Can foods help you fight stress?

Have you ever heard someone say that when they are stressed, they like to eat?  When you are stressed are their foods that might help calm you? Help fight that stress?  If you research foods and stress, you will come across any number of headlines:  9 Foods and Beverages That May Promote Calm, What are some foods that east anxiety?, 13 foods that fight stress.  So, what foods might you keep on hand or seek out when you want some calm in your life? 

Fruit – satisfy your sweet tooth with some fruit, especially berries.  All those healthy antioxidants in berries can “help protect your cells from stress and may help ease feelings of depression.”   Oranges are another fruit good for fighting stress.  It is the vitamin C that helps fight anxiety.  Studies have shown that diets rich in C “may help calm you and put you in a better frame of mind “.    (See:  Are you getting your daily vitamin C?) 

Raw fruits and vegetables – interesting that eating fruits and veggies raw, versus cooked, canned or processed, seems to promote a more positive mood.  Some top raw foods that promote good mental health include:  apples, bananas, carrots, citrus fruits (also good for that vitamin C), cucumbers, the fresh berries noted above, grapefruit, and kiwi.  A doctor from California noted, “…studies suggest that the ingestion of raw fruits and vegetables can result in improved mood as compared to processed, canned or cooked vegetables.” 

Boost your magnesium intake.  What is magnesium?  A mineral that is an important nutrient for many reasons and one of them is energy.  As I noted in one of my blogs, not having enough magnesium in your diet can lead to feeling tired or fatigued.  (See:  Feeling tired?  Maybe you need more magnesium.)  What foods are good sources of this good for you mineral?

• Whole grains – enjoy some whole grain crackers like Wheat Thins, Triscuits, whole grain bread, a whole grain bagel, whole grain English muffins, quinoa, and brown rice.  Have a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast.  Or, choose any General Mills cereal as all are made from whole grains.  “Eating whole grains can also have a calming effect, according to the Mayo Clinic.  That’s because it’s believed that carbs increase the amount of serenity.”  
• Nuts – enjoy a handful of nuts or some peanut butter or nut butter.  Two tablespoons of peanut butter provides 49 milligrams of magnesium, an ounce of almonds about 80 mg and an ounce of cashews about 74 mg.
• Seeds – so healthy.  Enjoy some flaxseeds, chia seeds sunflower seed.
• Yogurt – real yogurt made from real milk.  A cup of yogurt provides about 30 mg of Magnesium.
• Vegetables – enjoy some leafy greens.  No, not a small slice of lettuce on a fast-food burger which many of my students counted as their “vegetable serving”, but some darker greens like spinach, kale, collard greens or Swiss chard. 

Complex carbs – you may have heard people talk about “complex carbs” versus “simple carbs”.  But many people do not understand what the difference is.  Complex carbs are the foods with starch, but you want healthy starches like the oatmeal, whole grain cereals, whole grain bread.  The fiber in these carbs slows down absorption so you get a steadier supply of energy.  This helps keep your mood on a more even keel. 

Dark chocolate – who doesn’t love chocolate?  Dark chocolate provides flavonoids from the cocoa that is an antioxidant.  This one may help keep your blood pressure lower and help “make you less anxious”.  But not all chocolate provides this benefit.  Look for the dark chocolate that is “at least 70% cocoa”.  But keep the amount small as it does provide calories, fat and even some caffeine.    

Tea – a cup of tea can be very soothing.  Some teas have more calming effect like chamomile.  “Researchers have found, for instance, that drinking tea lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol.”  As little as a half cup of green tea a day can keep those blues away.  Tea provides some of those healthy antioxidants.  My sister sent me a few boxes of herbal tea as a gift.  There are so many different varieties of tea to try.  Find some varieties that you enjoy.

 Water – stay hydrated.  Why?  Because “Even milk dehydration can affect your mood.”  I always told my students to drink plenty of water before a test so they would be hydrated and more alert. 

So many ways to help fight off stress and some of those ways are to add some of the above beverages or foods to your day.  Maybe crunching an apple or some raw carrots may do the trick. Or relaxing with a hot cup of tea.  Try some of these ideas and see what works best for you.

 

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