The 10 Best Foods To Reduce Stress And Achieve Inner Calmness
In this article I will cover the 10 best foods for reducing stress and achieving inner calmness. These foods are the foods that will help you relax, prevent the damage stress has on your body and will get you in a calm mood to help you deal better with any challenges life throws at you.
The foods we choose to consume affect our mental health because of the composition of nutrients they have which bring about chemical changes in our body which affect our brain (chemically and physiologically), and in turn, influence our behavior.
When natural high-carbohydrate foods without the presence of animal protein or fats are consumed, they allow the amino acid tryptophan to flood our brain. Tryptophan is known to have effects on mood, memory, and sociability.
Healthy foods
Tryptophan metabolites include serotonin, a neurotransmitter that boosts mood and reduces stress as well as food cravings. Serotonin plays a role, not only in reduction of stress and even depression but also reduces susceptibility to stress and depression
Serotonin also helps you to tolerate pain and sleep longer and better. And all this happens quickly after consuming the right foods.
The reduction of stress is important due to its direct involvement in one of the biggest sources of mortality in the western world, coronary heart disease (CHD)
Serotonin is associated with physical health as well as a positive mood which both reduce stress and are important predictors of health and longevity.
Studies have reported a positive association between tryptophan rich food consumption and homicide rates and a negative association between dietary tryptophan and suicide rates.
The shows the possibility that the mental health of a population can be improved by increasing the dietary intake of tryptophan. However, foods rich in tryptophan are not enough to de-stress us and improve our mood.
Tryptophan is the least abundant amino acid and therefore, in a protein rich meal, tryptophan is the last amino acid to cross the blood brain barrier. It has to wait its turn after the more common amino acids.
On the other hand, evidence suggests that eating a carbohydrate rich food with enough protein will increase the tryptophan available to the brain because when carbohydrate rich foods are consumed, the body releases insulin, which diverts other amino acids to the muscles but leaves tryptophan untouched.
This provides a better ground for tryptophan to enter the brain and promote its calming effect.
So which foods exert the calming effects of serotonin and help us to reduce stress levels?
Here are the top 10 foods that reduce stress and calm us:
Bananas are great at reducing stress due to their high serotonin and carbohydrate content.
Oats are great for the same reason. They have 120% of the daily recommended intake (DRI) of tryptophan and are rich in carbohydrates.
Vitamin B6 is also involved in the production of serotonin. Stress depletes B6. Foods rich in tryptophan as well as B6 are great for reducing stress and they include:
Spirulina has 300% DRI of tryptophan and 21% DRI of B6
Spinach has 250% DRI of tryptophan and 26% DRI of B6
Sesame seeds have 240% DRI of tryptophan and 20% DRI of B6
Sunflower seeds have 206% DRI of tryptophan and 28% DRI of B6
Soya beans have 205% DRI of tryptophan and 21% DRI of B6. Mushrooms have 150% DRI of tryptophan and are rich in carbohydrates
Broccoli has 140% DRI of tryptophan and 20% DRI of B6
Lentils have 56% DRI of tryptophan and 21% DRI of B6
To summarize:
The 10 best foods that reduce stress and improve mood are:
Bananas
Oats
Spirulina
Spinach
Sesame seeds
Sunflower seeds
Soya beans
Mushrooms
Broccoli
Lentils
So, try not to reach for quick fixes like coffee, or foods that are rich in fat or sugar. Although carbohydrate-rich foods and sweets do boost the release of serotonin in the body, the surge is short-lived, leading to more cravings and more consumption of these foods to get another boost.
At the end of the day, you will have spikes of good feelings throughout the day but most of the day will be high in stress and anxiety and rich in calorie intake. Chocolate also gives an initial sugar and caffeine surge. Caffeine boosts adrenaline production leaving you more stressed than before.
Alcohol can make you feel good in the moment, but it will also disturb sleep patterns, ultimately producing more stress. Salty foods dehydrate the body and brain and increase stress and tiredness.
So, if you want to reduce stress, incorporate the above 10 recommended foods daily into your diet and drink more water. Water hydrates every part of the body and brain and will help you to relax in stressful situations.
By consuming more healthy alternatives, you will be feeling good and will reach less for the unhealthy feel good now, feel bad later foods like coffee, chocolate, alcohol and salt.