Eat Your Stress Away

8 Stress Fighting Foods

All of us have experienced stress in our lives. At times, the stress can be overwhelming. We all have developed coping mechanisms that help us deal with the stress. Some of the coping mechanism can be unhealthy. One unhealthy copping mechanism is eating.

When you’re stressed out, you seek comfort foods like big meals, take-out, fatty foods, sweet foods, and alcohol. These foods bring us temporary comfort. Eating your stress away will eventually cause health problems. You may feel better for a while; however, it will make you feel less energetic, more lethargic, and less able to concentrate and focus. This will lead to even more stress.

We are in the holiday season which may cause many people to feel more stress. Because we are on the run with holiday shopping, cooking, parties, and various activities we grab quick bites of foods on the run. These types of foods are usually not good for us. We need to eat foods like whole grains, green leafy vegetables, and lean meats to get a healthy, balanced diet. We can also eat foods that help to fight stress. Let’s see what food help to fight stress.

Foods that Fight Stress

Some of the best stress-fighting foods include:

• Avocado — Avocados are nutrient-dense fruits that have antioxidant properties that may help to decrease your stress. Avocados are high in vitamin E, folate, and beta-carotene which boosts their stress-busting properties. However, be careful with portion control when eating avocado, as it is high in fat.

• Blueberries — are a superfood that has some of the highest levels of antioxidants, like antho-cyanin which has been linked to a wide range of health benefits including sharper cognition, better focus, and a clearer mind — all of which can help you to better deal with stress.

• Chamomile Tea — is a natural bedtime relaxer and has been shown to reduce symptoms of generalized anxiety disorders in clinical trials. So, pay attention to what you drink. Avoid drinks high in sugars and caffeine, such as coffee, energy drinks or soda.

• Chocolate — is healthy but it is the amount of chocolate you consume that is unhealthy. Chocolate helps to elevate your mood. Dark chocolate in particular is best for you, as it contains more flavanols and polyphenols, two hugely important antioxidants which can help combat stress, more than many fruit juices.

• Beef — Grass-fed beef is not only kinder to the planet and to animals, but also good for people, too. Grass-fed beef has a huge range of antioxidants, including beta-carotene and Vit-amins C and E, which can help your body to fight stress and anxiety. If you’re looking for more reasons to spend a little more money on organic, grass-fed beef, it’s also lower in fat than grain-fed beef whilst being higher in omega-3.

• Oatmeal — Oatmeal is great in that it can be a filling comfort food. My mother used to say “Oatmeal sticks to your ribs” meaning it filled you up and the feeling of satiety lasts longs. Oatmeal can help to lower your cholesterol levels. Eating oatmeal causes your brain to produce higher levels of the feel-good chemical serotonin, helping you to feel calmer and less stressed.

• Nuts — Especially walnuts and pistachios are great for snacking and help to control your stress. Studies have found that simply eating two small, snack-size portions of pistachios per day can reduce vasoconstriction when you are stressed out thereby decreasing the workload on your heart by dilating your arteries.

• Green Leafy Vegetables — leafy, green vegetables should be a pivotal part of anyone’s diet. Along with helping to combat stress, leafy greens are full of nutrients and antioxidants which help to fight off disease and leave your body feeling healthier and more energized. Dark leafy greens, for example spinach, are especially good for you since they are rich in folate, which helps your body to produce more mood-regulating neurotransmitters such as serotonin, which is a ‘feel-good’ chemical. Making leafy greens a part of your diet will help you to feel happier and less stressed out overall.

Eating these stress-busting foods are healthier alternatives than high fat, sugary foods or drinks that people consume as comfort food. Most of these foods have a high nutritional value. So, during this holiday season, choose healthier foods for a healthier body.