Cortisol typically rises in the morning and then tapers off throughout the day.
In fact its a protective mechanism that we got from our ancestors.
However, many people are stuck in a pattern of chronically high cortisol levels.
And we know that Elevated cortisol levels have also been linked to decreased bone density,
memory impairment, and visceral fat accumulation, which is what we want to avoid.
And while we all know that “The best way to lower cortisol in the body is to focus
on an anti-inflammatory diet”, I want to share with you what that looks like.
Im going to go over 3 types of foods that you might want to consider adding in order
to help get your cortisol in check and help you lose weight.
So lets get started.
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Now without wasting any more time, let's dive right in.
Its important to mention that not all overweight and obese patients have elevated cortisol
levels.
And to make things a little more complicated, Not every individual will respond to stress
in the same way or respond to the methods that lower stress in the same way either.
So that is why understanding what the root causes of individual obesity are in the first
place can help guide you in the correct path when it comes to losing weight and finding
a sustainable solution.
If it is in fact due to higher cortisol.
Then some of these tips can be a good starting point to start tackling it down.
So with that said.
The first food types are your lower glycemic index foods.
As these should replace those of a higher index.
In the 2018 study titled stress and obesity, what we have “ are several mechanisms that
can potentially contribute to higher cortisol levels in individuals with obesity.
First of all, there could be an overactivity of the Hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis,
including increased corticotropin releasing hormone and Adrenocorticotropic hormone.
This could be due to the intake of food with a high glycemic index, which is what we will
pinpoint, chronic stress, chronic pain, alcohol, and chronic sleep deprivation.
And what was interesting is that they also mentioned, Hypothalamic pituitary adrenal
axis activity also seems higher in patients with the night eating syndrome.
Which affects 1 in 10 people who are obese.
Lets turn our attention to the high glycemic foods.
Most of us when we wake up go straight away to starchy and sugary foods.
Its good to start getting to know the numbers of some of these foods.
And ill throw up a list on the screen.
With grains and starches, White bread comes up as 100, while rice bran comes up as 27.
For vegetables, cooked carrots come up as 39 whereas something like asparagus comes
up as 15.
For fruits, watermelon at 72, whereas grapefruit sits at 25.
For dairy Ice cream at 61, which is less than watermelon, I wonder what kind they used,
while low fat yogurt at 14.
And for proteins, Black eyed beans were the highest at 59 while peanuts were low at 21.
Now there are limitations to the glycemic index.
2 big ones are that it Doesn't consider all variables that affect blood sugar such as
how the food is prepared or how much is eaten.
And are in no way meant to demonize foods like watermelon or carrots since they actually
have a low Glycemic load because they contain a fair amount of water.
Index and load are different factors, which I can go over in depth in another video.
The big takeaway are going to be those refined sugars and high starchy foods.
Secondly, lets focus on the omega 3 fatty acids.
This one here hits multiple birds with one stone.
For example foods like your fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and sardines, as well as
walnuts, flaxseeds, and chia seeds, are going to be some of the richest in omega-3 fatty
acids which help reduce inflammation and support the brain and potentially modulate cortisol
levels in response to stress.
In 2021, when they measured how omega 3s actually impact aging in midlife adults, it found that
“By lowering overall inflammation and cortisol levels during stress and boosting repair mechanisms
during recovery, omega-3 may slow accelerated aging and reduce depression risk.”
Later in the study they went over how “University students with higher serum omega-3 levels
were buffered from an uptick in stimulated proinflammatory cytokine release during a
high-stress exam period.”
The third food type to lower cortisol is going to be your magnesium rich foods.
But in an indirect way.
You see, in the study of magnesium status and stress.
We find that “Magnesium indirectly reduces the release of ACTH by modulating the neurotransmission
pathways, and therefore decreases cortisol levels in the body” Now if you know what
your magnesium levels are and they are normal, which is between the 1.4 to 2.4 milliequivalent
to liter level.
Then you should stick to what youre already doing and eating.
Foods that are high in magnesium are these right here.
Almonds with some of the highest amounts.
386 mg per cup.
Which as you can see is enough to meet the recommended dietary allowance for women.
And ive made a video already going over all the different types of magnesium and which
one is best for each condition which you can check up here.
Curious to hear from you guys though.
What foods help you with sress?
Leave them down below.
In the meantime, Click the subscribe button if you found any value in this video.
And until then guys, ill see you on the next one.