Sometimes in life, there are too many things happening and all at once; and it leaves the individual to wits end. Cortisol is the stress hormone that gets fuel when your mind, body, and emotions start experiencing stress. Though, stress is inevitable, there are foods and other coping mechanisms that fight stress. Burn outs when left unchecked, can lead to serious health ailments, both, physical and mental. While there are activities that can be adapted to fight stress daily and keep it under control, even better, eliminate it, there are foods whose intake can help you battle the stress hormone, successfully.
Foods That Fights The Stress Hormone
1. Green Leafy Vegetables
They have such good quantity of vitamins and minerals, an intake of a single pound of green leafy vegetables either for breakfast or lunch works against stress living inside your body. Body needs neurotransmitters that are regulated by the folate present in green leafy vegetables like, spinach. Stress when left unchecked can cause severe anxiety and depression problems. Folic acid and iron present in these vegetables keeps the mood stable causing less stress. These are not comfort foods like chocolate or French fries, but the kind of grub that calm down your nerves and let you sail through various stressful situations, comfortably.
2. Berries- The Yummilicious Snack On!
Strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, blueberries, and all kinds of berries have a very high antioxidant called anthocyanin. Not only does this lift your mood but also keeps your cognition and mind sharper. Lesser mental and physical fatigue is experienced when you eat a cup of berries. They also reduce the blood pressure thus decreasing the effect of the Cortisol hormone. You can munch on these sweet and tangy fruits for your breakfast or tea time snacks. They have a higher level of vitamin C that regulates the stress hormone. Vitamin C is known to be a great stress buster. Any fruit or vegetable with higher levels of vitamin C has a great effect on the mind. It reduces psychological stress. Even during the peak times of stressful situations, people can manage stress if they have a regular intake of these fruits.
3. Herbal Tea, An Adventurous Drink To Good Health
It is now a universal known fact that herbal tea, like the green tea, chamomile tea, or the black tea has tannin and rich antioxidants that promote a calming effect in the mind. A cup of chamomile tea before going to bed after a long days work is just what to need to beat the stress felt throughout the day. Green tea has an amino acid called theanine that works towards stimulating the brain cells. Green tea has multiple health benefits; the greatest of which is to keep stress at bay and enhance the metabolism of the mind and body. Choose a quiet spot at your home or office and drink a cup of warm herbal tea of your choice. They are also available in delish flavors. This works well for people who like to experiment with taste by not sidelining the essence of good health. The polyphenols in black tea helps sharpen the memory and prevent any kind of memory loss caused due to stress.
4. Oatmeal That Comforts During Morning
Serotonin is a feel good chemical that is present in oatmeal. It has properties that have a soothing effect on the mind and body, and beats stress, successfully. It is most certainly a comfort food that people can binge on in their daily breakfast by adding berries, cashew nuts, and other fruits rich in vitamin C and anti oxidants. This makes for a yummiest breakfast that can keep you in a good mood when you start your day. The complex carbohydrate present in oatmeal helps perk up the brain cells. People who want to stay mentally alert all day long and in all situations can start their day with a bowl of deliciously cooked oatmeal.
5. Dark Chocolate- Your Trusty Sidekick!
Not just any chocolate, but it is dark chocolate that beats stress. One of the easy to reach foods in your refrigerator, dark chocolate releases a happy chemical called the dopamine inside the brain. If your stress is making you feel depressive, grab on a bar of dark chocolate and keep yourself in a better mood. Moderation is the game here. We know it’s chocolate, and definitely an irresistible thing to munch on, therefore, eating in moderation can really enliven your mood and elevate your spirits. It is a guilty free dessert to savor. Not the kind that would let you put on weight. So, you don’t have to worry about that bit, savoring dark chocolate. You will experience lesser back aches or headaches when then Cortisol levels get reduced with dishy bar of dark chocolate.
6. Avocados- Awesome Super Food For Stress
Make an avocado guacamole, if you are feeling a little out of sorts when you don’t have a chocolate handy. Or even better eat salad that has cubes of avocado. The B vitamin in avocado keeps the nerves calm and brain cell healthy. They also lower the blood pressure as they contain potassium and monounsaturated fat. You can rustle up a frozen dish of avocado or add banana, vanilla milk and blend in the avocado for a nutritious milkshake. They also have vitamin B6, folate, and are low in sugar content. It is considered a super food to reduce stress levels. It also controls hunger pangs when you get to emotional eating. It also contains an antioxidant called glutathione that flushes all the toxins from body. A toxin free body is usually stress free.
