Stress is caused when your demands are greater than your resources. I believe that for too long a time, doctors have had a cavalier attitude that attributes many symptoms to stress when they don't know the real cause. Women have especially fallen prey to this attitude over the decades. It is however a fact that stress on some level does exist. I think that most people recognize when they are stressed out. The obvious answer is to avoid the things that cause stress. But we all know that isn't always possible. The best answer is to keep our bodies in such a healthy state that stress can be handled. The following are the best ideas with which to do this. Drink plenty of purified water. Never drink tap water without a filtration system. Have your tap water analyzed and find out what you're putting in your body. The cost of the test is negligible compared to the eventual cost of health problems. Don't sit in the tub for long periods, if your water quality isn't good. Your skin absorbs all the impurities in the water. Read the labels on soaps or whatever you add to your bath water. Avoid excess alcohol as this dehydrates your body. Make sure the air quality in your home is good. Stay away from irritating noise. Exercise of any kind is always helpful. Choose an exercise that compliments your personality and preference. I found that taking deep breaths throughout the day really helps. Give yourself your own space.

Depression also responds to the suggestions mentioned above. Reasonable exercise and maintaining daily activities, is especially important for depression, as is nutrition. Doctors are also too quick to pass out pills for depression, never mentioning nutrition. When I was seriously depressed over my physical condition, I felt too hopeless to help myself. I asked my family to fix only natural foods, and I did nothing for myself but eat them. In less than 2 months, my depression began to lift and I felt well enough to now help myself.

Keep your blood sugar stable by eating healthy foods and never allowing yourself to get hungry. For those of you who have little or no appetite, or who don't often feel hunger, it is critical to make yourself eat a little something every two hours. This is important for both stress and depression. The number one stresser is that of being held responsible for things we can't control. The only things we can truly control are what we eat and ourselves.

Unnatural, man-made foods can cause or make worse all of the conditions categorized on the Benefits Of My Recipes page. When a body feels bad in any way, it's difficult to deal with stress or depression. The place to start is with nutrition. Magnesium helps with stress and depression. My recipes are high in magnesium, and a powdered drink called CalMax (A link to purchase CalMax online is on my "Links" page) is a helpful supplement. We really are what we eat. Avoid manufactured foods and additives, and use my natural recipes as a guide. Your body will function better, allowing you to handle stress or depression with ease.

What kind of fuel are you putting in your body?