(archivist note: Dieting and health are one of the most ever changing topics in the sciences. Make sure you’re getting updated information)
Acids and alkalines for calm
There are two types of foods in any diet; acid-forming foods and alkaline-forming foods. The ideal calm diet maintains a ratios of alkalines to acids of about 80:20.
Upsetting this ratio in favour of foods of the acids – that is, consuming too much many acid-producing foods – contributes not only to illness, but to feelings of stress.
Conversely, consuming greater proportions of alkaline foods, particularly at stressful times, will help you cope better.
Alkaline-forming foods (ideally 8 per cent of your diet) are : whole grain flour and cereals fruits, vegetables, especially uncooked.
Acid-forming foods (ideally 20 per cent of your diet) are coffee, meat, sugar, processed foods, white flour, nuts and preservatives.
Maintain this ratio of 80:20 and you will be well on the way to nullifying the negative effects of stress.
Here is a list that have special properties for anyone contemplating a Calm Diet.
Sprouts – Vit. C & B – used for anti stress treatments
Bananas – potassium – encourages respiration and oxygenation of the body
Liver – Vit. A and B complex and significant levels of magnesium
Kiwi fruit – High Vit. C and potassium.
Tomatoes – Potassium (about 400mg in every average one.
Beans (dried) Potassium. Lima and soybeans are the best.
Eggs – Good source of Vit. E, B2, A and D.
Wheat germ – Vitamin E and magnesium.
Sesame seeds – Vit. E and B complex ad magnesium.
Yoghurt – Vit. B complex as well as Vit. A and D. Reduced fat yoghurt contains less bits than full fat.
Oats – Vit. B2.
The Calm Diet
It may come as no surprise to you that the ideal diet is a balanced one rich in vegetables, fruits, complex carbohydrates and whole grains, but low in fats. Not only does such a diet maintain your calm but provides maximum energy and a sense of well being throughout the day.
Wherever possible, start your day with fresh fruit or fruit juice and begin each meal with raw vegetables or a salad. Use fruit or whole grain bread as snack foods and you will feel better for it in all possible ways.
Wherever possible, avoid the ‘quick fixes’ : coffee, soft drinks, sugar and fat-laden snacks. While these may elevate your mood momentarily, they will encourage both tension and lethargy within a very short time.
Adherents of some of the traditional mediation disciplines insist that foods can be divided into distinct categories, each of which has an effect on the emotional state. Experimentation with these foods does tend to confirm many of their beliefs.
Calm food – Easily digested, cleansing, calming and provide maximum energy. They include:
*all kinds of fruit
*most vegetables (with as little cooking as possible)
*nuts and seeds in their natural state.
*beans
*grains
*milk and milk products (shunned by the Chinese, revered by the Indians)
*Herbs and spices (in moderation)
Stimulating foods
These foods create unrest and heightened activity in the mind. In the yogic diet, they are consumed only in the most modest proportions. These include:
*excessive spices
*vinegar
*radishes, garlic and onion
*coffee, tea, cola
*all foods with preservatives
*most canned and packaged foods.
Lethargic foods
In the yogic diet, these are the foods to be avoided. They demand too much time and energy to digest and create feelings of inertia. Some of them also fall into the previous category of stimulating foods. Meat, as an example, causes feelings of lethargy and tiredness as well as a general feeling of restlessness. Lethargic foods include:
*meats of all kinds
*refined foods
*alcohol
*fermented (e.g. pickled) or stale foods
You will probably recognize the above as a basic vegetarian whole food diet – not at all uncommon in this day and age. Whether you choose to follow it or simply to integrate some of its underlying principles into your diet, it is not up to me to suggest.
What is important, though, is that you appreciate how real a role different foods play in the way that you feel. By choosing them carefully, you can certainly help yourself feel calm and relaxed.