Five Stress Fighting Superfoods
It’s possible to strike out at stress by just opening your mouth. I don’t mean you should let a primitive scream just rip. It turns out that what you eat can be a great way to mellow out your body in various ways. There are several foods that act as great stress-fighting superfoods and consumed in moderation can have a calming effect on your system. These include:
Chocolate. Yes, you don’t have to send thank you cards and letters because a little bit of chocolate (not a six pack of bars, but a few bites of dark chocolate) can be quite calming. Chocolate contains theobromine, a myocardial stimulant that increases heartbeat and dilates blood vessels causing a reduced blood pressure. It also contains cocoa which boosts your neurochemicals that tell your brain to produce a sense of happiness and relaxation.
Green tea. This slightly nutty tasting tea, excellent either hot or cold, is a great health booster on many fronts because it contains antioxidant properties. It is also full of theanine, which has been dubbed nature’s own stress remedy. The compound crosses the blood-brain barrier and has been shown to reduce mental and physical stress. Drink up because studies show that your cup of green tea boosts your body’s immune response to inflection by upping your gamma delta T-cells that fight disease.
Red peppers. Delicious eaten as a snack or in a salad, red peppers are tangy, crunchy and are an excellent source of vitamin C and vitamin A. This is a great food to de-stress your body internally because these will work together to zap free radicals and cause damage to your cells. Red peppers also contain lycopene, a carotenoid that is a cancer fighter.
Oranges. Who doesn’t love a sweet orange, which isn’t just a delicious treat but also packed with disease fighting vitamin C? If you stress out in life, you’re much more likely to pick up a cold or even the flu. The vitamin C in a citrus product like the healthy orange will give your body a natural booster shot and help prevent an even more stressful life event such as an illness. By the way, oranges have also been found to be rich in a compound called citrus limonoids, which has been proven to fight a varieties of cancers including skin, lung, breast, stomach and colon.
Almonds. Need to add a little crunch to your life, while fighting stress at the same time? Just grab a handful of almonds, which are also a great food to pack into a little baggie and take with you for emergencies. (Don’t stress out over making bad choices on the road. Just take your almonds with you). Almonds are a healthy, mellowing choice because they contain tyrosine, one of the 20 amino acids that your cells use to synthesize proteins. They are also a good source of magnesium, potassium, zinc and iron. Almonds have been proven to have a similar effect as the cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins. Recent studies show that eaten in moderation they can also help with weight loss and those who ate the nuts had lower body mass indexes. If that’s not enough, almonds also promote healthy skin and prevent premature appearance of wrinkles. If that doesn’t de-stress us then nothing does.
By JJ Virgin, Celebrity Wellness Expert
So what do you do or eat to relieve stress??? Exercising is a big one for me and definitely chocolate!