Food that can help with stress and anxiety

Thanksgiving is a week away and face it, Christmas is not much farther away. Not only are holidays stressful but people face stress through work, family, finances, health, everything in life causes stress. So I thought I would pull together some information from a couple different websites about different foods and drinks that help with stress and decrease the bad side affects of stress. It's the cortisol that stress creates that causes us to hold the weight, or gain the weight so if we can get some foods in us that help us decrease the bad stuff of stress and anxiety and also know the foods to avoid, maybe it will help all of us in our weight loss journey! By any means this is not from a nutritionist, or doctor it's from 3 websites that were recognizable websites. HOwever, most of the food listed are healthy foods anyways, and they are telling you the benefits of these foods. I have also heard some of these foods from a natiopath (spelling not sure if that is correct) I just met with because I do deal with stress and anxiety regularly.


Stress-Reducing Foods:Foods rich in vitamin B: These include clams, lentils, chickpeas and quinoa. Foods high in vitamin B have a calming effect on the body, helping to melt away feelings of stress and anxiety and enhance your mood.

Papayas: Fruits and vegetables with orange and yellow pigments are generally going to contribute vitamins A and C, as well as folate, which helps enhance the mood.

Red bell peppers: These contain vitamins A and C and folate, which help give you more energy and repair cell damage caused by stress.

Basil and arugula: These stress-reducing herbs are a great source of folate and add great flavor to healthy dishes.

Sunflower seeds: These contain vitamin E and folate to enhance your mood.

Peaches The peach includes phytonutrients that can give you healthier skin and fight cancer. It also has a natural sedative that can help reduce stress and anxiety. Plus since peaches are sweet they make a great healthy alternative to sugary treats.
Acacia berries The acacia berry has phytonutrients that are able to lift your mood, allowing you to feel better. It also offers other health benefits, such as leveling out your blood sugar levels. This has caused some to advertise it as a magic weight loss berry as well. While leveling out your blood sugar can help reduce food cravings, it is also important to remember that real weight loss will occur only with a change in diet and exercise routine.
 Blueberries can help to not only improve your mood, but there are also some studies looking at how it can combat Alzheimer's disease. Blueberries can help restore brain function and shrink cancer cells. Plus the natural fruit sugars are a great source of energy. Blueberries make for a great snack and can be added to cereals, yogurts, or even eaten plain.
Almonds If you are looking for a super food that is not sweet, then almonds are a good choice. Almonds are rich in zinc and vitamin B12, making them real mood enhancers. They also contain monounsaturated fat, an essential ingredient for fighting heart disease. If you have trouble getting iron in your diet, almonds can help with this. And since low levels of iron often cause fatigue, a handful of almonds can give you that energy boost that you need to get through the day.
Beverages:

Replace your coffee with decaffeinated tea to promote relaxation. Caffeine acts as a stimulant (also found in colas and chocolate). Decaffeinated herbal tea may be the best choice since some herbs offer soothing properties. Try chamomile, passionflower, rosemary or valerian tea. Chamomile, in particular, is recognized as a natural relaxant and stomach soother. What about the famous soothing cup of warm milk? Well, milk is rich in tryptophan, an amino acid necessary to produce serotonin. It is also an excellent source of calcium, which is involved in muscle contraction and relaxation, as well as blood pressure regulation. Thus, milk may prove to be truly calming.

Chocolate is another super food, though we are not talking about your average candy bar. Raw chocolate is rich in magnesium, an essential element that over half of adults are deficient in. A lack of magnesium can explain sluggishness and mood swings. Sadly, when most people think of chocolate they reach for the sugar and fat-laden processed varieties. To get the true health benefits of chocolate, you want to look for options that are processed as little as possible and contain the highest cocoa percentages. (think of it this way, buy a choclate bar, and look for this, a good quality one, break it into 1 oz pieces, and use it as a reward! you can even eat it daily for the benefits! lol, Jennifer Hudson does! Read her book!)
Maca root is a powder made from a Peruvian root and can be found in certain supplements and drink mixes. Maca root contains a phytonutrient that can help ward off anxiety and depression, provided that you can find the unprocessed form. In its natural state, just one glass of tea containing maca root has more nutrients than a serving of most fruits and vegetables, including the nutrients calcium, iodine, iron, magnesium, and potassium.
Some studies have found that maca root is just as useful at fighting depression as prescription antidepressants since it contains so many nutrients that are useful for improving mood. Plus since maca root is natural it does not have as many of the risks and side effects that are associated with prescription anxiety medication. Maca root powder can be made into a tea of sprinkled over other foods to give you the maximum health benefits.


Foods to Avoid:

• Caffeinated beverages: Caffeine can cause anxiety and raise stress hormone levels.
• Trans fatty acids: Found in sweets like cakes, pies and cookies, trans fats compromise the immune system, which causes more stress on the body and also increases your risk for heart disease.
• Sugar: Sugar causes spikes in blood sugar levels, which robs your adrenal glands of their ability to control stress hormones and protect the body against stress.
• Alcohol: Excessive alcohol consumption adds more sugar to your diet and, again, is harmful to the adrenal glands, which protect you against stress.
• Fried foods