If you’re feeling a bit too tense, there are many different ways that you can manage your stress levels. Yoga, meditation, and even the food you eat could be great tools to help provide you with some relief. Being stressed out could even increase your body’s need for specific nutrients, such as vitamin C, selenium, or magnesium.

Here are some examples of foods that fight stress, so that you can help your stress levels melt away:

Herbal Tea

Not only does herbal tea promote warmth and calmness, but it can also help reduce stress. Sipping on a warm cup of tea can help calm you down, and some research has suggested that it gives us feelings of interpersonal warmth and friendliness. There is just something really soothing about sipping on a warm drink, regardless of what it is. 

Certain herbs, such as lavender and chamomile, which are shown to have relaxing effects. 

Dark Chocolate

Including dark chocolate in your diet can help you reduce stress in a few ways. It has both a chemical and emotional impact on your stress levels. Chocolate often feels like such a treat that most people become happier by just eating and savoring a piece of it. This experience alone can help people reduce stress! 

Chocolate also contains high levels of antioxidants which help to lower the stress hormones in the body. 

Whole Grains

Eating the right types of carbohydrates can also help you reduce stress levels, which might come as a shock to those keto diet lovers out there. Carbs can increase serotonin levels in the body which help boost mood and reduce stress. Having more serotonin circulating means that you can enjoy being more productive and higher levels of concentration. 

However, it’s important to choose the right carbs. Eating refined carbs, for instance cookies or chips, are linked to inflammation, stress, and depression. These types of carbs can also raise your blood pressure, affect your heart health and can lead you to overeat during the rest of the day. 

On the flip side, complex carbs can help you better manage stress levels because your body digests them more slowly, which keeps your blood sugar levels even. Complex carbs are found in sweet potatoes, whole grains, brown rice, quinoa, and steel-cut oats.

Avocados

If you love paying extra for guac, then you’ll be happy to know that avocados are packed full of good nutrients for your body. They contain healthy monounsaturated fats, vitamin B6, vitamin C, potassium and fiber. All of these combined make for a pretty good stress busting snack. 

Vitamins C and B6 help to reduce stress, and the potassium found in the fruit could lower blood pressure. Plus, the healthy fat and fiber in avocados help keep you feeling fuller for longer and can deter overeating or unhealthy snacking that can be caused by stress. 

Fish

Stress can have adverse health effects on the heart, but eating meals that include fatty fish can help to strengthen your heart health as well as boost your mood. Fatty fish contain healthy omega-3 fatty acids, which can be found in fish like tuna, salmon, halibut, and sardines. Studies suggest that these fish can also help with depression. Research also shows that a diet that includes fatty fish will help lower your overall stress and anxiety, as another added benefit. 

Water

Every living thing needs water to live, and humans are no exception. Opt to put down sugary juices or sodas in favor of water, when you can. Drinking more water is a simple way to help ease feelings of stress. Staying hydrated during hard times has been proven to decrease stress. Studies show that not drinking enough water contributes to increased cortisol levels. 

Getting enough water in your system will help your stressors disappear, plus keeping hydrated will help better prepare your body for stress should anything happen in the future. On average, women need about 2.7 liters of water each day, while men should aim for 3.7 liters. 

Bananas

If you get sleepy during the work day, reach for a banana instead of that second cup of coffee. This potassium-rich fruit contains dopamine, a mood boosting chemical, plus magnesium which is shown to deplete during stressful situations. Research shows that being deficient in magnesium can increase feelings of depression and anxiety in mice. 

Bananas are also a great source of B vitamins, like vitamin B6, which ensures that your nervous system is running smoothly, this can help decrease stress and fatigue. Plus, the potassium found in bananas can also lower your blood pressure. 

So what next?

Your genes can help you get a better idea of what stressors you are likely to respond to, as well as how your body will be likely to respond. GenoPalate is excited to offer you genetic insights into your stress triggers and responses with detailed information about how these can impact your overall health, and how you can deal with them best. 

By understanding your genes on a deeper level, you can optimize the way that you handle stress as well as make changes to your food and dietary habits. You can start to protect your body and mind from the negative impacts of stress and potentially improve your overall mood and stress levels.