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T H E W E L L N E S S C O U N C I L O F A M E R I C A P R E S E N T S
Keeping The
Immune System
Strong In The
Face O Stress
Stress
The
Diet
Low
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aboutWELCOA
Wellness Council of America ( WELCOA)
was established as a national not-or-proft
organization in the mid 1980s through the eforts o a number
o orward-thinking business and health leaders. Drawing on
the vision originally set orth by William Kizer, Sr., ChairmanEmeritus o Central States Indemnity, and WELCOA ounding
Directors that included Dr. Louis Sullivan, ormer Secretary o
Health and Human Services, and Warren Bufet, Chairman o
Berkshire Hathaway, WELCOA has helped inuence the ace o
workplace wellness in the U.S.
Today, WELCOA has become one o the most respected resources
or workplace wellness in America. With a membership in excess
o 3,200 organizations, WELCOA is dedicated to improving the
health and well-being o all working Americans. Located in
Americas heartland, WELCOA makes its national headquarters in
one o Americas healthiest business communitiesOmaha, NE.
This WELCOA eature article brings you
the insights o National Stress Expert,
Dr. Brian Luke Seaward. In 2010, Dr.
Seaward addressed WELCOA members
with a three-part training series on
stress management. The inormation
shared in this publication is based
on Dr. Seawards WELCOA
webinar presentations.
aboutBrian Luke Seawardphd
Brian Luke Seaward, PhD is a renowned and respected international expert in the elds of stress
management, mind-body-spirit healing and health promotion. His mission, as expressed through
his legacy of acclaimed books and public appearances, is to make this a better world in which
to live by having each of us reach our highest potential. Dr. Seaward is an award-winning author, photographer, teacher,
celebrated lm director/producer and much sought after inspirational speaker.
Dr. Seaward is the CEO of Inspiration Unlimited, which began as a consulting company in the eld of health promotion and
wellness, and provides the most current information on the aspects of mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual wellness
for both personal and professional training and development. He is the author of numerous stress management books,
including Stressed is Desserts Spelled Backwards.
For more information about Dr. Seaward, visit:http://www.brianlukeseaward.net/index.html
PH: 402-827-3590 | FX: 402-827-3594 | welcoa.org Learn more about WELCOAs ree resources:
http://www.welcoa.org/freeresources/
aboutDavid Hunnicutt phd
Dr. David Hunnicutt is the President
o the Wellness Council o America. As
a leader in the feld o health promotion, his vision has led
to the creation o numerous publications designed to link
health promotion objectives to business outcomes.
about Madeline Jahn
Madeline Jahn is the Communications
Associate or the Wellness Council o
America. Her role is to coordinate the development o new
publications and pool existing resources or WELCOA mem-
bers, serving the mission o health promotion throughmarketing and planning support. She earned her Bachelor o
Arts rom Creighton University, and is currently pursuing a
Masters Degree in Organizational Leadership rom the Col-
lege o Saint Mary. For questions about this publication, or
to obtain permission or reprinting, please contact Maddy at
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Thousands of companies
are raving about theirWELCOA Membership
More than four thousand
organizations across the U.S.
and Canada are members of
WELCOA. With the most com-
prehensive benefits of any
organization, WELCOA mem-
bership will save you time and
money in your quest to builda results-oriented workplace
wellness program.
To become a WELCOA member
simply visit:
http://www.welcoa.org/store/
tress and stress management should undoubtedly be a
top priority or your health promotion programs. Ater all,
excessive stress can increase the risk o high blood pressure,
heart disease and obesity over time. But stress-related diseases
also afect the gastrointestinal (GI) tractmore so than any other
physiological system in the bodyand can bring about illnesses
and conditions such as ulcers, acid reex, colitis, irritable bowel
syndrome and Chrons disease.
In your eforts to help employees address and cope with stress,
it is imperative not to overlook the important link between stress
and nutrition. Stress afects all aspects o human nutrition. I your
employees are stressed, their bodies are not going to digestood or absorb nutrients properly, and their metabolisms will
sufer. Additionally, certain oods and eating habits can actually
trigger the bodys stress response, resulting in serious health
consequences.
The good news is that the reverse holds trueby choosing
certain oods, changing their eating habits and making more
conscientious nutritional decisionsyour employees can
reduce their stress and even reverse the harmul efects it has
on the body.
S
There is no other organization ully dedicated to
worksite wellness. WELCOA is a leader in providing
valuable, trustworthy resources. This niche is
WELCOAs alone.
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Te remainder o this article will ofer more detail on just how stress afects human
nutrition, and vice versa, and look at the harmul efects o stress on the immune
system. We will also provide you ways to help employees prevent and overcome the
negative efects o stress with some easy-to-implement strategies or your workplace.
Stress, Diet & the Immune System: The Domino Eect
When your employees are stressed, their immune systems sufer. And once a single
aspect o the immune system is afected, its not long beore a whole chain reaction
o negative responses can occur. In other words, its a domino efect. Te next
section takes a look at how and why these dominoes all, and ofers tips you can
use to teach your employees about managing their stress triggers.
The bodys nutrients are depleted. When your employees are stressed, theyshould know that important nutrients will be used up much aster as the body kicks
into its ght or ight response. In the stress-response process, the body utilizes
more nutrients than it might normally use during a resting state, including vital
minerals like magnesium, calcium, potassium, zinc and copper. Tese minerals
are utilized by the body in about 15 diferent metabolic processes. I these critical
nutrients are depleted, employees metabolisms sufer because they do not have the
uel they need to unction properly.
You can access hundreds
of workplace wellnessresources on Absolute
Advantage
WELCOA is your number one
resource for workplace wellness
information. Archived articles
and webinars help practitioners
take their wellness programs to
the next level.
Read All About It At:
www.absoluteadvantage.org
Become A Member!
Gain access to hundreds o exclusive
articles, and stay abreast o the latest
developments in workplace wellness.
Find out all the benefts o membership
today! Visit: http://www.welcoa.org/
member/benefts.php
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Unhealthy quick xes.When people are stressed, good eating habits tend to
go out the window. Stressed individuals will gravitate toward comort oods, junk
oods and highly processed oods. Moreover, when people are stressed, its hard to
nd time to prepare oods or cook, so its easy to turn to rozen dinners, ast ood or
take out. Your employees ultimately need to know that most prepackaged and ast
oods are prepared at the lowest cost possible, and with little to no regard or health
and nutrition quality. Tese oods are usually stacked with processed sugar, salt, ats
and various other substances that tend to please your taste buds, but wreak havoc on
the rest o your body.
Poor food choices trigger the stress response. Much like putting gasoline on
a re when youre trying to put the re out, many oods that employees will turn towhen stressed tend to promote the stress response even urther. Foods that induce
the bodys stress response include anything with rened sugar, processed our or
white our, salt and cafeine. Foods containing these substances trigger the release
o epinephrine and norepinephrine into the bloodstream, which increase heart rate,
blood pressure and metabolic activity. When individuals are already stressed, this
ood-induced trigger only adds to the problem.
oods that employees will
turn to when stressed tend topromote the stress response
even urther.
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The immune system becomes
compromised. Specic oods can also
compromise your employees immune
systems. For example, certain types o at,
such as saturated at, cannot be taken in
through the bloodstream easily. As a result,
people who eat diets heavy in saturated ats
put undue stress on their bodies because their
digestive systems have to work harder to break
down these oods and then get them transported
throughout the rest o the body. In addition, oods
with rened sugar can compromise the immune
system, because they decrease the number o whiteblood cells, thus afecting the unctionality o the immune
system. So in essence, the more sugar your employees
consume, the more they suppress their immune systems. Its as
simple as that.
Nutrition Tips That Promote A Healthy Immune System
Although we certainly cant eliminate stress rom employees lives, we can ofer
them inormation, tips and strategies to efectively cope with it and keep their
health intact. Te ollowing nutrition guidelines are intended to help your
employees adopt practical eating behaviors that will enhance their immune systems
when the body is under stress.
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When implementing these guidelines, keep in mind that there is not a one-size-
ts-all diet, simply because everyones physiology is diferent. Te low stress diet
detailed below does not ocus on losing weightalthough that may certainly
happen. Tese strategies are designed to help employees keep their immune systems
unctioning when theyre dealing with stress at optimum levels.
The Low-Stress Diet:
Eat a variety o ood colors. Within the past 10 years, researchers
discovered compounds called bioavonoids, which are plant substances
that give ruits and vegetables their color and contain antioxidant properties. More
recently, researchers discovered that bioavonoids can help ght cancer or the
growth o cancer cells.
Its important to note to your employees that they can only benet rom these proper-
ties when they eat resh ruits and vegetables with naturally occurring bioavonoids.
Processed potato chips or diet sodas, while they do have color, do not contain the same,
nutritionally benecial compounds. Encourage your employees to maximize the bio-
avonoids they are taking in by eating a variety o vibrant colors. Red peppers, green
apples, blueberries and green, leay vegetables are some examples or a healthy range.
Choose oods that are high in antioxidants. Help your employees getamiliar with the concept o ree radicals. Free radicals are oxygen mol-
ecules, and when they enter the body, they work hard to destroy healthy cells, cell
membranes, mitochondria, and RNA and DNA. Tis is clearly a bad thing, but the
good news is that the dangerous efects o ree radicals can be counteracted by con-
suming oods rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants can essentially destroy ree radicals,
and can be ound in a variety o ruits and vegetables.
1
2
This article is based
on the work of NationalStress Expert, Brian Luke
Seaward, PhD.
Dr. Seaward is among the most
notable experts on stress man-
agement and sleep disorders in
the United States. His insights
in the eld of health promotion
have contributed to numerous
WELCOA publications and pre-sentations on such topics. Dr.
Seaward is an award-winning
author, photographer, teacher,
celebrated film director/pro-
ducer and much sought after
inspirational speaker.
For more information about
Dr. Seaward:
http://www.brianlukeseaward.net/index.html
!While youre there, dont orget to pickup your copies o his best-selling books!
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Choose organic oods whenever possible. You may see your employees
roll their eyes and hear complaints that organic oods are expensive.
And there is certainly truth to thatorganic oods are more expensive than
conventionally grown oods, because they have been grown or raised on soil that has
been clean o residue rom herbicides, ungicides, pesticides and ertilizers or at least
three years. Organic oods dont have those potentially harmul substancesthats
what the certied organic label means.
Employees should be encouraged to choose organic oods whenever possible. O
course, they may ask, Cant we just wash our ruits and vegetables? Wont that get
rid o those substances? Although some chemicals can be removed by washing
ood, it is important to note that most harmul substances are actually in the soil
and get taken up through the root system, which means theyre not only on theoods; theyre in the oods as well.
I possible, try to ofer organic ruits and vegetables at company meetings, in the
caeteria and elsewhere throughout your organization. Make sure employees know
the oods are organic, and why you have gone the extra step to provide them with a
more pure, nutritious ood.
I possible, try to ofer organic ruits and
vegetables at company meetings, in the
caeteria and elsewhere throughout
your organization.
3
WELCOA Oers National
Workplace WellnessCertications
As part of our mission, WELCOA
is dedicated to providing a
variety of training opportuni-
ties each year. Drawing from
the latest science as well as best
practices in the eld, WELCOA
oers dynamic and nationally
recognized seminars, webinarsand certication opportunities
that engage workplace well-
ness practitioners, business
leaders and health profession-
als all across the country.
To Check Out This Years
Schedule, Visit:
http://www.welcoa.org/consulttrain/
about.php
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Drink fltered water. Water is the ideal drink o choice at the worksite,
but bottled water isnt always best. Teres no regulation o bottled water,
and a lot o it, these days, is just tap water. Furthermore, research shows that
across the country, our water systems retain much o the runof rom herbicides,
ungicides, pesticides and ertilizers, and although there are ltration systems
throughout our countrys water treatment plants, it appears that theyre not
doing the job properly. races o everything rom steroids to birth control pills to
antibiotics are showing up in drinking water. So, i you can install a water ltration
system at your workplace and encourage your employees to do the same in their
homes, you can help ensure the water theyre drinking is healthy and pure.
Reduce caeine consumption. Cafeine tends to trigger the stress
response. I employees are stressed, excessive cafeine consumptioncan only make this worse. While you dont have to suggest that your employees
completely avoid cafeine, you should try to make them aware o how much they
consume. For some people, drinking 14 to 15 cups o cofee a day is just the norm,
but they need to realize the harmul efects that that amount could have when stress
compounds on top o it. Also, remind your employees that cafeine is not just in
cofee, but its also ound in sodas and chocolate.
While you dont have to suggest that
your employees completely avoid
cafeine, you should try to make them
aware o how much they consume.
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Avoid or minimize genetically modifed oods. When a gene rom a
ounder sh is spliced into a tomato so that the tomato can withstand
rost, you now have a genetically modied organism (GMO). Genetically modied
oods contain a variety o compounds and chemicals that arent naturally in their
DNA. Employees should know that corn, soy and tomatoes are the most heavily
genetically modied oods.
Were beginning to see airly signicant problems associated with genetically
modied oods and the chemicals used to grow them. A large increase in ood
allergies has emerged as one o the biggest problems. Te increase in ood allergies
directly corresponds with the introduction o GMOs into our national ood chain.
Tere used to be only three signicant ood allergieseggs, milk and peanuts.
Now, however, many people have serious allergies to over 40 or 50 substances,
and this is thought to be the result o GMOs. Moreover, most ood allergies are
due to an overactive immune system. Te bottom line is to avoid these oods as
much as possible by eating organica label that protects your ood rom genetic
modications and harmul chemicals.
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Employees should know that
corn, soy and tomatoes are themost heavily genetically
modied oods.
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Incorporate resh herbs and spices into meals. Fresh herbs and spices not
only make oods tastier, but they also have anti-microbial properties. An
anti-microbial is a substance that kills or inhibits the growth o micro-organisms,
such as bacteria and ungi.
Another tip your employees should know: the reason a resh herb or a spice is
healthy is due to its essential oils. Yet, many people store their herbs and spices,
dried, on a rack right above the stove, which ultimately evaporates out all the
essential oils. So, the resher the herbs and spices your employees are eating,the better.
Consume ree range meats. Free range means that the animals are
not actory animals, and are ree o chemicals that are typically ound
in conventionally produced meats, including synthetic hormones, antibiotics,
pesticides, herbicides, ungicides and synthetic ertilizers. Tese potentially
dangerous compounds are created in the laboratory, but eventually get into the ood
chain when the animals ingest them, and then people ingest them through their
meat. Tis is a very problematic cycle. Te best thing your employees can do is to
make sure that the oods they eat are as clear o these substances as possiblewhich
is why eating ree range meats is best.
Consume an adequate amount o fber. Te key word here is adequate.
Te World Health Organization recommends that individuals consume
between 30 to 40 grams o ber per day. However, the typical American tends to
eat less than eight grams o ber a day. Why is ber so important? In very blunt
terms, ber acts like a broom that cleans out the GI tract. So, i your employees arenot taking in ber, theyre not sweeping out that GI tract. Tis is problematic,
especially since colon cancer is on the rise. Research suggests that this is
largely due to inadequate amounts o ber in the diet.
Employees need to know that the best sources o ber include
ruits and vegetables, and that little to no ber is available
through a diet high in processed and prepackaged oods.
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WELCOA Presentations
Are Perfect For EmployeeWellness Seminars!
Now Available At No Charge...
The Low Stress Diet: Eating
For A Healthy Immune System
In a Stressful World
Because stress and nutrition
are very closely related, many
illnesses of the digestive
system are induced by stress.
This WELCOA presentation by
national expert, Dr. Brian Luke
Seaward has many practical
tips, conveyed in a beautifully
illustrated format that will
capture the attention of your
employees.
To access your copy simplyvisit this link:
http://www.welcoa.org/reeresources/
index.php?category=20
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Include omega-3 oils in a proper diet. Its very important that your
employees know the sources o omega-3 oils in the oods that they eat.
Certain eggs, sh and axseed are all great sources o omega-3s. Te human
body cannot naturally make omega-3 and omega-6 oilsthese substances are
only available rom external sourcesand the average American diet tends to be
extremely heavy in omega-6 oils, and lacking in omega-3 oils. Inammation is a
major symptom in people who dont get an adequate amount o omega-3s, and this
can have negative efects on the entire body.
Preparing ruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are a great source
o nutrition, but your employees should know how to prepare them, so
they can benet rom all o the vital nutrients. Tis especially applies when cooking
vegetables in water. When vegetables are dropped into hot or boiling water, the
water leaches out most water-soluble vitamins and minerals, meaning most o the
good nutrients go down the sink, instead o on the plate. Your employees should
steam their vegetables to avoid this problem, and maximize the nutrition benets
rom their ood.
Additionally, cooking with eon-coated cookware is problematic because research
is showing that people who cook with eon consume some o the plastic and the
petro chemicals that rub of rom nonstick suraces. You can help your employees
be more conscious o how they prepare their oods, so they can gain the oods ull
benets and be sae rom harmul byproducts.
10
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Help your employees
cope with stress, with,In Tune, a new comprehen-
sive incentive campaign
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This 6-week stress-manage-
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Choose supplements wisely. In most cases, the best source o vitamins
comes rom their natural source, which mainly includes ruits and vegetables
and other natural, whole oods. Supplements shouldnt be completely ruled out, but
employees do need to be aware o the nutrients their body really needs, and the best
ways in which they can attain those nutrients.
When it comes to vitamins and supplements, the real question is: what are you
eating? What are you lacking? Its important to teach your employees about the
bodys natural shedding processthat i you cant use, or already have enough o a
certain vitamin or mineralit will just be eliminated through the digestive process.
Encourage careul selection o supplements and make sure your employees know to
buy only the vitamins they actually need, instead o throwing money down
the toilet.
Coping with Stress One Bite at a Time
Weve given you 12 practical eating and nutrition tips that can help your employees
combat the harmul efects o stress. While not impossible, it may be somewhat
unreasonable to assume that employees will immediately adopt all 12, so, well leave
you with one last piece o advice:
Simply encourage your employees to eat at least one meal a day that is nutritionally
designed or their immune system. Just one meal! I they can incorporate any o
the tips above into that one meal, they will be doing pretty well, because by and
large, most people today are not eatinganymeals or their immune system. Get
them started with one, and soon, hopeully they will gravitate
towards much healthier eating-habits and liestyle changes, and
maybe take your advice to heart or all o their meals.
12
Simply encourage your employees to
eat at least one meal a day that
is nutritionally designed or their
immune system.
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