Goodbye Stress – Hello Calm
When you’re stressed, the foods you’re turning to will likely be traditional ‘comfort’ foods – think big meals, take-out, baked goods, and alcohol. Let’s face it – we’ve all found comfort in our favorite pizza and a glass of wine when we’ve had a stressful day at work. Although this might feel great, it isn’t a sensible permanent solution; in the long run, you will feel worse. When your body isn’t getting the proper nutrition, you can feel less energetic, more lethargic, and, in some cases, less able to concentrate and focus. All of this can lead to even more stress.
Foods that Fight Stress
The best way to fight stress is to have a healthy, balanced diet that includes a moderate amount of each food group. Filling up on healthy fats, leafy vegetables, and berries is the best way to ensure that your body gets the optimum amount of nutrients to fight both physical and mental health problems. When choosing the foods to eat, some have a range of excellent properties that help the body combat stress. Choosing these stress-busting foods will help to heal and calm your mind in the long term rather than providing a temporary fix.
Some of the best stress-fighting foods include:
Avocado – Avocados are a creamy and versatile fruit often included in salads, smoothies, or dips. These nutrient-dense fruits have the properties to stress-proof your body, thanks to their B vitamins, such as folate and vitamin B6. People who don’t get enough folate in their diet may suffer extreme tiredness and lack energy, leading to a low mood. Vitamin B6 plays a vital role in regulating our mood. It’s crucial for creating neurotransmitters in our brain, which keep our emotions in balance.
Blueberries – If you’re feeling stressed out and reaching for snacks like chocolate or chips, blueberries are a great way to help you deal with your stress levels and achieve a higher level of calm. These super berries have some of the highest levels of antioxidants, which fight harmful substances that can build up in our bodies. Recent research from King’s College London found that eating a handful of wild blueberries daily can lower blood pressure, increase reaction time, and improve memory and cognition, leading to feeling calmer and in control.
Chamomile Tea – Of course, it’s not only about what you’re eating when managing stress; what you’re drinking can also alleviate or worsen your anxiety. Drinking liquids high in sugars and caffeine, such as coffee, energy drinks, or soda, can increase your stress levels if consumed regularly. People have long since relied on chamomile tea as a natural bedtime soother, and a 2019 review noted that those with generalized anxiety disorder improved their symptoms after drinking the tea for 2-4 weeks.
Chocolate – Chocolate affects our mood, and studies have demonstrated some interesting links. How it works is to lower our stress levels by reducing the amount of the stress hormone cortisol. A study cited in the Journal of American College of Cardiology in which the subjects consumed flavonoid-rich dark chocolate with 85% cocoa demonstrated favorable results in stress reduction. This is great news for chocolate lovers as long as the right type is consumed: dark with a high percentage of cocoa.
Nuts – An excellent addition for combatting stress is nuts. Not only are they full of nutrients such as B vitamins, but nuts such as almonds, pistachios, and walnuts may even help lower blood pressure levels. Pistachios, in particular, may reduce the body’s response to the stresses of everyday life, according to a study by Penn State. The study showed that “Pistachio nuts, eaten as part of a healthy diet, can increase the levels of antioxidants in the blood of adults with high cholesterol.” Antioxidants lowered the level of anxiety felt among the subjects.
Green Leafy Vegetables – They constantly pop up, don’t they? No wonder – they are full of nutrients and antioxidants that help fight disease and combat stress! Dark leafy greens, such as spinach, turnip greens, kale, and arugula, are perfect for you since they are rich in folate. In addition to boosting our energy levels, this essential nutrient produces dopamine, a pleasure-inducing brain chemical that can help keep us calm.
Wrapping Up
We all deal with stress in our daily lives, and it’s very tempting to turn to comfort foods to soothe our troubles and help to make us feel better. However, our food choices can significantly impact how we act over time. Studies consistently demonstrate that what we put into our bodies in the form of healthy foods such as nuts, leafy greens, berries, and dark chocolate can help alleviate feelings of stress and allow us to feel relaxed and in control.
Sources
https://neurosciencenews.com/cognition-blueberry-diet-22925/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31006899/
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100520092942.htm
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0955286321002746