8 Top Foods and Herbs for Stress Relief

If you’ve been hanging around with us for a while you know that we are impassioned about the quote, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”

 

Nutrition is key when it comes to overall health. But did you know you can use food to help you beat stress?

 

Certain nutrients are proven to help in the fight for a stress-free mind and body. In today’s blog we’ll look at eight herbs, spices and food sources you should be eating as part of your daily stress management plan.

 

Walnuts

Start with adding a handful of walnuts in your daily diet. It has been proven to help your body cope better in times of stress by lowering blood pressure.

 

Considering the fact that it is impossible to prevent stress, it’s essential to give your body as much armor as possible to give relief of stress from harming your health.

 

Walnuts also are also a good source of tryptophan, a precursor to the feel-good chemical serotonin, and the hormone melatonin which helps regulate sleep patterns.

 

Blueberries

 

As well as being rich in antioxidants, blueberries are an excellent source of Vitamin C which helps your body quickly get rid of the stress hormone cortisol.

 

Vitamin C also fights stress by keeping blood pressure regulated whenever a stressful situation occurs.

 

Add to yogurt, oatmeal, or add into a bowl of cottage cheese as a wonderful super sweet mid-morning snack.

 

Avocado

As well as tasting delicious, Avocados are truly a nutritional powerhouse containing healthy fat and 20 different vitamins and minerals.

 

Sometimes referred to as Nature’s Butter, avocados are rich in stress-busting B vitamins and potassium, which can help stabilize the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. 

 

Our favorite way to eat them is in salads, adding them to a sandwich, you can add them into your morning smoothie for a creamy texture, or spread on whole grain toast and top with a poached egg.

 

Turmeric

Turmeric is the golden yellow spice often found in Indian cooking. It has recently been hailed as a new super food thanks to its all-round health benefits.

 

According to Dr Lopesti of Murdoch University in Australia, not only is it antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, turmeric elevates neurotransmitters like serotonin, while at the same time reducing stress hormones such as cortisol.

 

While I already love cooking with turmeric, we recently started supplementing with turmeric in pill form.

 

Salmon

Salmon is a rich source of Omega 3 fat which is heart healthy as well as stress-busting thanks to the docosahexaenoic acid that helps to mitigate stress hormones.

 

Omega 3 can also help reduce inflammation in the body caused by chronic stress, as well as assist with healthy blood flow in the brain and body.

 

Green Tea

Black tea and green tea are chock full of polyphenols, a type anti-oxidant, so both are beneficial to your overall health.

 

However, green tea contains slightly more the amino acid theanine which helps to relax you without affecting your mental focus.

 

Research has shown that drinking tea lowers the levels of cortisol in your body,  helping you destress more quickly.

 

Kale

Dark green leafy vegetables like kale are rich in Vitamin C, a known stress buster which helps regulate cortisol levels.

 

Kale also contains beneficial anti-oxidants which research shows are needed to help your brain function at an optimal level to help guard against stress.

 

We love adding kale into taco’s, morning smoothie or you can even gently roast the leaves with olive oil for a delicious crunchy snack.

 

Coriander

You may be used to seeing coriander as a garnish on foods, but think about eating more of this powerful herb to help alleviate stress and soothe your nerves.

 

Hydroalcoholic acid present in the herb not only has a calming effect but if you’re having trouble sleeping because of stress, eating more coriander can help.

 

Do you eat these foods and herbs on a regular basis already?  Please share in the comments below!