seed or the nut, that's like the hot seed or nut at the time. Do what you like, like, look up the ones that you like, and I bet you'll find that they have all different kinds of benefits. You know pecans, hickory nuts, so just really you know, checking out what's also available locally is going to be a great way for you to um connect with the food that's in your environment and, additionally, the act of chewing nuts and seeds can promote relaxation by stimulating the release of serotonin in the brain.

Speaker 1: 14:35

So the next one is one of my favorites is berries. I love berries strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, huckleberries I just love berries and they're rich in antioxidants, vitamin C's, flavonoids, which help combat oxidative stress caused by chronic stress, and the antioxidants help protect cells from damage and support overall health and well-being. I also am like you can't go wrong with berries. You can pretty much put berries in anything. It's going to taste better, so I love berries.

Speaker 1: 15:07

Avocados are a great source of healthy fats, including monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids, which can help lower levels of cortisol and reduce inflammation in the body. Avocados also contain potassium and B vitamins, which support nerve function and mood regulation. I love, uh, florida avocados because those are the ones that are grown and grow naturally in environments. That's closer to me. But you can definitely, you know, find avocados in any grocery store and there's a bunch of different types, so you could have fun exploring the different kinds of avocados we have basically in the United States. Besides the Florida avocado, there's two main avocados we have basically in the United States. Besides the Florida avocado, there's two main avocados that are used and grown, and there's actually tons and tons of different kinds of avocados and they have different tastes and they have different, you know, seed sizes and flesh, and so you can really have a lot of fun with them.

Speaker 1: 16:08

Dark chocolate is also good. So dark chocolate with a high cocoa content 70% or higher contains antioxidants called flavonoids, which have been shown to reduce stress hormones and improve mood. You can see in the newspapers recently there's lots and lots of stories about dark chocolate being contaminated with different fillers like lead, cadmium, like all these wonderful things that we definitely don't want to be eating. So you can always find clean chocolate resources online. Just, you know, look up, you know cleanest chocolate you know to eat. Or you could just buy the pods and do your own chocolate, or wait until you know that you know chocolate is being regulated better and that there isn't these contaminants in your chocolate.

Speaker 1: 17:02

Incorporating these foods in your diet can help support your body's natural stress response and promote overall health and well-being. Remember, focusing on a balanced diet rich in whole foods can help optimize how you go through and process stress. So definitely, definitely, look at what you're eating in ways that you can improve upon your diet and your stress, like just adding a little bit of raw or roasted nuts or seeds to salads, to vegetables, to pasta. There's all kinds of things you can do. You can add them to, like your overnight oats, which you have your fresh berries in, or you can use chocolate and avocado to make a pudding or an ice cream. There's lots of fun recipes out there. I mean, that's the great thing with the internet you can find a recipe for anything and you can find an alternative recipe for anything. So if you wanted to find a vegan blah, blah, blah, or or you know how to make a sweet potato pizza crust or anything like that, it's all out there. And I mean I'm like at this point I pretty much just am like, if I come up with something like, oh, I wonder about this, I'll just put it in the old search engine and usually there's someone out there who's come up with some version of it and I can tweak it to fit myself. You can also have them in smoothies, these foods. You can also, you know, cook dishes that are different than the way that you eat. You know, try curries, or try different kinds of pestos with your greens. I mean really really think about how can we have fun too, and things like that can also help reduce our stress. We can also use really think about how can we have fun too, and things like that can also help reduce our stress. We can also use, you know, some of these ingredients with marinades and salad dressings and just kind of bring ourselves into thinking about things a little bit differently.

Speaker 1: 19:06

Now this is the Heart of Herbs Herbal School podcast, so let's talk about some herbs that you can use to manage stress, and I like to use herbs for stress, often in tea or tincture form. Lots of people like do caplets and stuff Just for me. That's like the easiest way for me to do it. So for herbs I'm going to talk, we have ashwagandha and this is an adaptogenic herb and you've probably been hearing about it like everywhere and it's really, really popular right now and I remember the first time like I mean like when I first tried to look it up years and years ago, I mean you couldn't find any information about it in the United States. So it's really its ability to help our bodies adapt to stress and promote a sense of calm has been great, really awaken in the United States. Like we are really like understanding more ways to use this herb and it's really being added to lots of Western herbal Materia Medicus, but it has been prized in Ayurveda for a really long time to help our bodies adapt to stress.

Speaker 1: 20:23

The next is Tulsi holy basil, and it's revered in traditional Indian medicine for its stress-relieving properties and its ability to support mental States and worldwide. So you can definitely, you know, feel good about using this. It makes a great tea. They smell good, they're, you know, it's just, it's just fun. It's just fun to use. The next is Rodelia Rosea. It's an adaptogenic herb that helps increase the body's resistance to stress and fatigue. It makes it a valuable ally when things are tough, like when we are just flat out, we're stressed out, we have too many things going on. These herbs can really be helpful for that and really make a difference in our lives. So definitely, you know, check that out. Then we have lemon balm, and this herb's great because this is great for kids too. Like I love using lemon balm with children. It's really safe, it smells good, it tastes good. It can really help when children are also having hard time processing stress.

Speaker 1: 21:47

It's known for calming and nourishing the nervous system, making an excellent choice for reducing stress and promoting relaxation. I love to add it to teas for flavor. I love to add it to teas for its action of being, you know, a stress reducer. I know that if I'm going to be navigating like a lot during the day, like a lot of stressful stuff, like it'll just be coming at me. So I have like a lot of meetings, or if I'm meeting with like a department of health or something like that, I love, like you know, starting my day off with a little bit of lemon balm and I combine it with Roboist just to like help fortify me and and and really nourish my nervous system. Um, sometimes I'll even add like a little bit of nettles just to like give me that boost that I'm going to need throughout the day.

Speaker 1: 22:39

And last but not least is chamomile, and this one's great too to help soothe frazzled nerves. So if you're trying to go to sleep, great to help soothe frazzled nerves. So if you're trying to go to sleep, I'm often like, hey, you know, chamomile tea before bed is really great. You can try that and that's a really simple one. But I think sometimes like one or two drops of a tincture at the beginning of the day can really help soothe our nerves and ease tension throughout the body, like with a little bit of lemon balm. If you're someone who chamomile like knocks you out, don't, don't try that suggestion right. And when I say one or two drops, I literally mean like a drop or two of tincture, just to like give you that little bit of a boost. You know you could maybe go up to, like you know, up to 20 drops if it doesn't affect you and make you sleepy at all. But we're not trying to like make you go to sleep in the middle of the day or early in the morning, just like help you ease some of that tension that's in your body. And of course, chamomile is also a great one before bed. Unless you get up to pee a lot at night, it does often have that action for some people. So if you know you're someone who you know you've had a few kids and your bladder is active or you're getting a little bit older, you could do chamomile a little bit earlier. Um, and let it's diuretic action like kind of work for you before you like head to bed.

Speaker 1: 24:10

Incorporating these herbs into your daily routine can help you better manage and improve your overall stress and sense of well-being. Whether you prefer them in teas, tinctures or capsules. Figure out the different ones that work for you and the different blends or formulas that work for you. Of course, you can buy formulas. You can buy formulated blends. You can work with an herbalist. You can try them one at a time. You can make your own tea and or you can even buy a tea that has some of these herbs in it.

Speaker 1: 24:39

But it's best to just figure out, you know, with someone what works best for you. I'm not saying that you have to like necessarily hire an herbalist, but I definitely like to remind people that just because a product is out there and it's made it doesn't mean it's necessarily the right one for you. So if you purchase an herbal blend and you're like this didn't help me at all, you may not have had a blend that was, you know, perfect for your needs, and so sometimes working with an herbalist can help you figure out what is best for you and your body. And, in addition, you know a lot of people will ask their herbalist to help them, you know, learn how to formulate their blends for themselves. Or you can take an herbal class and that can be really beneficial and really help you learn a little bit more about herbs and what's going on with your body.

Speaker 1: 25:38

A lot of people will be like but I don't really want to, you know be an herbalist, and yeah, but you know you'll buy a cookbook and you don't necessarily want to be a chef. So it's just about learning how to use different skills to help ourselves take care of ourselves. Just because you study something or you spend some time with something doesn't mean you have to do it as a job, so don't put that pressure on yourself. So we're going to wrap up today's episode of the Heart of Herbs Herbal School podcast talking about stress. I hope you found this exploration of stress and herbal remedies helpful. Remember that stress is a natural part of life, but with the right tools and techniques, we can learn to navigate it with grace and resilience. Thank you so much for listening and have a wonderful, wonderful day.