Eat Your Stress Away the Healthy Way

Everyone has stress in their lives at some point or another. But it's how you deal with it is what matters most. Improper coping or handling of stress often leads to other health issues. Did you know that 43% of adults suffer adverse health effects from stress? Stress can lead to headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, skin conditions, asthma, arthritis, depression, anxiety, and the list can go on...

There are lots of ways to reduce stress naturally. One of my favorites is exercise. Getting your heart rate up and breaking a little sweat helps boost those feel-good endorphins and takes your mind away from daily woes. Regular exercise can improve sleep which is often disrupted from stress and anxiety. It also will improve your self confidence from positive results in turn improving your mood.

Sometimes you might not have time to exercise or maybe it's just not enough to relieve your stress. Well there are foods you can opt for that actually help decrease stress. So pay closer attention to what you eat, it can be beneficial to your mental health as well as your physical health.

Here's a list of stress-reducing foods:

• Oatmeal: Boosts serotonin levels, a calming brain chemical.
• Oranges, Berries: Vitamin C helps control your levels of stress hormones while strengthening the immune system.
• Spinach, Soybeans, Salmon: They each restore magnesium levels, which too little can mean headaches and fatigue, compounding the effects of stress.
• Tuna, Salmon: High omega-3 fatty acids help avoid increases in stress hormones while fighting off depression.
• Black Tea: Helps you feel calmer and lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol.
• Pistachios, Almonds, Walnuts: Help protect against stress while lowering cholesterol and reducing inflammation.
• Milk: Calcium can help relieve anxiety and mood swings to help calm you before bed.
• Asparagus: Folate helps you keep your cool, so when you're stressed you can chill out.
• Turkey: Tryptophan signals the brain to release the feel-good chemical serotonin to onset calmness and tiredness. 

Eating your stress away doesn't mean opting for the true comfort food of chocolate, chips, high calories, or tons of fat. It means going for the smarter food choice. One that contains vitamins or minerals that naturally fight the effects of stress. Eating fatty foods will only worsen your mood when you start packing on the pounds. So be smart and fight the urge to eat a poor diet...your mental health depends on it too!

What foods do you like to eat to reduce stress? What works and what doesn't work for you?