It’s a fact that nutrition and stress have always been linked. The person with balanced and healthy diet is likely to be far less stressed than the person with a poor diet.
Stress is one of the major health disorder, which affects millions of people around the world. The simplest methods for relieving stress are breathing exercises and healthy, nutritious food.
These methods are effective and without any side effects. Foods with high mineral and vitamin levels help to reduce stress levels. Certain drinks and foods can aggravate stress levels. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you should avoid them completely, but rather consume such drinks and foods in moderation.
Drinks and foods that can aggravate stress are fast foods and takeaways, coffee, tea, energy drinks and cocoa, meat and shellfish, butter and cheese, alcohol, sugar, almonds, macadamias and other nuts, soda, chocolate drinks and soft drinks, and coconut oil.
Energy drinks, coffee, cocoa, and tea should definitely be avoided when you are stressed. They might refresh someone who is tired, but they contain neuro-stimulators such as theobromine and caffeine, which heighten stress. Stress causes anxiety, and additional stimulation can even cause insomnia.
Takeaways and junk food are delicious, but they are far from a healthy and balanced diet. They have high levels of fats, carbohydrates, and protein that don’t contain vital vitamins and minerals, which may induce stress. Beverages such as soft drinks are full of calories which are useless and they have no minerals and vitamins.
When you’re stressed, a build-up of lactates and carbon dioxide in the body may result in an acidosis condition, which can damage your health. The soft drinks need to be treated as an unnecessary addition to your diet because they have high levels of carbon dioxide, which aggravates stress. Sugar should also be avoided when possible because stress causes an increase of glucose levels in the blood, which can lead to higher risk of diabetes development.
However, there are plenty of foods that are healthy and good for reducing stress: A few of these foods are fresh vegetables, fish, water, fresh fruits, yogurts, soups, and herbal products. Fresh vegetables and fruit provide a lot of minerals and vitamins that are great for reducing stress. Fish such as mackerel have omega fatty acids, which are great for the heart and they protect you from heart diseases.
Fish also contains a great memory booster called choline. Yogurts contain minerals such as calcium, which are essential to maintaining a good functioning of nerve impulses. Herbal items such as Chamomile, Passion flower, and Dandelion will relax both the body and mind.
Top 10 stress-fighting foods
1. A good source of folic acid is asparagus, which produces serotonin and stabilizes your mood.
2. Dairy products such as cottage cheese and milk provide calcium and protein.
3. Seeds and nuts are good snacks for stress-fight. In addition to having magnesium, vitamin B12, and zinc, almonds also contain vitamin C, which like vitamin E fights stress-related free radicals that cause heart disease. Pistachios and walnuts are widely known to lower blood pressure, and sunflower seeds like folate help produce a pleasure-inducing brain chemical called dopamine.
4. Milk, like skim milk, has a lot of antioxidants and vitamins B12 and B2 and also provides calcium and protein, which reduces soothe PMS, muscle spasms, and tension.
5. Omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, can be found in fish, and they can limit the production of anxiety hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline and boost serotonin levels.
6. Vitamin C in blueberries and oranges fights free radicals which cause cancer. Bananas provide potassium, which prevents migraine headaches, and blueberries counteract the effect of hormones like cortisol.
7. A good source of monounsaturated potassium and fat are avocados, which lower blood pressure.
8. Corn flakes or crispy rice cereal are not necessarily low in sugar. But, they offer folic acid and B vitamins which reduce stress. A bowl of milk with whole-grain cereal is good stress-fighting breakfast.
9. Beef can help stabilize your mood by supplying iron, B vitamins, and zinc.
10. Spinach contains magnesium, helps improve the response of your body to stress and it also can prevent migraine headaches.
3 Foods to avoid
1. Caffeine, found in chocolate, tea, soda, and of course coffee, can raise stress hormone levels and cause anxiety.
2. Excessive consumption of alcohol can damage the adrenal glands, and it also puts more sugar in the body.
3. Sugar increases insulin and causes spikes in blood glucose levels. This affects your adrenal glands, which help the thyroid regulate body weight and regulate stress hormones.