The De-Stress Diet
Most people don’t know how worry changes our body’s chemicals, and our hormone balance, but there are simple daily actions you can take to reduce how it affects you.
I don’t know anyone who doesn’t feel stressed sometimes, and I would be surprised if someone believed they were never stressed.
Stress affects our health and wellbeing, including our hormones, so how we deal with it is very important.
There are many ways to manage stress, and one of them is through our diet.
How does food reduce stress?
Certain foods can help reduce stress in different ways. Comfort foods, such as a bowl of warm porridge, increase serotonin, a brain chemical that makes you feel calm. Other foods can lower cortisol and adrenaline, which are stress hormones that can harm the body over time.
A healthy diet can also help lessen the effects of stress by strengthening the immune system and reducing blood pressure.
Stress-busting foods
When we are stressed, we tend to choose unhealthy foods, but a few easy changes can help lower our stress, and these are the ones to pick.
Complex Carbohydrates
All carbs make the brain produce more serotonin. To get a steady amount of this happy chemical, it’s best to eat complex carbs, which take more time to break down.
Good options include breads made from whole grains and sourdough, pastas made from whole wheat, and breakfast cereals – especially porridge made from oats.
Complex carbs can also help you feel steady by keeping your blood sugar levels stable.
Simple carbohydrates
Nutritionists generally suggest avoiding basic sugars, like confectionary and sweet drinks. But when you need them, these foods can be satisfying. They are broken down fast, causing a quick rise in serotonin.
Sugars before sleep can speed up serotonin release and help you rest more soundly. Since large meals before bed can cause stomach pain, choose a light snack.
The serotonin boost is brief, so do not make these basic sugars a regular way to relieve worry.
Oranges
Oranges offer a lot of vitamin C, and research indicates this may lower stress hormone levels while boosting your body’s defenses.
In one study of people with high blood pressure, their blood pressure and cortisol levels (a stress hormone) returned to normal faster when they had vitamin C before a difficult task.
Spinach
Not getting enough magnesium can cause headaches and tiredness, which can make stress feel worse. Eating one cup of spinach can help increase your magnesium levels.
If spinach is not your favourite, other green, leafy vegetables, cooked soybeans, and salmon are also good sources of magnesium.
Avocado
To help lower high blood pressure, it is important to get enough potassium, and half an avocado contains more potassium than a medium banana.
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Learn MoreA small amount of guacamole made from avocado might be a good option if you feel stressed and want something rich. However, remember that avocados are high in fat and calories, so be aware of how much you eat.
Raw vegetables
Pairing your vegetables with low-fat hummus or a similar dip makes for a healthy snack.
Oily fish
Omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fish like salmon and tuna, can help keep stress hormones stable and may protect against heart disease, depression, and premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
To get enough of these beneficial omega-3s, try to eat at least 3.5 ounces of oily fish two times a week.
Black tea
Drinking black tea may help you recover faster from stress. One study looked at people who drank 4 cups of tea every day for 6 weeks and compared them to people who drank something else. The tea drinkers felt calmer and had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol after stressful events.
Another good option for reducing stress before bed is a warm glass of milk. Research shows that calcium can help reduce anxiety and mood swings related to PMS. Best to go for skimmed or low-fat milk if you are concerned about your weight.
Nuts
Pistachios and other nuts and seeds provide good amounts of healthy fats.
Eating a small portion of pistachios, walnuts, or almonds each day can help reduce your cholesterol, lessen swelling in your heart’s blood vessels, make diabetes less probable, and shield you from stress’s impacts.
Almonds also contain useful vitamins: vitamin E to strengthen your body’s defense system, and B vitamins, which might make you stronger when dealing with stress or sadness.
To gain these advantages, eat some nuts daily, but do not eat too many because they contain many calories.
Non dietary help
Bioidentical progesterone is good for helping lower stress because it naturally calms you and can help with sleep, as well as your hormone imbalance problems.
Working out is one of the top ways to fight stress, along with changing what you eat.
Moving your body fast helps blood move with more air and makes your body create happy chemicals called endorphins. Try to do this kind of exercise for 30 minutes, three to four times each week.
Plant remedies can also help lower stress, and one that has been studied a lot is St. John’s Wort. It has helped people with low to medium sadness. Even though more study is needed, this plant also seems to help with worry and premenstrual symptoms.
Some other helpful plants to think about are passion flower, valerian, chamomile, lemon balm, and lavender. The last one has also been shown to really help with sleep troubles, and not sleeping enough will always make you more stressed.
If you feel that stress makes your hormone problems worse, you are completely correct, and this writing might offer you more help.
