Some foods contain the nutrients your body needs to handle stress and can improve your body’s capacity to do so. Even mild stress can increase dietary requirements, including those for magnesium, selenium, vitamin B, vitamin C, and vitamin B12. High-fiber foods, such as legumes, nuts, seeds, vegetables, and citrus fruit, enable your body to release stress-fighting hormones more steadily and keep your moods in check. Here is a deeper look into five foods that can reduce stress and nourish your body.
Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate can help you relax. First, it offers the natural emotional high that eating chocolate naturally induces. By lowering the body’s cortisol levels, this treatment not only satisfies your cravings but also aids with stress reduction.
The cacao plant, used to make dark chocolate, has antioxidants that help reduce the risk of heart disease and issues brought on by stress. Even better, you can eat dark chocolate granola packed with almonds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, or rolled oats for more nutrition.
Foods Rich in Protein
In addition to aiding in slower digestion, protein is crucial for maintaining blood sugar equilibrium. This is crucial since adrenaline can cause the body to absorb more sugar for energy during stressful situations. Protein-rich foods include quinoa, turkey, eggs, chicken, almonds, and eggs. You can add protein powder easily to a smoothie, which is another fantastic source of protein.
Oatmeal
This comfort meal is a well-researched natural stress reliever known to maintain stable blood sugar levels and lower the concentration of stress hormones in the brain. By allowing serotonin, a neurotransmitter that transmits impulses between your nerve cells, to be released, oatmeal helps to reduce anxiety and tension.
In turn, this fosters more creativity, serenity, and relaxation. Instead of using refined sugar, give your oatmeal a healthy and sweet touch by adding some apples, raisins, and a pinch of cinnamon.
Asparagus
By balancing your mood, asparagus lessens anxiety and despair. This early-spring vegetable is rich in folate, one of many B vitamins that helps regulate mood and ease the signs of stress and sadness, and it is also a powerhouse of iron. Fresh, grilled, steamed, or sautéed with fresh Italian herbs are all acceptable ways to prepare it for consumption.
Nuts
Studies have linked eating meals rich in omega-3 fatty acids to lowering stress.Omega-3 fatty acids are also abundant in spinach, flaxseed, walnuts, and almonds, and the oil found in them helps balance the adrenaline levels and the stress hormone cortisol.
These whole nuts can help lower blood pressure and prevent heart disease, stroke, and depression. Tryptophan, which increases serotonin production and can help you feel less frazzled, is also found in cashews and sunflower seeds, and granola provides an easy way to consume these nuts.
Conclusion
Although unavoidable, stress can significantly impact your sleep, mood, food, energy levels, hormones, and many other things. The ability to control stress is crucial for overall health and well-being, and eating a diet that supports your body’s natural processes is one of the best strategies to reduce stress.