De-stress your diet

By Carly Hoilman

     If you’re like me, you crave sweet, salty, fatty foods when you’re stressed. When you get home from a stressful day at school, the quickest way to unwind is to settle down on the couch with a quick and easy, satisfying snack; but the satisfaction of greasy, high-calorie junk food will only last for so long, and the unhealthy weight gain promises to stick around. So how can we beat out these seemingly insatiable afternoon cravings (often caused by our high stress levels)? Here is a conglomeration of tips and recipes that will help you de-stress and feel great about yourself (as cheesy as that sounds)!

1.       Exercise. I know this is a textbook solution, but honestly, it works! When we have a laundry list of homework that we estimate will keep us up until 12am, exercise is the last thing on our minds. But exercise does more for your body than you may realize. It releases feel-good endorphins into the body and increases oxygen flow, which will help you think clearly. It also will help with tension headaches, a lovely accompaniment of stress. When you start you afternoon off clear-headed, you won’t be so easily swayed by those cookies sitting on the counter.

2.       Sleep. Sometimes a twenty-minute nap is all we need to feel refreshed and ready to begin the night’s workload. I need sleep, so an afternoon nap is a great option for me when I spend the previous night (and part of the morning) studying. Like exercise, sleep is an element that your body craves; it can’t be replaced with food or anything else. When we’re tired, we often look to food to wake us up and energize us, but before long we’ll go back to feeling tired. The only way to prevent this from happening is to rest. You might feel like there isn’t enough time in the day, but think of it this way: when you’re energized, you will increase your productivity.

3.       Hydrate. Dehydration is prevalent in both teens and adults who spend long days at work or in school.  As soon as you get home, one of the best ways to de-stress is to refresh. Staying hydrated will lower your chances of getting a headache or feeling hungry. If you’re snacking and not feeling satisfied, it may be because you’re dehydrated. Before you reach for a snack, have a glass of water. You will feel more full and won’t be as likely to binge.

     When you’ve done one or more of these things, the chances are you’ll still want your afternoon munchies, and that’s okay! We need to nourish our bodies; we just need to fill them up with the right things. Here is a list of my favorite snack foods that are both healthy and satiating:

v The Laughing Cow light spreadable cheese wedges with Pretzel Goldfish.

v One Granny Smith Apple (medium size) with two tablespoons of natural peanut butter (look for a peanut butter with essential fatty acids; the best kind is simply ground up peanuts, which can be found in most markets).

v Brothers all-natural Asian pear crisps (delicious and only 40 calories per pack!)

v Pop chips (these chips are popped, not fried, so they lack all those yucky hydrogenated oils without lacking in flavor)

v Chobani non-fat yogurt. This is delicious plain or as a dip for your favorite fruits!

The Truth About Soy

By Carly Hoilman

      One day during my freshman year of high school, my grandma, who was visiting my family at the time, commented on my obsession with soy. I hadn’t realized it until she pointed it out, but she was right. Soy burgers, soy bars, and soy milk were among the many soy byproducts that I was eating on a daily basis. I’ve always been a health nut, and I had only heard positive things about soy, so I was quick to replace a good portion of my diet with soy products. Little did I know that I was trading already healthy things in my diet for high-sodium, hormone-rich foods whose protein value hardly canceled out the toll they were taking on my health.  

     In the past few years, soy has gone from an obscure oddity to a nutritious necessity. Soy is glamorized as this healthy super-food that everybody should eat. Products such as Silk soymilk, Boca soy meat substitute, Morning Star Chik’n and soy burgers, Luna bars, and Soyjoy bars are advertised in health magazines and health food stores. But do people really know why or why not soy is good for them, or is this “soy craze” just another sneaky example of how propaganda works?

     Recent studies have shown soy to have many negative health effects, particularly on women. Soy partially consists of a group of compounds known as isoflavones. The isoflavone genistein can inhibit thyroid function and is especially bad for someone with a low thyroid function. Over time, high levels of isoflavones in the body can lead to an estrogenic and toxic effect. Phylates, a component of unfermented soy acts as an anti-nutrient, blocking the body’s absorption of minerals. It can also lead to deficiency of calcium and Vitamin D. Unfermented soy can also upset and even cease menstruation in women. Because estrogen is involved in the development hormone sensitive cancers such as breast cancer, it is important to keep the estrogen level as low as possible in the body. Unfermented soy increases estrogen, so it should be avoided by those who are at risk of, have symptoms of, or are in an estrogen dominance state.

     In contrast, fermented soy can have many health benefits. Fermented soy includes miso, tempeh, and natto do not have the negative properties of unfermented soy. Miso is used as a base for many Japanese soups. Natto, a bad smelling soy bean preparation also has a high concentration of vitamin K2, a critical nutrient for bone building. It also has the ability to dissolve blood clots and keep our blood vessels clear. So although soy is not this nutritious breakthrough, there are some healthy ways to enjoy it.

    After cutting out the soy in my diet and replacing it with healthy fats and proteins, I noticed a huge difference in my health. I gained healthy weight (I was underweight at the time) and muscle. As for my current soy standing, I still miss my yummy soy milk and low-cal protein bars, but I have learned to look more carefully at the foods I eat before things get out of hand.