Easing Anxiety Naturally with Calming Foods
If you experience bouts of anxiety, you’re not alone. There are a whole lot of people out there who suffer from anxiousness, but do not want to resort to taking anti-anxiety pills. If you are one of these people, you may be delighted to know that there are numerous foods that can help calm anxiety naturally. Well, that’s one less thing to worry about. Who knew eating certain foods could help in such a big way?
Happy? Celebrating? Sad? Stressed? Anxious? Eat chocolate, especially the dark stuff. It reduces cortisol (a stress hormone) and puts you in a better mood by increasing serotonin. I always knew it was more than just dangerously delicious.
What pairs nicely with chocolate? Almonds do. These nuts are full of iron and zinc. Iron keeps your brain from getting tired, which helps to keep you energized and anxiety-free; zinc aids in balancing your mood. Another way to get your zinc fix, and manage stress, is to eat a handful of pumpkin seeds!
There are numerous reasons why superfoods are so, well, super, and here’s another one—they too calm anxiety (such show-offs). Acai berries and blueberries are rich in plant nutrients, antioxidants, and are berry delicious. Yes, I went there. All of those antioxidants relieve stress, while helping the body achieve a calming effect. It looks like no-stress smoothies could become a thing.
Leafy greens, such as Swiss chard, have always had a reputation for being some of the healthiest vegetables. So, it’s no surprise that their high magnesium levels efficiently calm nerves and regulate cortisol levels, which prevents high blood pressure and migraines too.
I know you’ve been told before, but, seriously, eat your complex carbs! Eating foods like oatmeal and quinoa can increase your serotonin levels, and calm you. Surprisingly, seaweed shares many benefits with whole grains. It’s nutritious, rich in magnesium, and has high levels of tryptophan too; tryptophan is the amino acid that’s notorious for making people drowsy after a Thanksgiving feast. By signaling the brain to release serotonin, it calms.
I’ll use any excuse to eat an avocado. Aside from being so, so satisfying, avocadoes reduce stress due to their abundance of B vitamins.
Consuming asparagus will increase the amount of folic acid in your body. As a result, you’ll experience less anxiety and a mood boost.
Next time you’re under the weather, you’ll probably reach for some citrus fruit because it’s packed with vitamin C. Now, you can grab an orange when you’re feeling anxious too. Vitamin C keeps you from being frazzled by lowering cortisol and blood pressure levels.
If you’re anxious, but full, make yourself some tea. Drinking green tea, which is rich in amino acid L-theanine, could have a calming effect. Since it’s known to have numerous other health benefits too, there’s no harm in giving it a go!
Whenever you’re feeling anxious, try out some of these calming foods. I am by no means suggesting that food is the key to solving all of your problems. However, healthy foods can help ease your anxiety naturally.