TAMING THE NERVOUS SYTEM THROUGH FOOD

Myself and Charlotte Faure Green (The Food Doula Nutritionist) chatted about eating to support our nervous systems. We talk implementable behaviour shifts & actionable micro choices we can make to support seeking a little more ease and calm. Charlotte specialises in nutrition to support stress, anxiety and sleep, the perfect person to quiz. Here are the headlines from our chat!

WHAT ARE THE HEADLINES? 

YOU CAN’T EAT YOUR WAY OUT OF AN ANXIOUS STATE, BUT…

…you can absolutely put in measures to support avoiding it. An enquiry diet is about being your own detective, what is feeling good and not good,  listening to our bodies is very overlooked, they are always talking to us. What manifests as anxiety or stress - can often be linked back to nutrition and if we truly nourish ourselves those symptoms do quieten.

YOU AREN’T WHAT YOU EAT, MORE WHAT YOU ABSORB…

…even eating optimally , if we are stressed, producing cortisol / in fight or flight mode, in order for body to cope with this stress, it will de-prioritize digestion and therefore we are not assimilating the goodness. So make sure… instead of being in fight or flight when eating (rushing, not sitting to eat, stressed about 'to do’s’, thinking you don’t have time to stop), aim to be in 'rest and digest’. Where…You sit down to eat / Take some calming breaths before you begin eating to activate a calmer nervous system / Avoid eating too quickly / Chew your food really well, because that’s where digestion starts. 

JOY IN FOOD

A personal food culture where everything is replaced with something a little bit less fun is not what life is about. A dogmatic and prescriptive approach, being hyper conscious about food and whether what we are eating is ‘allowed’ isn’t healthy for our too easily ruminating brains. Eating things that bring you joy but may be laden with less healthful things is okay sometimes! Fond memory sparking foods & comfort foods can stimulate dopamine and serotonin levels, there is value in that too! Keep switching things up, notice what feels good (eg try adding in savoury breakfasts, no coffee before eating, pairing protein fats and carbs, making refined sugar free snacks) and see if you feel better, if the answers yes, try and make these shifts more rooted in your everyday, and they can be your part of your north star nourishment framework when you go off piste, come home to them.

IN THE MORNING

Coffee on empty stomach in morning spikes cortisol – impacting blood sugar balance and anxiety for the rest of day. We can’t deal with that high cortisol just after waking, what our body needs is nourishment. 

Sugars at breakfast including fruit, toast, porridge, cereal even when paired with protein and fats can destabilise blood sugars across the rest of the day for some.

A protein heavy breakfast will help to cultivate the band of homeostasis for blood sugar that our bodies thrive in. Savoury in the morning works wonders with the protein, fats and complex carbs marrying (see below). Leftovers from night before are a good way to nourish yourself in the morning! Or try a picnic style breakfast; rice/corn cake with homous or peanut butter, some olives, greek yog with seeds. Think outside the Toast/Cereal/Porridge trinity and towards a more lunch/dinner style approach in the morning. 

Examples:

Eggs, veg, spiced greek yog & seeds

Rice or noodle Broth with veg/chicken

Omlette w/cheese, quinoa, herbs.

MACRO MARRYING

Pair protein & fats with carbs (the three key macros) to help balance blood sugars. 

We tend to be good at making sure carbs are on our plate, but always look at your plate… stop, hammer time, where’s the protein and fat.

The body loves carbs, they give instant energy. Some good complex carb options are brown rice, beans, lentils, sweet potatoes, quinoa, buckwheat. These can be prepped ahead and you could have them in the fridge for the week ahead or buy pre prepped and keep in tuppawear ready to go across meals.

Having protein with them slows things down, which is much better for the nervous system. Protein rich bonza foods are good quality eggs, meat, chicken, fish, legumes, nuts, seeds, greek yoghurt, tofu.

Healthful fats are really important – avocado, nuts, extra virgin olive oil, olives, fatty fishes, seeds, tallow, ghee, broth. I blend up 7 different seeds to use as ‘sprinkles’. I have them unseasoned as they can then go on/ in anything, snacks, yoghurt, on toast, soups, stews, curries, porridge, smoothies, stir fry, any dinner! They provide omega 3 and 6 and protein. Have alongside the salt and pepper in kitchen to always be increasing plant diversity! Fats help us to absorb fat soluble vitamins across the day so it’s paramount to punctuate your day with them! A good quality grass fed ghee, is my favourite cooking fat these days, it has a high smoke point and is extremely nutritive, helping vitamins to be deeply absorbed. It is the fat of choice in Ayurveda and is lactose free butter is clarified removing the lactose milk solids in the process.

USING HERBS IN COOKING

Use fresh (or dried) herbs in cooking – they stop the breakdown of gabba in the brain. Gabba is our calming neurotransmitter, which we want to keep alive and kicking, and for it t not be broken down. So… having herbs in all meals will help to scaffold calm and tame the nervous system. Either fresh and sprinkled or blitz up with evoo and lime/lemon juice, freeze and then chuck in soups, stews or on salads, eggs etc. 

EVERY MEAL YOU COOK, ASK THIS…

Can I make extra portion to have next day, for the freezer or to repurpose, even if its just one element of the meal I’m making? Future proof the week by coking once and eating more than once from it.

I HOPE THESE HEADLINES HAVE OFFERED YOU…

…a few nourishful nudges. Sending you and your nervous systems much ease and calm!