By Team ICON Contributor Shawn Wells
Modern life can be full of stressors — money and relationships are two of the most obvious ones, but smaller-scale worries like the morning commute or making sure your home is in order when guests arrive can add up to significant stress.
The good news is many healthy foods can actively fight stress! Here are 10 of my favorites:
Chamomile Tea
Warm drinks make us happy and relaxed. Chamomile is known to reduce anxiety, possibly due to the antioxidant apigenin.
Eggs
Nature's multivitamin! Eggs are rich in nutrients like choline, providing a healthy stress response.
Blueberries
These delicious blue treats are high in flavonoid antioxidants, which may reduce stress-related inflammation and improve mood.
Greek Yogurt
Probiotic foods like yogurt may promote better mental health and brain function. They may also ease symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Dark Chocolate
Besides satisfying your sweet tooth, the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that eating dark chocolate with 70% cocoa content or higher may reduce the stress hormone cortisol*.
Fatty Fish
Don’t be dissuaded by the name — these fats are excellent for you. Omega-3 fatty acids from fish like salmon and tuna may ease depression and improve mood.
Milk
We all know milk is a great source of calcium, which may ease depression as well as the symptoms of PMS.
Avocado
Like the fatty fish mentioned above, this amazing fruit (yes, it’s a fruit) is loaded with stress-reducing omega-3 fatty acids.
Pumpkin Seeds
These taste amazing when roasted, and they’re rich in magnesium and tryptophan which calm your sympathetic nervous system and prepare the body for sleep.
Leafy Greens
Swiss chard, spinach, and similar leafy veggies are good sources of magnesium, an important mineral that plays a role in over 300 enzyme reactions including the body's stress response.
*https://www.acc.org/membership/sections-and-councils/cardiovascular-team-section/section-updates/2014/11/28/19/48/dark-chocolate-a-cure-for-stress
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