7 Foods That Deflate Your Stress And Ease Anxiety
Some foods naturally relieve stress and calm your anxiety. Add these foods to your daily meals and decrease your stress symptoms. Here are 7 major food types that can relax your mind and body.
7. Omega-3 Fatty Acids Calm Your Brain
Long-term stress and anxiety can cause inflammation in your brain and decrease the production of mood-regulating chemicals like dopamine and serotonin. Omega-3 fatty acids, or healthy fats, contain EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) that greatly improve your brain health.
EPA and DHA have anti-inflammatory properties that decrease stress symptoms. They also increase the production of serotonin and dopamine in your brain. Omega-3 fats also regulate cortisol production in the body, which prevents your stress levels from rising too much.
Foods rich in omega-3 include:
- Avocados
- Olive oil
- Walnuts
- Oysters
- Flax seeds
- Anchovies
- Salmon
- Tuna
- Herring
- Sardines
- Mackerel
6. Magnesium-Filled Foods Relax Your Body
Magnesium increases the activity of GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid) in your brain, which helps your brain calm down and relax. Production of cortisol, your body’s stress hormone, is limited by the action of magnesium, which keeps stress under control.
Magnesium is also a natural muscle relaxant that can help you sleep better and relieve muscle tension caused by anxiety.
Foods loaded with magnesium include:
- Bananas
- Chia seeds
- Coconut water
- Dark chocolate
- Pumpkin seeds
- Leafy greens (Collard greens, Spinach)
- Broccoli
5. Vitamin B Boosts Feel-Good Hormones
B vitamins are an important part of your body’s natural calm-down mechanism. Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) is essential for producing your body’s feel-good hormones, named serotonin and dopamine.
B vitamins like Thiamine(B1), Riboflavin(B2), and Niacin (B3) are all needed for your body to convert food into energy. Lack of vitamins can make your body tired and your mind groggy, which can increase anxiety symptoms.
Vitamin B containing foods include:
- Almonds
- Sunflower Seeds
- Eggs
- Chicken
- Turkey
- Milk
4. High-Protein Foods Prevent Anxiety Spikes
Your body needs amino acids (like tryptophan and tyrosine) from proteins to produce compounds like Norepinephrine that make you calm, regulate your mood, and help you sleep. Foods rich in protein regulate blood sugar levels and prevent their fluctuations.
Changes in blood sugar have been known to increase the production of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones trigger irritability and anxiety. By holding your blood sugar levels steady, proteins can decrease stress and anxiety symptoms.
Add these high-protein foods to your diet:
- Lean Beef
- Chicken
- Turkey breast
- Eggs
- Quinoa
- Lentils
- Beans
- Tuna
- Salmon
- Shrimp
3. Probiotic Fermented Foods Make Your Brain Happy
Scientists have discovered that there is a complex connection between your stomach and your brain known as the gut-brain axis. Your stomach contains millions of microbes that help your gut create happiness hormones like serotonin, which boosts your brain’s mood.
Stress kills these microbes, messes up your brain-gut connection, and impacts your mental well-being. Probiotic foods help restore these microbes in your gut and increase the production of feel-good hormones. Fermented foods also strengthen your gut barrier and reduce inflammation caused by stress and anxiety.
Eat more fermented foods like:
- Sauerkraut
- Greek yogurt
- Kimchi
- Kombucha
2. Antioxidants Heal Inner Wounds Caused By Stress And Anxiety
Anxiety creates oxidative stress that damages your brain and impairs normal brain function. Antioxidants hunt down the free radicals that cause oxidative stress and restore the balance of chemicals in your brain.
Long-term stress also leads to chronic inflammation in your body, leading to headaches and muscle pains. Antioxidants heal this inflammation and provide relief from muscle aches.
Antioxidant-packed foods include:
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
- Oranges
- Carrots
- Dark Chocolate
- Leafy Greens (Spinach, Kale)
- Cauliflower
- Cabbage
1. Chamomile Tea Is A Life-Saver
Chamomile contains a flavonoid called apigenin that helps relax your brain quickly. It acts as a natural anti-anxiety medicine and works in your body like many pharmaceutical anxiety drugs do.
Chamomile affects the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis, which is a major part of the body’s stress response system. By influencing the HPA axis, chamomile decreases cortisol production in your body, which drops your stress levels.
A compound found in chamomile known as Chamazulene has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which heal the oxidative damage caused to your body by stress. Chamomile also has a mild sedative effect, which helps you fall asleep faster.
Increase your intake of foods rich in omega-3, magnesium, protein, antioxidants, and B vitamins to manage your stress and reduce anxiety symptoms. Avoid eating foods that increase anxiety and follow a regular sleep schedule to boost your ability to cope with stress.
