Today we live in a more stressful world than ever before and it many people feel constantly fatigued.
Stress is one of the greatest contributors to many health problems today. Stress can have a negative impact on your overall health and well-being, making it difficult to concentrate and do your job. It has also been found to contribute greatly to heart disease, obesity and high blood pressure. By improving your diet and adding certain foods, you may be able to alleviate some of your stress.
A good way to combat fatigue is to be careful what you eat and make sure you have a diet to reduce stress; this will also reduce hunger pangs and the desire to overeat.
Nutrition Role In Stress Reduction
A diet to reduce stress should include 60-75% raw food, full of fresh fruit and vegetables, which not only supply valuable vitamins and minerals, including the B complex and vitamin C.
Raw foods are also rich in compounds such as flavonoids, which help to combat stress symptoms.
Foods For Stress Reduction
High-fiber, carbohydrate-rich foods:
Carbohydrates cause the brain to produce more serotonin, a hormone that relaxes and soothes us. Adding lots of fiber is helpful in preventing late-night binging. Some examples of healthy comfort food include baked sweet potatoes, sautéed vegetables and brown rice.
Fruits and vegetables:
By increasing your intake of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, you can boost your immune system.
Supplements:
Alfalfa, garlic, and ginger can be taken which support the immune system.
– Kelp, kombu and watercress should also be included in a diet to reduce stress as they help to support the thyroid gland.
Water:
Lots of water should also be drunk to prevent dehydration and make sure that you eat regularly as well as cutting back on alcohol, coffee, and cigarettes.
Foods To Reduce Stress
– Oats
– Are reckoned for their calming properties, rich in B vitamins which can help calm an over-stressed nervous system
– Strawberries, raspberries dark vegetables and oranges are all rich in vitamin C and this is needed to replenish adrenaline stored in the adrenal glands. If you are stressed you need a lot of vitamin C and the body’s requirement doubles. Smokers deplete vitamin C so if you must smoke get plenty of this vitamin.
– Skimmed milk & low-fat yogurt – Milk is a great source of magnesium and calcium two minerals that help soothe muscle tension.
– Carrots & apples – Eat them raw and they have been scientifically proven to reduce stress. How? Simply the crunching noise! Any crunchy vegetable or fruit is good.
– Chamomile – The nutrients found in this tea mean that have a sedative calming effect on the nervous system and plenty of tea should be included in any diet to reduce stress levels. Try drinking a cup before you go to bed to relax and get a good night’s sleep.
– Other teas – Drink green tea as well but try not to drink coffee or tea unless it’s decaffeinated.
Foods that increase stress
Foods not to eat include processed foods, artificial sweeteners, carbonated soft drinks, chocolate, candy, fried food, sugar, white flour products and foods with lots of preservatives and additives.
Summary
A diet to reduce stress is easy to stick to, just keep in mind the following: Eat as many raw and natural foods as possible and cut down on refined and processed foods.
It is important that we take time to check up on our eating habits and find out where we may be going wrong. It is important, especially if we are under a lot of daily and constant stress. The reason for this is that eating the right foods can have a huge impact on your stress levels, your energy levels, and on your general health.
Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay
