8 Stress Reducing Foods
Stress is a physiological response that happens in the body in response to a stressor. Normally we associate stress with a hard job, difficult family problems, busy schedules, or hard exams, but we can become stressed due to imbalances in the body not necessarily caused by those external factors. Nutrient imbalances, blood sugar increases, and low hormone levels can all lead to stress. It is important to understand that stress is not always just a product of a stressful lifestyle and that sometimes the stress you feel is an indicator something is imbalanced internally. When these imbalances occur our cortisol production is increased from the adrenal glands, which sets off a cascade of negative effects in our body. Luckily there are stress reducing foods that can ease the cortisol imbalances.
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1. Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds are another one of the stress reducing foods because they are so high in magnesium. Across the nation, about 68% of Americans are found to consume less than the recommended daily intake of magnesium, many of these cases go unrecognized in clinical medicine because levels are rarely evaluated. Magnesium plays a crucial role in the production of your hormones and can help to balance the stress response. Magnesium is a mineral responsible for over 300 metabolic reactions within the body. In addition, you can think of magnesium as our calming and relaxing mineral. It helps to loosen tight muscles, maintain the health of our muscle tissue, including the heart – the most important muscle, prevent migraine headaches, balance blood sugar, and ease the stress response. The effect on stress is due to our brain’s sensitivity to magnesium, specifically the limbic–hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenocortical axis which controls emotions, and our nervous system. Magnesium can also reduce the release of adrenocorticotropic hormone from the pituitary gland in the brain, and this hormone controls the production of cortisol in your adrenal glands. By consuming magnesium you decrease the internal stress response.
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2. Citrus Fruits
Citrus fruits like oranges, lemon, lime, and grapefruit all contain Vitamin C making them stress reducing foods. Vitamin C is very potent in the citrus family and is known for its antioxidant effects. Stress can be acute and internal due to too many free radicals, which are highly reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the body that cause inflammation. Antioxidants fight these ROS in the body which helps to decrease stress levels. One study found vitamin C to be important in the mitigation of stress and anxiety markers by decreasing heart rate and blood pressure.
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3. Grass-fed Beef
Grass-fed beef is one of the stress reducing foods because it is high in vitamin B12. Vitamin B12 is another one of the most common deficiencies in America with about 50% of the population being deficient. B12 has many functions in numerous metabolic reactions in the body. A study found that B12 deficient mice had increased anxiety and learning deficits compared to the control group. This is due to a mechanism in B12 where it influences the clearance of homocysteine in the blood. Homocysteine is an amino acid produced when proteins are broken down, but at elevated levels, it is called hyperhomocysteinemia which is damaging. These high levels are not good for the body because it can degrade the arterial lining.
4. Brazil Nuts
Brazil nuts are high in selenium making them one of the stress reducing foods. Selenium is a mineral that has really vital antioxidant effects similar to vitamin C. Selenium is also very efficient at balancing reproductive hormones. When estrogen and progesterone are not in their respective healthy ranges, this can create mood swings, fatigue and lead to increased stress levels. Selenium can detoxify excess estrogen that recirculates in the body which it should be excreted.
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5. SALMON
Salmon is another one of the stress reducing foods because it is high in vitamin D. For those who do not live in sunny climates, vitamin D deficiency is more common because the most bioavailable source of vitamin D is through the sunlight. Vitamin D aids in reducing stress because of its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It also has neurotrophic factors which are small proteins that aid in the brain functioning by regulating neurons. This connection is made because the part of the brain called the hypothalamus among others were found to have high levels of vitamin D receptors, which are areas where vitamin D is supposed to be supplied and activated. Studies have found that high levels of anxiety and stress were associated with lower vitamin D levels.
6. Coconut Yogurt
Coconut yogurt is a non-dairy version of yogurt that contains probiotics, making it one of the stress reducing foods. Many individuals have a sensitivity to dairy, meaning that when consumed some people can have an inflammatory response to the casein protein which increases stress. So this is why coconut yogurt is a beneficial alternative to still get probiotics. Probiotics are live bacteria that are in the food that adds to the gut microbiota diversity in your large intestine. A large systematic review found that probiotics are beneficial in reducing depressive symptoms, and reducing negative mood responses. This is rationalized because there is a connection between the gut and brain, through the vagus nerve. When the gut is in distress, it can send signals to the brain which evoke stress, anxiety, or depression. The gut also produces many of the same neurotransmitters that the brain does that contribute to mood like serotonin, dopamine, and GABA.
Source: 31263542, Harvard Health
7. Lean Protein
Lean protein like chicken, fish, and tofu do not contain a lot of fat and are stress reducing foods. In the body, protein gets broken down into amino acids which are the building blocks for our tissues, hormones, and neurotransmitters. Serotonin, one of the feel-good neurotransmitters is produced by the essential amino acid tryptophan. Tryptophan gets converted into 5-HTP which then results in serotonin production. After just a one week trial, a study found that participants who consumed a tryptophan source of protein in addition to a carbohydrate source had the most benefit in reducing stress symptoms.
Phenylalanine is an amino acid that aids in the production of endorphins. Endorphins are usually the neurotransmitters we associate with a ‘runners high’. These endorphins help us feel relaxed and happy which is one of the reasons exercise is shown to be beneficial for stress, but phenylalanine is an amino acid that can play a similar role in producing endorphins.
Tyrosine is another amino acid that is a nutrient for stress. This is because tyrosine is a precursor to many of the neurotransmitters in the brain like dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine. All of these neurotransmitters aid in alleviating stress.
Finally, L-theanine is another amino acid that is one of the nutrients for stress. In a 4 week trial, the group administered L-Theanine had significantly reduced stress symptoms than the control. This is due to the psychoactive effects of L-Theanine because it can act as an agonist for the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, meaning that it can inhibit the molecules that want to bind to the receptor. One of these molecules is glutamate. Glutamate is a powerful neurotransmitter that helps to send signals from one nerve cell to another. When glutamate is too high then you can experience stress because of the overstimulation of nerve cell signals.
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8. SHELLFISH
Shellfish is high in omega-3 fatty acids making them one of the stress reducing foods. Essential means we must get it from food because our body won’t make it itself. Omega 3s are forms of healthy polyunsaturated fats. There are 3 main types of omega-3s: DHA, EPA, and ALA. The usable form that the body needs is DHA and EPA – the best food sources are fish like salmon, mackerel, trout, and sardines. Microalgae is really the only good plant-based source of DHA/EPA, which can be found in supplemental form.
While we hear about omega-3s in nuts and seeds like chia seeds, flaxseeds, and walnuts, this is the ALA form of omega 3s. ALA is not readily used in the body as is, it must be first converted into DHA and EPA but this conversion percentage is very low, about 10%, so it is more beneficial to consume omega 3s in the DHA and EPA form.
From a correlational standpoint, countries with higher daily intakes of omega 3s have a lower incidence of mood disorders like bipolar, depression, and anxiety which are linked with stress. This makes sense with the mechanisms of omega 3s because the brain is enriched with omega 3 consumption by increasing optimal neurotransmitter production like serotonin and dopamine, two of our feel-good mood chemicals. Omega 3s are one of the nutrients for stress because, in a 12-week study of medical students who took omega 3s daily, they found up to a 20% decrease in stress symptoms compared to a placebo group. Another mechanism of omega 3s is that they have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that aid in reducing free radicals in the body. Free radicals are highly reactive compounds that cause internal damage and inflammation in the body. If free radicals are maintained in the body for extended periods of time this can cause fatigue and anxiety because the body is under chronic internal stress.
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