Holiday stress? Enjoy some comfort foods.

Feeling a little overwhelmed after all the holiday hustle and bustle?  Well, there are some foods that can help you de-stress.  WebMD has a great article on Foods That Help Tame Stress.  Are there really foods you can eat to help calm those stressed out nerves?  Yes, there are and here are some suggestions.  

1.  Comfort foods – no, not the whole gallon of ice cream.  But try a bowl of oatmeal topped with some fresh fruit.  For an extra treat, sprinkle on some brown sugar, cinnamon and chopped walnuts.  How can a bowl of oatmeal help you de-stress?  Believe it or not, oatmeal can raise your serotonin levels – the chemical that helps calm your brain cells.  Oatmeal is also super healthy, full of vitamins and minerals and a good source of heart-healthy fiber.
2. Enjoy some carbs for comfort – no, not the high sugar carbs that we all have been enjoying, but whole grain, complex carbs.  Choose some whole grain bread at home or when eating out.  Panera and Subway offer whole grain options and Chipotle offers brown rice. Not too many places offer whole grain pasta, but when making spaghetti at home, use at least some whole grain pasta noodles.  Complex carbs like whole grains fill you up as they provide fiber and the fiber slows digestion so you’re not as hungry as fast.  Complex, whole grain carbs are also better for your blood sugar levels since they digest slower, your blood sugar levels stay more stable and not the surge one gets from eating simple carbs like foods high in sugar.
3. Cut back on Simple Carbs – so much confusion about carbs.  Some people avoid carbs, thinking that cutting back on carbs is a healthy choice. Not so.  I love my carbs and rarely have a meal without a good portion of carbs.  It is the simple carbs like foods high in sugar that are not the healthy choice.  Cutting back on sugared-sodas and fruit punch drinks or Sunny D would be good as these drinks provide nothing but empty calories.  And sugared beverages cause a surge in blood sugar levels because your body digests simple carbs rapidly.  Trying to relieve stress?  Don’t choose the simple, high sugar carbs to do so.
4. Enjoy some citrus fruit like oranges, Cutie mandarin oranges, tangerines, grapefruit.   Citrus fruits are rich in vitamin C, antioxidants, and minerals.  I enjoy a glass of real Orange Juice or Grapefruit Juice every morning.  Or, eat an orange, a Cutie, or some fresh grapefruit.  Avoid the fruit drinks like Sunny D or Hi-C, which are mostly sugar and little juice.  The vitamins in citrus fruits, like vitamin C, have been found to strengthen our immune system, and curb the amount of stress hormones in our bodies.  About to embark on something stressful, like a test, a presentation, a meeting?  Enjoy some citrus fruit beforehand as taking a vitamin C rich food can help de-stress you.

Cuties - a good source of vitamin C

5. Magnesium – many Americans aren’t getting enough of this important mineral in their diets.  Why?  Whole grains are a great source of magnesium and many Americans have no or few whole grains in their day.  The students I teach keep 3-day food records and many students eat no whole grains at all over the 3-day period.  If you are one of those who don’t eat any whole grains, try adding at least one serving a day.  Other good sources of magnesium are spinach – enjoy that spinach salad or include some spinach when you are juicing.  The National Institutes of Health, NIH has a great overview of why magnesium is important to our health and what foods are good sources of this important mineral.   Besides spinach, enjoy almonds, cashews, peanuts, Shredded Wheat, Peanut Butter, a baked potato, brown rice, milk (real milk, not fake milk), raisins, and chicken.

6.Tea – enjoy a cup of tea to calm those nerves and de-stress.  Black tea has been found to make one feel calmer and after encountering a stressful situation, black tea can actually lower your levels of cortisol, a stress hormone.  

So, after the houseful of relatives have left, or after a few very packed days of running around, take time for some “comfort” foods to calm your nerves.

Sources:  Foods That Help Tame Stress, Cutie, NIH  Image sources:  Black tea  , Cuties, Post Shredded Wheat