These 6 Foods Can Help Reduce Stress
Have you ever noticed that you feel forgetful and disorganized when you’re dealing with significant stress? You’re not alone. In fact, studies show that stress affects memory and additional brain functions, such as mood.
The good news – reducing stress may be as easy as grabbing a meal or snack. When we get stressed, we often reach for the wrong, unhealthy comfort foods. However, certain foods do have stress-reducing powers. Here are a few to try when you’re feeling stressed.
1 – Avocados
Finally, an excuse to have an extra helping of guacamole. Avocadoes contain glutathione, which blocks certain fats that can result in oxidative damage in your body. They’re also packed with B vitamins, Vitamin E, folate, lutein, and beta carotene.
2 – Blueberries
Add blueberries to your diet daily to fight stress. They’re rich in vitamin C, which has been shown to combat stress effectively. It helps lower cortisol levels and blood pressure when you’re stressed. Eat them alone as a snack, toss them in a salad, or have them with oatmeal in the morning.
3 – Oatmeal
Oatmeal is a healthy comfort food. It’s warm, familiar, and all those complex carbs result in increased production of serotonin – one of the feel-good chemicals your brain makes. Serotonin offers powerful antioxidant properties and also results in soothing feelings that help reduce stress.
4 – Cashews
While you need to be mindful of portion size on cashews, they’re an excellent snack for reducing stress. They contain zinc, and low levels of zinc have been linked to stress and poor mood. Getting zinc daily is important for combating stress, and a handful of cashews – eaten as a snack or chopped in a stir-fry – does the job.
5 – Walnuts
Walnuts contain omega-3 fatty acids and additional polyphenols that can help fight the damage of stress on the brain, helping to prevent memory loss. Walnuts have even been found to help reverse some of the signs of brain aging. Add to salads or eat them alone.
6 – Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is the perfect indulgence when you’re stressed. Researchers discovered that it benefits individuals dealing with high levels of stress, it improves mood, and even boosts cognitive function. Talk about a win-win!
Don’t let stress take a toll on your brain health. Try adding these foods to your diet to beat the stress. And for additional memory-boosting power, give the top pharmacist-recommended memory supplement a try – Prevagen.
