I recently experienced the death of someone close to me - a mother of one of my best friends. Obviously, there are countless issues involved that have nothing to do with nutrition that are MUCH MORE important. However, I can't ignore the fact that this is a nutrition blog:), and I like to use experiences from my daily life as inspiration for my postings. My friends and I have been "grieving" for a while, but with the actual passing of this wonderful person, it has been much more intense this past week. Like I have said many times before, nutrition applies to all areas of life. In times of grief, food is the number one way people choose to show their love and support.
A child gets his yearly shots - you give him a sucker.
A teenager is feeling blue after a breakup - you make her favorite dinner.
An adult loses a parent - you send lasagna, brownies, bagels, meatloaf, cookies, cheesy garlic bread, pastries, broccoli cheese soup, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and chocolate covered cake. The more people that love you, the more "comfort" food you receive. Judging by my friend's refrigerator right now, she is a grieving celebrity.
Here is the issue: When a person feels grief, their body is in stress. I am sure you have heard of the "fight-or-flight response" - the hormone driven physiological response to stressors. It causes symptoms like increased heart rate and blood pressure, slowing of the digestive track, glucose release by the liver, and much more. This response would be useful if you were being chased by a lion or trying to catch a wild boar for dinner; however, the U.S. is getting pretty short on lions, so..... Unfortunately, the body can not differentiate between emotional and physical stress. So, either way, you have the same reaction. If you do not use these "symptoms" for increased physical activity like....running away from a lion, they can be very damaging to the body.
During periods of grief, this stress response can cause harm to your body. The functioning of your immune system can be decreased and you can get sick, physically sick. When your body's defenses are down, there are many things you can do to decrease your chances of getting sick. Some examples include getting enough sleep and eating a healthy, balanced diet.
Well, its hard to eat a well balanced diet when there is no time to get to the store and there's a HUGE apple pie in the fridge calling your name. The pie and a 2 liter of coke that your neighbor "Sal" sent over become your dinner. See the problem here?
During periods of grief or stress, nutritional intake becomes very important. Is your sister-in-law dealing with the loss of her father? Send over baked chicken with mixed fruit. Send over homemade vegetables soup. For breakfast, send over a box of oatmeal, bananas and low-fat milk. How about some grilled tilapia and couscous? Or some mixed greens and a variety of dressings?
Next time your co-worker is dealing with the loss of a loved one, try sending something nutrient packed - instead of a refined sugar based meal like pasta and bread. That way, you are not only showing them your love, but you are also helping them prevent illness - doesn't that show more love than anything?
Moral of the story: Show your love with food, but show it with healthy, nutrient rich food!
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