We need to eat good food for good health. Food doesn’t just affect your body’s health, but also your mind’s health. There are natural remedies for stress that are simple, healthy ways to cut down the stress and anxiety in your life, and help promote a healthier, happier you. Check out these whole foods that can help you naturally heal your mind and body.
Natural Remedies For Stress
Oysters
Oysters are a great seafood for stress relief. First of all, like fatty fish, oysters are a great source of omega-3. Oysters are also the greatest natural source of zinc you can find. Zinc is important for healing the body. It is crucial for hormone production and regulation. A good, healthy hormone balance can be the difference between being stressed, anxious, and depressed, verses being happy, and mentally thriving. Oysters are also a great aphrodisiac, boosting sex-drive and fertility. This can be another natural method of stress relief.
Fermented Foods
Hippocrates once said, “All diseases begin in the gut.” This is at least in part true when it comes to mental health too. If the gut isn’t working properly, the body can’t get the nutrients it needs to feed the body and brain. This can lead to hormonal and nutrient imbalances that lead to inflammation, and can influence mood and behaviour.
One way to heal the gut is through fermented food. Fermented foods and vegetables are great sources of probiotics. Probiotics are good bacteria that heal the gut and can heal the mind. One probiotic found in these foods is Lactobacillus rhamnosus. It affects GABA levels in the brain, which have been shown to reduce the stress hormone cortiocosterone. Most people think of yogurt when they look to add probiotics to their diet. Unfortunately most store bought yogurt is too low in probiotics to truly be beneficial. If you can find a good raw yogurt it is going to be higher in probiotics, but in general fermented foods are the way to fill your diet with these healthy bacteria. Kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, and kimchi are all great examples of fermented foods you can add to your diet to heal your gut.
Seeds
Many seeds, like pumpkin seeds, are a great source of magnesium. Magnesium is needed for neurotransmitters like serotonin. You need magnesium to calm the body. Magnesium deficiency can result in anxiety, panic attacks, and depression.
Another benefit is the zinc found in seeds. Zinc is used for hormone regulation. As mentioned above, zinc decreases stress, anxiety, and improves mood and sex drive.
Winter squash
Omega-3 is so important for the body, but most good sources of it come from animals. Winter squash is one way to add some omega-3 to your diet from a vegan source. Winter squashes include pumpkin, butternut squash, and acorn squash.
They are also good sources of folate and magnesium. Magnesium helps regulate hormones, and folate helps produce the happy, calming hormones our body needs to deal with stress. They are also a good source of vitamin C and other antioxidants that help boost your immune system, and heal your body from the damages caused by stress.
Bell Peppers
Bell peppers are a great way to boost your immune system when you’re stressed. They are an incredible source of sugar-free vitamin C, and will help with stress recovery. Stress quickly depletes the body of vitamin C, possibly the most important nutrient for the body. Most vitamin C rich foods are high in sugar, but bell peppers have next to no sugar in them. They are also rich in antioxidants that contribute to boosting your health and healing your body. If you’re stressed you will definitely want to add some bell peppers to your diet to help recover from the wear stress has on the body.
Beets
Beetroot, or beet juice, is another super healthy whole food that’ll help alleviate stress and anxiety. Beets are a good source of both folate and magnesium. Folate is important for producing dopamine and serotonin. The body uses magnesium to increase serotonin levels, which augments happiness and reduces stress.
Beet juice is a super healthy way to maximize the number of nutrients you’re getting from this veggie. Cooking/boiling beets can kill off a lot of these important mood-enhancing nutrients, so juicing the beets preserves the nutrients and gives you optimum benefits.
Nuts
Nuts have many therapeutic effects that make them great for relieving stress. While almonds are probably the healthiest overall nut, Brazil nuts, cashews, chestnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pistachios, pine nuts, and walnuts all have stress-fighting nutrients and antioxidants.
Almonds are a great source of B vitamins that help fight anxiety, and magnesium which helps keep cortisol at low levels. Cortisol is a stress hormone, so naturally too much of it is not a good thing.
Walnuts are especially good at reducing inflammation. They are also rich in omega-3 and antioxidants.
Pistachios have been shown to reduce chest constriction when stressed, helping you breath, and get the oxygen your body needs to relax. It is also important because stress can be a large factor in heart failure. Pistachios can help dilate your arteries, keeping them open and lowering your risk of heart failure.
On top of all of this, shelling nuts can have a stress reducing, therapeutic effect. Continuous rhythmic activities that keep your hands busy have been shown to help reduce stress and anxiety. This could be a good activity, mixed with a good whole food that will help reduce stress in your life, and provide you with many important nutrients.
Disclaimer: Depression and anxiety are serious illnesses. While eating a good diet is important for mental health, it is also important to talk to your doctor if you are living with anxiety and depression.
