Stress

Continuous stress and anxiety can have a very negative effect on your mental and physical health. Not only can you feel permanently fatigued and anxious, you can also experience insomnia, headaches, sore throats, poor skin, irritable bowel syndrome, and sometimes more serious conditions such as stomach ulcers and heart attacks.

The immediate symptoms of stress - pounding heart, panic, tensing of muscles - are essential in the right situation. For example, if you had to escape a fire, respond to an accident, run an important race, or sit an examination, the adrenalin released into your bloodstream would provide you with the burst of energy that you needed. However, when a stressful situation occurs and there is no physical outlet for the extra energy your body supplies, stress can begin to harm your health. It puts strain on your adrenal glands (situated behind the kidneys), which are continually producing adrenalin, and also means that you don't digest or absorb the nutrients from foods properly, because blood is diverted away from the stomach to your limbs, ready for a physical reaction. If you feel stressed frequently, perhaps every day, you will be living in a continuous state of tension and anxiety. After a while you will feel extremely drained because of an inability to relax and you may also have sleep problems.

There are many things you can do to combat stress, including taking more exercise, and practising relaxation techniques such as deep breathing. But what you eat and drink can also have an effect. Nutrients which are known to have a calming effect on the nervous system are the B group of vitamins especially B1, B6, folic acid, and pantothenic acid), vitamin C, and the mineral calcium. They are found particularly in citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables, melons, apricots and avocado. So perhaps try juicing 2 large carrots, 1 stalk celery, and 125g of mangetout, or 125g kale, 1/4 beetroot with 4 tomatoes.

I you suffer from insomnia, there's nothing more infuriating than not being able to go to sleep at night, but it's one of the main side-effects of being under stress. Insomniacs often turn to sleeping pills to put them out, but fresh juices can also help: celery and lettuce juices have a reputation for helping to usher in sleep and calm the nervous system, as have juices high in the nutrients calcium and magnesium, vitamin B3 and B6. If you find yourself not being able to sleep at night try one of the following: 125g beansprouts, 125g cauliflower and 2 large carrots, or 1 grapefruit and 2 guavas.

To give my energy levels an extra kick this morning I tried 'liven up' which mixes 1/2 Galia melon, 1/2 pineapple and 1 green apple. Juice all three and add to a glass with ice (you can leave out the ice, but I've found it makes the juice far more satisfying). This one just looked like pineapple juice, with a pale yellow colour. It was perfect for breakfast as it wasn't too heavy and I did have an initial energy burst. Rating 5/5

Again on the energy theme I picked another one from the same chapter, but you'd have to be brave to try 'magnificent 7'. Prepare yourself for the following ingredients, it will shock. 1 carrot, 1/2 green pepper, seeded, 25g of spinach, 25g onion, 1 celery stick, 90g of cucumber, 1/2 small tomato and some salt and pepper. After preparing the vegetables the correct way all you have to do is chuck them all in the juicer and season with the salt & pepper. From previous attempts at drinking veggie juices, I was prepared for the worst, and, yes it was utterly vile. Oh so good for you but there was no chance my body could handle all that goodness and I only managed a couple of sips of the green liquid before my stomach started to turn! Rating 2/5 (simply because it is bound to be good for you).

Whilst looking for pictures to illustrate stress I came across this picture and I just have to add it - apologies for my strange sense of humour...