Foods that fight stress

It is better to eat foods that naturally provide the kind of raw energy your body can use to maintain healthy energy and stress levels.

Oatmeal

Carbohydrates help your body produce serotonin, a hormone that naturally fights the negative effects of stress. Choose healthy carbohydrates like organic oatmeal, which also offers a good serving of dietary fiber that will help keep you feeling full for longer. 

Avocados

Everyone’s favorite green, fleshy, fatty fruit is one of Mother Nature’s best stress fighters.

Rich in glutathione, a substance that specifically blocks intestinal absorption of certain fats that cause oxidative damage, avocados also contain lutein, beta-carotene, vitamin E, and more folate than any other fruit.

Avocados are also full of B complex vitamins, another natural positive energy booster. 

Salmon (and Other Fatty Fish)

Another food high in those good-for-you fats known as omega-3s, salmon can help reverse symptoms of stress in your body.

Omega-3s can help boost serotonin levels. A diet high in omega-3s can also help suppress anxiety-causing hormones like cortisol.

Try salmon, trout, sardines, herring or anchovies to have omega-3s.

Black Tea

Another great cortisol blocker, black tea is known as a calming, relaxing and stress-fighting beverage.

Take a tip from the ancients to kick your anxiety to the curb with a fresh cup of black tea (hot or cold). As an added bonus, it may also improve your memory and help get rid of headaches.

All the Berries

Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries are all naturally high in vitamin C, a natural stress fighter linked to lower blood pressure and lower cortisol levels. Blueberries in particular are also high in anthocyanin, a special kind of antioxidant that is linked to improved cognition and mental power. 

Nuts and Seeds

Nuts and seeds will also help you fight off stress.

Cashews offer a natural source of zinc (low levels of which have been linked to anxiety and stress). Walnuts may help you lower blood pressure (which anyone dealing with high levels of stress. And seeds like sunflower seeds provide folate, which helps your body produce dopamine, the pleasure hormone.

Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate helps elevate your mood and reduce anxiety.

It also may help lower blood pressure, and it contains more antioxidant polyphenols and flavonols than some highly touted fruit juices.