HealthBeat Spring 15:Book
3/12/15
9:18 AM
Page 24
handling stress
Eating well to reduce stress
Why is it that
some very
happy and
healthy people
have chronically
demanding
lives, yet the
daily stress is
like “water off a ZONYA
duck’s back” to FOCO
them? Meanwhile, others with
similar stressors suffer overtly with
anxiety and even depression, often
leading to more colds and flu, high
cholesterol and blood pressure, not
to mention aging faster too!
None of us want any of that!
So, what is it that successful
stress managers know, and how
can we have some of that?
I will be sharing “Five Habits of
Highly Effective Stress
Managers” over the next two
publications, starting first with
this central core habit:
Effective stress managers eat
right, whether they are stressed
or not.
How?
By having certain rituals or habits
in place that carry them through
time-crunched, stressful times.
Some of those practiced and automatic fueling habits look like this:
They hydrate with water (or
diluted juice) first thing in the
morning, before having tea or
coffee. They do this not just “when
they are dieting” and not just “when
they have time,” but automatically,
every single morning. Their “detoxifying ritual” might be to drink a
cup of hot or cold water with lemon
while their coffee brews, or a shaker
glass of water with an EmergenC
packet (with 1,000 mg of Vitamin
C) and a scoop of “greens” powder
plus a teaspoon of chia seed. (This
is my routine.)
They (without measuring
anything) throw together a
PHOTOS BY SCOTT FOCO
The five habits of highly effective stress managers (Part One)
Spinach Pesto Pita Pizza (with Artichokes and Pineapple) might look like enough work that it would
ADD stress, but it’s exactly what the Foco family makes in the midst of a stressful week. Serve it with
a few baby carrots, plus sliced apples or pears dipped in vanilla yogurt.
nutrient-dense breakfast that
they actually enjoy, like:
Two eggs and 1 cup of baby
spinach scrambled in a cup, then
microwaved one minute, with salsa
and maybe some leftover cooked
rice or quinoa added in. Eaten with
a banana, orange or pear.
A bowl of oats, microwaved
with water, cinnamon, raisins,
nuts, frozen blueberries, plus any
combination of a super food like
chia, flax or hemp.
A single-serving carton of
Greek yogurt (like Siggi’s, which
has more protein than sugar per
serving) mixed with Grape-Nuts,
oats, flax seed, fruit and nuts.
If they do the drivethrough, it’s oatmeal with fruit and
nuts or an Egg McMuffin and a
piece of fruit brought from home.
They have a tried-and-true
repertoire of nutrient-dense
lunch options from which to
choose, like a salad with dark
greens, a stir-fry, vegetable soup
and half a sandwich, or bowl of
chili and fruit.
They stock their fridge at
work with a bag of baby carrots,
24 LENAWEE HEALTHBEAT – SPRING 2015
broccoli, cauliflower and celery.
They carry with them a bottle
of water, in addition to almonds,
dried fruit, fresh fruit (grabbed
from the fruit bowl prominently
displayed on their kitchen
counter) or smart granola bars
like the low-sugar “Kind” bars.
They know how to make
quick dinners using their George
Foreman grill or their wok, by
making a stir-fry in minutes flat
from bags of mixed frozen vegetables and jarred sauce, and
quick-cooking brown rice. Or a
super simple “pita pizza” by using
whole-grain pita bread, plus
spaghetti sauce, chopped ham
and vegetables plus one-fourth a
cup of mozzarella cheese and a
sprinkling of Parmesan.
They even know how to supercharge flavors and nutrition, by
making a Spinach Pesto Pita
Pizza with Artichokes and
Pineapple (see recipe).
Even if they succumb to
ordering pizza for dinner, they are
practiced at “diluting” the meal by
snacking on baby carrots and an
apple before the pizza arrives, so
having just two slices is no problem, and bingo, the meal is high
fiber and nutrient rich too. (Not
to mention deprivation-free!)
They understand that sugary,
processed foods don’t in reality
reduce their stress, but instead
create more stress in their body
by elevating insulin levels,
causing a cascade of negative
metabolic changes that create
stress from the “inside out.”
With this knowledge in hand,
they have learned to appreciate
fresh fruit as their dessert of
choice, paired with an occasional
ounce of 60 percent cocoa (or
higher) dark chocolate*, which
they enjoy more than “too sweet”
milk chocolate.
Instead of coping with feelings of stress or anxiety by
attempting to “change their state”
by reaching for comfort foods like
cake, cookies, candy and milk
chocolate, they instead “change
their state” by stepping outside for
a minute, doing some stretches,
drinking some water, crunching an
apple, sipping some tea, playing
with a pet or listening to music.
HealthBeat Spring 15:Book
3/12/15
9:18 AM
Page 25
Spinach Pesto Pita Pizza
(WITH ARTICHOKES AND PINEAPPLE)
I know this sounds like a difficult dish that you would never dream of
making in the midst of a stressful week, but honestly, this is EXACTLY what
my family makes on such a day! We have all these ingredients on hand
(whole-grain pita bread in the freezer, jarred pesto, pineapple and artichokes
in the pantry, plus washed, ready-to-eat spinach in the fridge). I promise,
whoever you serve this to will rave about it!
1
Lay whole-wheat pitas on a
baking sheet (with edges slightly
rounding upward), and spread
11⁄2 tablespoons of pesto on each.
2
Mound 1 heaping handful of
fresh, ready-to-eat baby spinach on
top.
Ingredients:
Whole-wheat pitas, pesto, baby spinach,
pineapple, artichokes, mozzarella cheese.
3
Follow with pineapple tidbits
and jarred artichoke quarters.
4
Top each with one-fourth cup
shredded mozzarella.
5
Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. (Yes,
all that spinach wilts down perfectly and
deliciously!) What to serve it with? A few
baby carrots, plus sliced apples or pears dipped in
vanilla yogurt.
Now this is delicious STRESS-FREE living!
Can you see yourself evolving into this kind of
highly successful stress manager? To adapt these
habits so they are your own and “automatic” no
matter what comes your way takes practice.
Say yes to picking one or two to work on for
a week or more, and keep at it until it’s
instinctive. Before you know it, you too will be
a “Highly Effective Stress Manager”!
* No stress article would be complete without further discussion about chocolate. In
ADDITION to choosing 60 percent or higher
dark chocolate, you’ll also want to read the
ingredient list and avoid cocoa that has been
“dutch processed” or “processed with alkali.”
Used to remove the bitter taste, this process
also removes the beneficial polyphenols.
You’ll be surprised (and depressed) to learn
that Hershey’s Special Dark and Dove use this
process. Brands I recommend are Lindt,
Ghirardelli and Moser Roth (available at
Aldi). Also, Hershey’s Cocoa, the unsweetened
powder for baking, is perfectly 100 percent
cocoa. Try stirring into your vanilla or fruited
yogurt for a delicious antioxidant treat!
Zonya is the author of the best-selling
cookbook “Lickety-Split Meals for Health
Conscious People on the Go,” which is the
ultimate stress fighter, as well numerous other
books and DVDs on nutrition, exercise and
Diet Free weight management. Visit her at
www.Zonya.com for more tips, recipes,
videos and simple solutions to de-stressing
and balancing your life.
SPRING 2015 – LENAWEE HEALTHBEAT
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