In the alarm stage of stress the body either stores, or eliminates through the kidneys, excessive amounts of calcium, magnesium, zinc and copper. The lower level of these minerals results in a necessary adaptive increase in the metabolic rate, muscle tone, and diminished reflex time, thus permitting the body to take immediate action.
For the person who is chronically in the alarm stage of stress, we find that the addition of supplemental calcium, magnesium, zinc and copper assists him to return to the resting, or normal state. Certain "B" vitamins such as choline, inositol and pantothenic acid along with vitamin A and D are helpful in restoring nutritional and biochemical homeostasis in this stage.
Foods that are particularly beneficial during the alarm stage include red meats which contain a higher proportion of fat and zinc than non-red meat protein. Dairy products (rich in calcium) such as butter and good-quality cheeses are beneficial as well. Nuts and seeds are excellent sources of magnesium, one of the nutrients most needed by fast oxidizers. seafood’s, rich in zinc, are also beneficial.
Changing the diet to include more essential fats and oils, and reducing one's sugar and simple carbohydrate intake has been proven to be of value in restoring these individuals to better health. An increased (temporary) fat intake tends to slow an excessively high metabolic rate, preventing excessive mineral loss, whereas sugar intake further speeds-up the metabolic rate, resulting in a flare-up of all the symptoms associated with the alarm stage of stress.
Although increasing one's dietary oil and fat intake appears to go against the modern trend toward low-fat diets, scientific research has clearly proved that fats are beneficial for those individuals in the alarm stage of stress. These individuals (fast oxidizers), unless in a sodium/potassium inversion (burned-out fast oxidizers), normally have low to normal cholesterol and triglyceride levels and burn, or oxidize fats efficiently.
We would like to thank Dr. Eck for his contribution to this article.