As most of us in full time or bi-vocational ministry, we have a bad habit of depending on the two “Cs” to get the job done: Christ and Coffee. While it is great to depend on Christ, the second C can have a fairly negative effect on your stress level. Matter of fact, diet in general is closely related to stress. Everydayhealth.com tells us that our daily nutritional intake can either raise or lower our stress levels. What we need to remember, is diet contributes to the level of hormone production. Some hormones in our body activate stress, others are designed to fight against stress, and the foods we put into our body either aid or hinder these hormones’ production.
Similarly, UGA’s University Health Center tells us mental concentration, energy, and emotional stability, are all impacted by carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals. A balanced diet positively effects all the above mentioned. In addition, they contrast caffeine and processed sugars with whole foods. The result is whole foods give you longer lasting energy, and produces less stress on your body.
Expanding on this, Holisticonline.com showed a lack of positive things to say about caffeine and sugar. Caffeine produces stress because it causes a release of adrenaline. Over time, its consumption shows the same effects of long term stress. The author’s point out it can be found in most popular drinks, including coffee, tea, soft drinks, and my personal guilty pleasure, chocolate. Which brings us to the topic of sugar. This wonderful, but not so healthy, substance has an absence of nutritional value. The burst of energy it gives you puts a strain, not only on your pancreas, but also on your adrenal glands. Malfunctioning adrenal glands relate to irritability, lack of concentration, and depression.
Verywell.com provides us a list of options for getting away from the caffeine and sugar. One, start by limiting your caffeine to use before 2:00 pm. Caffeine’s effects can last up to 6 hours, so a 2:00 pm deadline can give you better sleep at night, which can give you a better morning, which translates to less of a need for that coffee. They also recommend switching from coffee to decaffeinated green tea. Not only is it a good way to step away from the caffeine, but they also mention the antioxidants as a very positive benefit. For sugar, it’s better to just get rid of it. Get it out of your house! This reduces temptations to snack and munch. Also, make sure you carry a healthy snack with you when out for the day.
These are just a few things that I quickly found by “putting diet and stress” into search engine. What can you find? Please feel free to join the conversation. Also, we are accepting nomination for a person in ministry to go on retreat. Please click the contact us tab if you would like to nominate someone! We are accepting financial donations which are 100% tax deductible. If you feel called to do so, please click the “donate now” tab. Thanks for keeping us in your prayers. And as always – To God be the Glory!