Stress is a silent companion that sabotages your life without you noticing! It starts with symptoms you perceive as “normal” because they are very common, but they are not. You frequently have headaches, start forgetting things, don’t sleep well, or if you do sleep, you wake up just as tired, change your mood easily, become much more irritable, and this causes problems with your family, friends, and coworkers. This is when you need to think about taking care of yourself and consider the best option for stress management.

If you have these symptoms, you could be experiencing chronic stress, which keeps your body on alert all the time. Eventually, when you can’t take it anymore, your system simply shuts down, leading to burnout. Nowadays, there’s an alternative to treating it with an anti-stress diet.

Stress Management by Eating: Foods That Calm the Mind and Body

When your body is constantly stressed, the production of serotonin and dopamine, responsible for your mood, well-being, and pleasure, decreases. Therefore, we will focus on foods that naturally increase the production of these neurotransmitters to develop an effective anti-stress diet. There are so many varieties of foods to create delicious dishes; all you need is a bit of creativity to mix and enjoy them.

And if you share these meals with loved ones, the results will be even better and faster! You don’t have to consume them all at once, just include two of the foods we’ll mention in each of your main meals. It’s that simple for stress management. Let’s learn about products and foods that are productive in an anti-stress diet:

Foods rich in Omega 3: This compound is found in salmon, a variety of nuts like almonds, macadamia nuts, pecans, cashews, pistachios, pine nuts, and chia seeds.

Finding a wild salmon supplier can be challenging, and we can’t guarantee low mercury contamination levels. If you fear heavy metal exposure, nuts and seeds are your best choice.

A holistic wellness center considers these factors for your anti-stress diet.

Similarly, chia seeds are versatile; they can be used in pudding by hydrating them with your preferred liquid and adding delicious fruits, or you can add nuts for an excellent way to start the day, and best of all, apply a stress management process.

Citrus fruits: Vitamin C naturally reduces cortisol, directly responsible for stress, making them essential for an anti-stress diet. For example, a perfect mid-morning snack includes fruits like oranges, tangerines, lemons, grapefruits, strawberries, papaya, pineapple, or guava. Breakfasts are crucial in holistic wellness care.

Lots of green leafy vegetables, please: The fresher, the better. If it’s not your favorite food, you can process them into a green juice, and consuming them both ways is perfect. They are rich in magnesium, a crucial mineral for muscle relaxation and nerve function.

They are high in folates (vitamin B9), essential for increasing serotonin and dopamine production. Therefore, a spinach salad, a green smoothie with celery, or rice with Swiss chard are recipes that should not be missing.

Whole grains: Brown rice, oats, and quinoa. These products are high in fiber and offer numerous benefits. They lower blood sugar levels, directly affecting mood; balanced sugar levels mean a balanced mood, improving stress management. Additionally, they enhance gut health, and if you didn’t know, the gut directly affects your mental health through the gut-brain axis. A healthy gut, a healthy mind.

Lean proteins: We’re looking for an amino acid called tryptophan. Amino acids are the compounds that form proteins. By consuming high-quality proteins, you’ll find this amino acid, crucial for producing serotonin and dopamine, essential in an anti-stress diet.

If you’re vegetarian or vegan, don’t worry; you can find this amino acid in fermented soy products like tofu. So, there’s tryptophan for all tastes.

Fermented foods: These are delicious and very healthy. They help with stress management and gut health. If you have a dysbiosis problem (change in the gut microbiota), this group of foods deserves your attention: yogurt, kefir, kombucha, and kimchi, among others.

The advantage is that they are products you keep in your refrigerator, ready to consume at any time, accompanying a main meal or as a snack during the day. Let the bacteria in these foods work for you; they produce serotonin and GABA, involved in mood stabilization and anxiety reduction, so they shouldn’t be overlooked in an appropriate anti-stress diet.

Green tea: You can consume it hot or cold; L-Theanine relaxes you from mind to muscles, making it ideal for keeping at work and using as a hydration source. The advantage is that it relaxes you without making you sleepy, so it doesn’t affect your productivity, crucial for stress management.

Dark chocolate: Thanks to its flavonoids and magnesium, it’s called the source of happiness. Avoid highly processed products or those rich in sugar because they won’t give you the desired effect. Mix it with strawberries or your favorite fruit, and you’ll immediately notice the difference, feeling better control over stress management.

Bananas: An anti-stress diet always includes foods rich in vitamin B6 and tryptophan. Consume them in puree, soups, baked, or even in preparations like pancakes or waffles, starting your day on the right foot.

Avocado: The most versatile fruit in the world, you can consume it savory or sweet, and both ways are delicious; fresh in salad, grilled with vegetables, or as guacamole. Avocado is rich in monounsaturated fats and vitamin B, helping regulate serotonin levels as previously mentioned. Always consume it with stress management in mind.

Legumes: Beans of all kinds, lentils, and chickpeas; are rich in magnesium and vitamin B, making them perfect for modulating a diet focused on stress control.

As you can see, there are many options to choose from. Ensure your suppliers or the place where you shop are of high quality. Research recipes, play with ingredients, and start enjoying. Another option is joining a holistic wellness center like Mountains of Hope, where we have ideal processes for stress management.

Understand that with healthy eating, it will take time to notice the effects. It won’t be from the first day; the most significant change will be seen three weeks after consuming them, with a robust anti-stress diet.

At Mountains of Hope, we ensure to include these types of foods in all our programs. We are convinced they are a fundamental part of our treatment; hence, we have our own organic garden. We guarantee the availability of fresh, high-quality products from the garden to the plate, helping you understand what an anti-stress diet is.

Learn more details. You’re one click away from transforming your life and entering a new phase of eating. Contact us now!