Six Foods To Overcome Anxiety and Stress

Are you feeling stressed? Well, it is nothing but natural for you to seek ways to overcome it. At times, those occasional stress bouts may be inevitable. However, it may take a serious toll on your mental, physical, and emotional health if you experience chronic stress.

Further, for someone who is continually stressed, there is a greater chance of being exposed to serious health conditions, such as depression or heart disease.

Fortunately for you, there are a few stress-relieving foods that you can eat to eliminate the stress in your life. Which are these foods?

Let us find out. 

Brazil nuts

Brazil nuts are a good source of selenium. Many of you may be aware of selenium’s role in helping you overcome inflammation. At times, inflammation in your body may be aggravated due to anxiety and stress, and consuming Brazil nuts can counter that. 

Further, selenium is also a fine antioxidant that can limit cell damage. This is also an excellent anti-carcinogenic that can lower your risk of developing cancer. 

Nuts, alone, are not a good source of selenium. Alternatively, foods, such as vegetables, such as soybeans and mushrooms, and animal products are also great selenium sources. However, please bear in mind, your selenium consumption must not be unrestricted, as it can lead to several potential side effects. For adults, the recommended upper limit for selenium is 400 micrograms per day.

Hence, if you are already consuming about three to four Brazil nuts in a day, you must not take selenium supplements. 

More so, Brazil nuts and the other nuts are phenomenal Vitamin E sources. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant, which can relieve you from anxiety. 

Justine, who recently reviewed tiny house composting toilet for MyPlumbersChoice, comments, ‘whenever I feel stressed, I take about three to four Brazilian nuts, and it does help me relax.’

Matcha powder

Matcha powder is a beautiful green tea powder. It is widely popular amongst health enthusiasts because of the presence of L-theanine in it. L-theanine is a non-protein amino acid, which is known for its incredible ability to relieve stress.

‘For me, matcha tea is a daily beverage. My work pressure does give me a bit of stress and anxiety at times,’ shares Jennifer, an analyst with EmbraceGardening, a platform wherein you can find many helpful gardening tips, such as the best fertilizers for citrus trees.

The popularity of matcha powder is high because it is a better L-theanine amino acid source than any other kind of green tea. This is because the powder is extracted from the green tea leaves that grow in the shade—consequently, the content of certain compounds, such as L-theanine, increases. 

Complex carbs

Carbs stimulate our brain and trigger it to increase serotonin production. Serotonin is a feel-good chemical, and for steady growth of this chemical in the body, you need to consume complex carbs. The thing with complex carbs is that they take longer to digest. Some of the best complex carbs that you can add to your diet are – cereals and oatmeal. Complex carbs will stabilize your blood sugar levels and make you feel calmer. 

Red bell peppers

Even though oranges are known for being Vitamin C-dense, it is indeed red bell peppers, which have two times as much Vitamin C than oranges. People who consume a diet rich in Vitamin C before engaging in any stress-inducing activity recovered faster from cortisol surge and did not experience a rise in blood pressure. Thus, a Vitamin C-rich diet can lower your cortisol levels and keep stress at bay.

Leafy greens

There are innumerable benefits of leafy green vegetables. They are a rich source of vitamins, contain folate, and yield two feel-good brain chemicals – dopamine and serotonin. When your stress levels are high, you want these feel-good hormones to flow.

So, for that, you need to add some green veggies to your diet. You must include Swiss chard sautéed with garlic and olive oil in your diet. It is one superfood that must be in your diet, regardless. Other foods that should be in your diet because of their high folate content are – citrus fruits, broccoli, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, and chickpeas.

Eggs

Eggs are a rich source of Vitamin D. They also have a high protein content. It is a complete protein source and contains vital amino acids, which the body requires for natural growth and development. More so, eggs also have tryptophan in them. It is an amino acid responsible for serotonin creation. As is evident by now, serotonin is a chemical neurotransmitter, which regulates your memory, mood, sleep, and behaviour. Serotonin also relieves you from anxiety and betters brain function.