A poor diet can stress your body

When you hear the word stress, what comes to mind?

Perhaps your commute to work, paying all the bills this month, or trying to function on four hours of sleep. We all have a good understanding of what stress feels like and where it comes from, and many of us even practice techniques to manage that stress.

Other types of stress may not be as apparent, or we just don't recognize the signs.

For example, food can act as either an ideal fuel for the body or a poison that should be avoided.

When you eat certain foods, they may be causing stress within your body - also known as inflammation.

Inflammation is our body's response to illness, injury, or stress. Inflammation can actually be beneficial when it's short-term. Sprain an ankle and it will become inflamed to begin the healing process. But, if inflammation is long-term and systemic, it could lead to many diseases and health problems.

Diseases associated with long-term systemic inflammation include cancer, heart disease, arthritis, and many autoimmune diseases. So it would seem logical to try to minimize or at least control inflammation.

Taking control of systemic inflammation begins with the digestive system.

Changing the types of foods you eat will have a dramatic effect on the health of your digestive tract. Cutting out processed foods, sugary foods, chemical-laden foods, and trans fats is a good place to start.

Adding healthy fats such as fish oil while limiting certain plant oils such as soybean oil may help balance out your Omega 3 to Omega 6 fat ratio.

Omega 3 fatty acids have a natural anti-inflammatory effect, while too much Omega 6 fatty acids can have an inflammatory effect when consumed.

"Healthy" foods could also be causing inflammation if your body can't tolerate them.

Common food allergies include gluten, dairy, eggs, corn, soy, and nuts. These allergens could be causing unneeded stress on the body every time they're consumed by causing your immune system to react. It's almost as if your body thinks you're sick every time you eat an intolerable food.

If you think you may have a food allergy or intolerance, talk to your doctor. By taking a sample of your blood, a lab can determine if you have reactions to certain foods.

Imagine living life in a constant state of inflammation fundamentally caused by the foods you're eating. Your body would be constantly stressed out.

To put that in perspective, just think if you were mentally stressed all the time. Life wouldn't be much fun would it?

So give your body a break from this stress by choosing foods that produce benefit rather than harm. You'll have less stress, more energy, and live a longer and healthier life.

A quote by Dr. Ann Wigmore sums it up best - "The food you eat can either be the safest and most powerful form of medicine, or the slowest form of poison."

For more exercise and nutrition tips, visit our blog at www.PushFitnessTraining.com as well as links to our social media resources.

• Joshua Steckler is the owner of Push Fitness, a personal training studio located in Schaumburg specializing in weight loss, muscle toning, and nutrition. Contact him at PushFitnessTraining.com.