The Stress Recovery Protocol

Fats also help decrease leptin, which can help with body weight. Saturated fats, from meat and dairy products, are okay to some degree, but high amounts are associated with increased heart disease risk. A common misconception is that fats in our diet lead to fat in our blood vessels, such as cholesterol. In actuality, only a small percentage of fat from the diet turns into cholesterol. If your libido is low or you’re having trouble getting pregnant, you may not be consuming enough fat in your diet. It is based on the traditional diet of people living in countries near the Mediterranean Sea, including France, Italy, Greece, and Spain. The Mediterranean diet is associated with improved health and longevity, as well as decreased inflammation and more optimal cortisol levels. I’ve found a similar meal format in other parts of the world as well, such as Japan, India, the Philippines, and Central and South America. I believe this balanced way of eating is the most beneficial for healing adrenal distress for all the stress types, with slight tweaks, which I’ll describe below. As you can see, a healthy diet is about having a balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fats, in their best forms and in quantities that suit your body’s needs and patterns based on your stress type. Instead of just eating what’s put in front of you, take charge of what you eat. Be purposeful about choosing what you put into your body.

Everybody Loves a Winner

Mindful eating involves devoting your full attention to the eating process, including how the food looks, tastes, feels, and smells. With each bite of food, you practice mindfulness, and you’ll likely find a whole different eating experience emerging. Most people report tasting their food as they never have before and feeling full faster. Hormones communicate to the pancreas to release digestive enzymes and insulin. Hormones communicate to the brain to indicate hunger and fullness. Neurotransmitters and immune system signals communicate to the brain whether stress or inflammation is occurring in the digestion process. Gut bacteria also send signals to the immune and nervous systems. When we eat foods that are healthy for us and our microbiome, and we eat in a mindful way, the signals are calm and collected. When we eat in a stressed way, though, or when we eat foods that are more inflammatory or overfeed certain bacteria or other microbes, the signals shift to stress and inflammation. The amount of food we eat at one sitting also has the potential to shift the signals we send to our digestion process. Eating just the right amount for our bodies, at a particular point in time, is what is needed to optimize communication. When we consume too much food, whether because we were taught to finish everything on our plates, or because the food tastes so good, or because we are distracted and not paying attention to each bite, all the signals shift to stress mode.

Don't Look Back

We use the word fast to indicate times when we’re not eating. An overnight fast helps the digestion system reset. The most convenient and efficient means for doing this is while sleeping. A recent trend called intermittent fasting emphasizes the overnight fast, and those following this practice may extend their overnight fast to fourteen or sixteen hours, delaying breakfast to late morning or noon, depending on when the last meal of the previous day occurred. It needs to be modified based on your stress type, blood sugar levels, digestion, and daily routine. Then, when you do eat, calories tend to be stored, causing weight gain and potentially leading to a vicious cycle of abstaining and gaining. Conversely, if you consume too large of a meal because you’re overly hungry, you’re likely to not digest it well, thus overfeeding gut bacteria and causing gas and bloating. Instead, you have to try out varying amounts of food and different mealtimes to find what works best for you, based on your stress type and where you are in the Stress Recovery Protocol. As cortisol and adrenaline come closer to optimal, these types will be able to go longer between meals without sending out stress signals. Here’s one way to think about designing a food plan. First, imagine all the food you would eat in one day. Then split it into four sections, each with adequate protein and healthy fats.

A Friend of Ours

Those are your four meals for the day. Now all you need to do is eat them a few hours apart. Do this for each meal of the day and I think you’ll find that you won’t miss those bites at all. At the same time, the total reduction in excess calories and carbs will make a big difference for your body in terms of decreased stress and inflammation. Another idea is to serve your meal on a smaller plate or in a smaller bowl. I serve all my meals on salad plates and in small soup bowls. I also eat with a small fork. All of these choices help me eat the amount of food I know my body can effectively digest, absorb, and metabolize. Again, the message is to listen to your body, know your stress type, and make modifications to get the most positive, healthful effect possible without pushing it too far in one direction or another. We need to be mindful that as humans we tend to want to push through, be competitive, be perfectionistic, exceed expectations, and impress. Yet those tendencies can also lead us into stress mode, even when doing something healthy. So be careful! When applying the concept of hormesis to dietary changes and fasting, the goal is to make just enough change to bring your cortisol, blood sugar levels, and body to an optimal balance, but not too much or too extreme, which would be stressful and potentially damaging. This diet is based on systems of fasting that have been used over centuries and in many religions. Above all else, be sure to avoid processed foods.