When we look to the sources of stress in our lives - too much work, too little sleep, too many weekends with the in-laws - rarely do we consider what and how we're eating. Brendan Brazier, author of Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life, explains the connection.

Q: What is the connection between food and stress?

A: Well, one of the connections is simply not getting the nutrients you need - that can trigger a stress response in the body. Also, there's all of that stress in life you can't control - work-related or family-related - but a large part, up to 40 percent, can be attributed to nutrition. And that's not being properly nourished through the right foods, but it's also about eating the wrong kinds of food that take a lot of energy to digest. If you're eating a lot of refined foods that require a lot of your body's digestive enzymes and processes, it's actually quite hard for the body and it takes energy and work. In my book, I call those low-net-gain foods the foods that you have to expend a lot of energy to get nutrients from. One of the goals is to eat foods that take as little energy as possible to break down, but give you as many nutrients as possible - I call those high-net-gain foods.

Q: What about eating habits? Can you structure eating habits to minimize stress to the body?

A: Yeah, absolutely. You don't want to eat a huge meal before you go to bed - it's harder to digest and people tend to put on weight. Exercise is important, of course, but you want to eat a carb-based snack before you exercise; carbs are for fuel. Try an energy bar or even half a banana. And then after a workout you want to eat something more protein based for rebuilding and repair when the body's tired. A smoothie is great, where you blend some fruit with an easy-to-digest protein like hemp.

And I really like grazing. I don't eat three big meals a day, and it works really well for a lifestyle where you're on the go a lot. I never like to get really hungry or really full - either way, I'm thinking about food.

Q: Are there any foods that have de-stressing properties?

A: Yes, alkaline foods - and those are going to be the leafy greens. You should definitely have a big leafy green salad every day. Foods that are alkaline reduce inflammation and are also really good for bone health and improve the digestive system, and those things all lower stress levels. Also, anything with a lot of trace minerals, like the root vegetable maca.