7 Foods That Fight Stress

Foods That Fight Stress (List)

It’s easy to forget the importance of everything we put into our bodies. What we eat has a critical impact on our health and in turn, our ability to deal with stress.

The main takeaway from this article should be to eat the most nutrient-dense foods possible. Meaning, for every bite you put in your mouth, be sure you are getting important macro-nutrients, vitamins, and minerals.

Here are some foods (note this is just a brief list, there are many more!) that can help alleviate stress:

1. Green Leafy Vegetables

Leafy greens contain a lot of magnesium. Magnesium is an important mineral that has the power to relax muscles.

2. Fish Oil

Fish oil contains essential fatty acids that help with serotonin uptake in the brain. Serotonin makes you feel good mentally and enables your brain to better cope with stress. You can get your fish oil from certain kinds of fish, such as salmon, or from supplements.

Nordic Naturals is a great fish oil supplement.

3. Dark Chocolate

A small piece of dark chocolate each day can actually provide you with many health benefits.

For the specific details on how much and what kind, see The Health Benefits of Chocolate!

4. Meats

Meats can help you combat stress by providing a good source of protein. They also contain necessary amino acids for healthy brain function.

Be sure to choose grass-fed and pasture-raised/free range meats whenever possible.

5. Coffee

Yes, caffeine is a stimulant and there is a risk of developing an unhealthy habit, however moderation is the key. Coffee can help stimulate the brain into working with more energy and efficiency, helping you feel more motivated and less stressed.

If you are under chronic stress and have adrenal fatigue, eliminating caffeine may be helpful though.

6. Nuts

Nuts help you maintain your proper blood sugar. They also contain plenty of the vitamin B complex, which combats fatigue.

7. Spinach

While spinach would obviously be included in #1 above (green leafy vegetables), spinach deserves to also be listed separately.

Spinach is one of the world’s super foods. It contains many vitamins, antioxidants and omega 3’s. This means it would be hard to eat spinach and not feel good!

Vitamins & Supplements

It is always best to get the necessary nutrition from our food, however, vitamin supplements help your body get the nutrients it might be missing.

Standard Process supplements are a favorite because they are derived from whole food sources and do not contain any synthetic vitamins (which can often do more harm than good!).

Remember, if you are under chronic or severe stress, these foods that fight stress is just one component. Adequate sleep, hydration and stress management are also important factor to address!