Most of the time, when stress increases, we resort to usually being rich in sugar or highly processed food options. The great news is that there is some stress reducing foods that really help the body to deal with its hormones and stabilize its stress level over time. In this blog, we will examine the best stress relieving foods, review how to create a stress lowering diet, discuss some of the most effective fruits for stress, and create a whole food diet to help lower stress and anxiety that you can get started with today.
How Food and Stress Are Connected
Chronic stress causes some nutrients to be depleted while others are needed more. Hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline are involved in your body's reaction to stress. As blood sugar levels fluctuate as a result of poor food intake, the physical effects of stress and anxiety can be triggered or worsened, putting them in a vicious cycle. That's why it's so important to select the right stress reducing foods consistently, and not just when you are feeling the stress.
Stress Reducing Foods to Prioritize
Let's explore the basis of stress reducing foods that are the key to building meals around.
- Fatty Fish
Fatty fish is one of the most scientifically backed up stress reducing foods as it contains high levels of omega-3 fatty acids which have been shown to lower cortisol levels and reduce markers of anxiety in several studies.
- Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate (70% or more cocoa) in small amounts has flavonoids that could offer some health benefits for reducing stress hormone levels and improving mood, which is a true bonus when it comes to stress relieving foods.
- Nuts and Seeds
A good list of stress relieving foods for snacking on a daily basis includes almonds, walnuts and pumpkin seeds, which are rich in magnesium, a mineral associated with relaxation and healthy nervous system function.
- Fermented Foods
Fermented foods like curd, yogurt and other fermented foods are beneficial for gut health and are recognized to be connected to the regulation of mood via the gut-brain axis, so they can be part of any diet to alleviate stress.
- Whole Grains
Oats and other complex carbohydrates aid in a sustained release of serotonin, thus preventing the blood sugar surge and drop associated with stress and anger.
- Herbal Teas
Tea made from chamomile and ashwagandha has historically been used for relaxation and many people find the time to relax is relaxing enough without the tea itself having any physiological effects.
Building a Complete Diet to Reduce Stress
While it's helpful to know the foods, having a stress-reduction diet also means considering how you'll incorporate them throughout the entire day, not just grabbing a single one when you're feeling stressed.
The following is a well-structured diet plan that can help keep stress down:
- Regular meal times: Skipping meals can lead to low blood sugar levels which can trigger or worsen stress responses.
- Protein, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates in balance at each meal to maintain a stable energy and mood.
- Correct fluid intake: Dehydration, even a little, can make you feel tired and irritable.
- Caffeine and alcohol: Both may disrupt sleep and can exacerbate anxiety for some.
- Regularly incorporating stress relieving foods: If you make these foods a regular part of your diet, it will provide a more consistent nutritional base.
A diet designed to lower stress levels is more likely to be effective over a longer period of time if the diet is used consistently, and not just during the really difficult weeks.
Fruits That Relieve Stress
A few fruits are worth noting because they can be added easily into your daily diet, as well as supported by solid nutritional science, and all of them have stress-relieving properties.
- Oranges and citrus fruits: It contains vitamin C, which has been shown to help reduce cortisol levels during stressful times.
- Bananas: Source of potassium and vitamin B6, that play a role in the formation of neurotransmitters and a role in the functioning of the nervous system.
- Berries: Rich in antioxidants which are useful in reducing the oxidative stress linked to the chronically high cortisol.
- Avocado: This is a fruit; avocado offers healthy fats and B vitamins that help to maintain a healthy mood and energy level.
- Kiwi: An additional vitamin C rich fruit, which can help to relieve stress, and also provides fiber for digestive comfort.
You can easily add some of these stress-relieving fruits to your daily snack routine, which helps your body's stress response system, and this is a simple, convenient way to do so in addition to dietary modifications.
Diet to Reduce Stress and Anxiety: -
The principles that have been discussed here with a particular focus on stress are applicable to a wider food plan to help to lower stress and anxiety, as stress and anxiety are closely linked physiologically. To benefit a diet for reducing stress and anxiety the following:
Reducing added sugar:
Climbing or dropping blood sugars can cause physical symptoms that are often mistaken for symptoms of anxiety.
Increasing magnesium-rich foods:
Found in nuts, seeds, and leafy greens, magnesium plays a role in regulating the nervous system's stress response.
Supporting gut health:
Believe it or not, the gut makes a lot of serotonin, and so eating fermented foods and eating foods that are high in fiber can also help to regulate your moods indirectly.
Moderating caffeine intake:
This is a consideration for physical symptoms: If you are sensitive to caffeine, excessive intake can exacerbate physical symptoms of anxiety, so try to moderate your intake.
This more general diet will help reduce stress and anxiety – it is best to make a long-term change to your diet rather than a short-term diet change, as it will take a number of weeks for nutritional changes to make a significant difference to mood and stress resilience.
Daily Routine Combining These Foods
Here is a simple approach to creating a realistic daily eating plan with a few foods that are known to relieve stress:
- Breakfast: Oats with a banana and some walnuts.
- Lunch: Fatty fish or lentils and leafy greens with whole grains
- Snack: One square of dark chocolate or some pumpkin seeds
- Evening: Chamomile tea and a light well-balanced meal.
Such a daily routine means you are eating stress-relieving food regularly without making too big of a change in your diet.
Foods and Habits That Can Worsen Stress
It's great to keep an eye on stress relieving foods, but so is being aware of foods that can hinder you:
- Excessive caffeine, which can help to increase anxiety and disturbances in sleep,
- Excessive consumption of refined sugar causing blood sugar fluctuations similar to stress response.
- Not eating, leading to irritability and decreased coping with everyday stress
- Too much alcohol interferes with good sleep and can lead to increased anxiety over time, and
Minimizing these factors, combined with a greater consumption of foods that help you relax, can make the effects more pronounced.
Conclusion
Food is a very real part of the natural management of stress, and it begins with making small consistent choices. You can make it a point to eat foods that can help alleviate stress, such as fatty fish, nuts and fermented foods, and make an overall effort to decrease stress in your eating habits, including eating fruits that combat stress daily such as citrus and bananas, to help your body recover naturally over time. Like many other lifestyle changes, it isn't about doing it all perfectly — it's about making gradual, consistent changes in your eating pattern that will have the longest-term soothing impact.
FAQs
What are the most effective stress reducing foods to start with?
Some of the best supported stress reducing foods include fatty fish, dark chocolate, nuts and fermented foods, which have been associated with decreased cortisol and better mood regulation.
What other stress relieving foods should I include regularly?
Other foods that can be beneficial for keeping a steady mood and functioning nervous system are whole grains, herbal teas such as chamomile, and magnesium-rich foods.
What does a complete diet to reduce stress look like?
A stress-reducing diet involves eating meals at the same time every day, eating foods that have the right ratio of macronutrients, drinking enough water, and eliminating foods that are not meant to be consumed from time to time, but rather regularly.
Which fruits that relieve stress are easiest to add to my daily routine?
Fruits like oranges, bananas, berries and kiwi offer easy snacks to help ease the stress and are simple fruits.
How does a diet to reduce stress and anxiety differ from a general healthy diet?
A diet for stress and anxiety has more focus on cutting down on added sugar, limiting caffeine and eating more low-stress foods and foods that support the gut.
