Nerve food - which nutrients your body needs when stressed

Stress – ein Gefühl, das heute wahrscheinlich jeder kennt. Für immer mehr Menschen ist Stress jedoch nicht der gelegentliche Kick bei einer sportlichen oder geistigen Leistung, sondern ein beruflicher und privater Dauerbrenner. Stress hat viele Auswirkungen auf den Körper. Dabei werden mehrere hundert biochemische Reaktionen angestoßen. Außerdem hat Stress auch Folgen für die Gehirnleistung. Stress kann das Gehirn auf Hochtouren bringen – oder blockieren. Viele gestresste Menschen greifen auf ungesunde Lebensmittel zurück, da ihnen beispielsweise die Zeit zum Kochen fehlt oder sie in Stressphasen Gelüste auf Ungesundes oder Süßes haben. Doch besonders in stressigen Phasen ist eine nährstoffreiche Ernährung sehr wichtig, denn Stress steigert den Bedarf des Körpers an Nährstoffen enorm. Welche Hintergründe und Auswirkungen Stress hat, warum es in stressigen Phasen zu einem erhöhten Bedarf an Nährstoffen kommt, mit welchen Nährstoffen Du Deinen Körper unterstützen kannst und welche Säfte & Shots von LiveFresh sich dafür besonders gut eignen erfährst Du hier.

Highlights

Bei Stress benötigt der Körper zusätzliche Nährstoffe wie Aminosäuren, Vitamine (B6, B12, C), Mineralstoffe (Magnesium, Zink) und Antioxidantien.
Nährstoffreiche "Nervennahrung" wie Nüsse, grünes Gemüse, Hülsenfrüchte und fermentierte Lebensmittel unterstützt Konzentration und Wohlbefinden.
LiveFresh empfiehlt Säfte und Shots, um den Körper optimal mit Nährstoffen zu versorgen.

Evolutionary background of stress & its effects on the body

A stress reaction can be defined as all the physical, mental and emotional responses of the body that occur in response to particular demands. It is therefore about adaptation and resilience to external or internal pressure.

Even our ancestors, the hunter-gatherers, ensured their survival in threatening situations not with long deliberations, but with an automatic "fight or flight" reaction that took place within seconds. This is still the case today: as soon as a situation is perceived as threatening or even challenging, the body's stress reactions are triggered automatically and at lightning speed. The stress hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline are released, which increase blood pressure, breathing and circulation. At the same time, other body systems such as the immune system and digestion are blocked. We cannot consciously control these processes during stress. Once the stressful situation is over, relaxation sets in, the stress messengers are reduced and the reward messenger dopamine and the happiness messenger serotonin are released. In the case of permanent stress, another stress hormone, cortisol, is released, which further increases the other stress hormones and lowers the happiness hormone. Among other things, this leads to weight problems, digestive and sleep disorders and a bad mood. Prolonged stress also impairs our ability to think and causes memory lapses.

Which nutrients you should use to support your body during stress

The optimal nerve food contains all the nutrients that the brain needs for top performance and regeneration. Our body cannot provide many of these nutrients itself and we have to get them from food. This is why these nutrients are also referred to as "essential", i.e. necessary for survival.

Your body needs the following 10 nutrients to produce the brain messengers dopamine, noradreanaline, adrenaline, serotonin and melatonin:

Amino acids: Tryptophan and tyrosine or the precursor amino acid phenylalanine
Vitamins: B6, B12, C, folic acid
Minerals: Zinc, magnesium, copper, iron

Dopamine is formed from tyrosine, iron and vitamin B6. Dopamine is then turned into noradrenaline with the help of vitamin C, copper and magnesium, and finally noradrenaline is turned into adrenaline with the help of folic acid and vitamin B12. These 3 brain messengers enable you to react to acute stress and increase your brain performance.

The happiness hormone serotonin is produced from tryptophan, vitamin B6, zinc and iron. Under the influence of daylight, the sleep hormone melatonin is formed from this. When you are relaxed and well-rested, your brain is in an optimal state of creativity and performance. In addition, foods with a high omega-3 fatty acid content, especially DHA (docasahexaenoic acid), the fatty acid mainly found in the brain, are important for brain function.

To protect against stress damage and ageing, healthy and powerful nerve cells also need antioxidants. These are mainly found in deep orange, dark red and intense green fruit and vegetables, tea, coffee, cocoa and many spices.

Finally, your so-called "gut brain" should also be in top form, as it is directly connected to your brain and influences your thinking performance. To achieve this, you should avoid industrially processed foods and incorporate fermented foods, such as fresh sauerkraut or yogurt, into your diet. As an alternative to fermented foods, the intestinal flora and the intestinal barrier can be supported with pre- and probiotics. Both healthy intestinal flora and an intact intestinal barrier have a decisive influence on brain performance, as there is a direct connection between the nervous system of the gastrointestinal tract and the brain via the vagus nerve.

In addition, there are some spices that can support you in stressful times, for example by supporting the formation of brain messenger substances, reducing stress damage to nerve cells or, due to the aromatic substances they contain, acting directly via the nose into the emotional center of the brain and thus having a relaxing or activating effect.

Vegetarian food as nourishment for the nerves

Don't worry, you don't have to study food tables and see what amino acids, vitamins or minerals they contain and how many. We have put together a list of different vegetarian foods that are important for optimal brain performance in stressful times:

Seeds and nuts: Cocoa, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, cashews, linseeds, peanuts, chia seeds, walnuts
Legumes: Chickpeas, broad beans, lentils, peas
Hard cheese: Parmesan and other long-ripened cheeses such as mountain cheese and pecorina, ideally made from raw or pasture milk from cows, goats or sheep
Microalgae: Chlorella, Schizochytrium and Ulkenia
Vegetables: Kale, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, spinach, peppers, asparagus, fennel and lamb's lettuce
Banana, berries (blackcurrant) and fruits rich in vitamin C: rosehip, acerola, sea buckthorn
Fermented foods (with cultures that are still alive): Sauerkraut and other fermented cabbage or kimchi, fermented carrots, kombucha, kefir/yoghurt made from nut milk or coconut milk
Water, green and black tea
Spices: Fenugreek, chili, clove, ginger, garlic, coriander, turmeric, pepper, saffron, mustard seeds or cinnamon

Rosemary essential oil is also suitable for a little break at your desk, rub a drop into your hands and inhale - it relaxes and activates at the same time and allows you to concentrate on your work again with a clear head.

Start a new, stress-free everyday life with our cold-pressed juices & shots. They provide your body with important nutrients and are ideal for nourishing your nerves:

Eisen Shot, which covers your daily iron requirement
Our juices & shots with vitamin C, e.g:
Or you can treat your body with our juice cleanse a complete time-out. The composition of the cleanse is perfectly tailored to reset your body: 3, 5 or 7 days juice cleanse

Developed on a scientific basis by Dr. Ulrike Fischer, who holds a doctorate in nutritional science.