The desire to be on the top of the world, unsatisfied with career growth, disinterest towards family and friends can cause stress in one’s life. In today’s fast life people are not satisfied with they possess. They want to achieve more and more. Nowadays only elderly people are not dealing with stress but teens and children are also fighting with this mother of all diseases- that is STRESS! Stress is state of mind that makes you weak emotionally, mentally and physically. Many times you might have witnessed cases of suicide because of too much stress. Who can forget recent killing at Virginia Tech University where a student after killing his own classmates, killed himself. It would not be wrong if I say that this mass shooting rampage happened due to stress. Common backlashes of stress are distraction, increased irritability, nightmares, verbal outbursts and a fear or reluctance to travel etc. In early stages stress can cause headaches, muscle tension, nausea, backaches, hives, ulcers, anxiety, insomnia and heart palpitations. In long term stress can trigger serious diseases, such as diabetes, leukemia, heart disease, lupus and multiple sclerosis etc. So distressing can increase your life span. Stress will never help you to get over problems of your life either it is associated with your work or family and friends. Stress will not let you think about the real problem. In other words it can mislead you to get solution for your problems through other means. It can tempt you towards alcohol, cigarettes or even unhealthy food for temporary comfort. Stress can interfere in achieving even a tiny milestone in your career path. Food can help you to cope with stress. It is often a convenient, easy remedy for stress on the job. So if you are in mental tension due to verdict of your boss to complete the work in minimum span of time, don’t worry, eat apple. Definitely, it will show the way to deal with the scrape before you. A poor diet can be just as dangerous as smoking or drinking. It can make you overweight with less energy level that can create hindrance in doing your job with perfection. So Healthy and nutritious food can help you to fight with stress. A healthy diet contains oily fish, nuts (especially walnuts), fruit and whole grains. You should also take food items that are rich in vitamin C too, such as dark, leafy vegetables and citrus fruits. Vegetables are the main source of minerals and vitamins in our diet. Avoid taking big lunch mid-day and try to eat several times in day with short meals. Eating more frequently helps keep your energy level constant. If you want to be securing yourself from stress, you should have healthy food in your lifestyle. Start you day with some exercises and a glass of lukewarm water followed by light breakfast. Eat at least one dark green and one orange vegetable each day. Try to avoid sugar and salt while preparing vegetables and fruits for you. Enjoy steamed, baked or stir-fried vegetables instead of deep fried ones. Eating lots of vegetables and fruit regularly may also lower your risk for heart disease. You should include one vegetable or fruit in every meal. As your meal is concerned, whole grain products such as such as barley, brown rice, oats, and quinoa and wild rice can be taken. For getting adequate vitamin D, drink 500 ml (2 cups) of milk every day. If you do not like to take milk, drink fortified soy beverages. Always try to maintain healthy lifestyle. The problem arises when people start to follow healthy diet with enthusiasm but after some time they usually forget to maintain it for the rest of their lives. So don’t give up, it could be solution of all your problems and sufferings.

By Mandira Srivastava , Bangalore , India