Stressed Out? The 10 Best Foods that Reduce Stress

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When you’re stressed out, the foods that you’re turning to are most likely going to be traditional ‘comfort’ foods. Think big meals, take-out, fatty foods, sweet foods, and alcohol. So what are the best foods that reduce stress?

Let’s face it – we’ve all found some comfort in a tasty meal and a bottle of beer or glass of wine when we’ve been stressed out or upset about something. However, this isn’t a good permanent solution.

When you’re turning to unhealthy foods you can feel better temporarily, but in the long run, you will feel worse.

When your body isn’t getting the right nutrition, you can begin to feel less energetic, more lethargic, and in some cases less able to concentrate and focus. All of this can lead to even more stress.

Foods that Reduce Stress

If you’ve been feeling more stressed out than usual lately, you’re not alone. So what can we do?

It’s important to know which foods are best to choose and which to avoid when it comes to combating stress and helping you to deal with feelings of stress and anxiety.

The best way to fight stress is to have a healthy, balanced diet which includes a moderate amount of each of the different food groups.

Filling up on foods that reduce stress such as whole grains, leafy vegetables, and lean proteins as the basic staples of the diet is the best way to ensure that your body gets the optimum amounts of nutrients to fight both physical and mental health problems.

When it comes to choosing the foods to eat, some have a range of great properties that help the body to combat stress. Choosing these stress-busting foods will help to heal and calm your mind permanently, rather than providing a temporary fix.

Some of the best foods that reduce stress:

Avocado

Those who know me know I LOVE avocados! One of my friends even bought me a couple of shirts so I could openly express my love for these incredible super fruits!

I don’t have time to go over allll of the incredible health benefits here but if you are not eating avocado daily then it’s time to start.

Not only do these mighty fruits add a huge dose of healthy fats and fiber to your day but they fight off stress.

Avocados are a creamy and versatile fruit! They can be eaten in a range of different ways whether you enjoy it raw, made into sauces, dressings, and dips, or in a smoothie.

These nutrient-dense fruits have the properties to stress-proof your body. Thanks to their high glutathione content which specifically blocks the intestinal absorption of certain fats which causes oxidative damage.

Avocados also contain higher levels of vitamin E, folate, and beta-carotene than any other fruit, which boosts their stress-busting properties.

EASY WAYS TO EAT AVOCADO:

My daughter eats avocado raw and straight up with at least one meal a day. She LOVES them.

My family loves guacamole any place, any time.

I love throwing half of an avocado into my morning smoothie.

• 1/2 apple
• 1/2 pear
• 1/4 avocado
• 1 handful leafy greens
• 8 ozs unsweetened almond/coconut milk

I use Califia Farms Toasted Coconut Almond Milk Blend

The avocado will make this smoothie suuuuper creamy so you may need to add some water after blending.

Blueberries

If you’re feeling stressed out and reaching for the snacks, swapping chocolate or chips for one of the best superfoods is a great way to help you deal with your stress levels and achieve a higher level of calm.

Blueberries have some of the highest levels of antioxidants, especially anthocyanin, which means that this berry has been linked to a wide range of health benefits including sharper cognition, better focus, and a clearer mind – all of which can help you to better deal with stress.

EASY WAYS TO EAT BLUEBERRIES:

Leave a bowl of blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries in your fridge for easy access.

When my sweet tooth is calling or it’s time for a healthy snack I simply open my fridge and there they are.

Dessert: add some whipped cream to the berry mix as a delicious and healthy dessert. Check out this healthy whipped cream recipe.

PRO TIP: Each Sunday I grab several snack-sized food bags, my food scale, and the berries. I weight 3.5-4 ozs (equivalent to one serving) out and place them into the snack bags then into the fridge.

This provides easy snacks for the week while on the go.

Chamomile Tea

Of course, it’s not all about what you’re eating when it comes to managing stress; what you’re drinking can also alleviate or worsen the stress you’re feeling.

Drinking liquids that are high in sugars and caffeine, such as coffee, energy drinks, or soda, can actually increase your stress levels if consumed regularly.

Chamomile tea has long been used as a natural bedtime soother, and it has also been used in clinical trials, which determined that chamomile tea is effective in reducing the symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder.

EASY WAYS TO DRINK CHAMOMILE

I’m not a big tea drinker but I am LOVING this brand new tea.

• Chamomile
• Hibiscus
• Lavender

The combination is straight up dreamy

Chocolate

Although it’s usually seen as an unhealthy treat, there is an undeniable link between chocolate and our mood.

Studies have shown that eating chocolate can actually make you happier. However, that doesn’t mean that you can start munching on chocolate bars every time you’re stressed out – chocolate works best as a de-stressor when eaten in moderation and as part of a healthy and balanced diet.

Dark chocolate in particular is best for you, as it contains more flavonols and polyphenols, two hugely important antioxidants that can help combat stress, more than many fruit juices.

EASY WAY TO EAT HEALTHY CHOCOLATE

Packed with great-tasting, wholesome, natural ingredients

Nutrilite™ Wellness Bars are made with wholesome ingredients that taste delicious. Bars are conveniently portable, making them a great grab-and-go option for the whole family. Help satisfy cravings with the rich, nutty, dark chocolate flavor with an abundance of crunchy almonds and peanuts.

• Non-GMO
• Gluten-free
• No artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.
• 200 Calories
• 8g of Protein

Beef

Grass-fed beef is not only kinder to the planet and to animals, but it’s also good for people, too.

Grass-fed beef has a huge range of antioxidants, including beta-carotene and Vitamins C and E, which can help your body to fight stress and anxiety.

If you’re looking for more reasons to spend a little more money on organic, grass-fed beef, it’s also lower in fat than grain-fed beef whilst being higher in omega-3.

EASY WAYS TO EAT BEEF

15-Minute Go-To Healthy Beef and Broccoli (Better Than Takeout!)

Queso Dip With Ground Beef (No Velveeta Needed!)

Oatmeal

Oatmeal is great in that it can be a filling comfort food, but also has a large number of healthy properties to actually make you feel better from the inside out.

A complex carbohydrate, eating oatmeal causes your brain to produce higher levels of the feel-good chemical serotonin, helping you to feel calmer and less stressed.

Studies have shown that kids who choose oatmeal for breakfast tend to be much sharper throughout the morning in school compared to kids who had alternative morning meals.

EASY WAYS TO EAT OATMEAL

These are tasty, quick, and easy on the go packets of healthy steel cut oatmeal.

Steel cut oatmeal is a much better option than rolled oats.

PRO TIP: On Sundays, I make a big batch of homemade oatmeal to have in the fridge for those busy weekday mornings when my kids are running out the door for summer football workouts or early school mornings.

I quadruple this recipe for my family of 6.

• 1/2 cup dry steel-cut oats*
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 Granny Smith apple with skin, chopped
• 1/4 cup almond milk, plain
• 1/4 cup chopped raw walnuts*
• Cinnamon to taste

In morning, heat over medium until the mixture is creamy (5-10 mins), remove from heat, add apple, milk, and walnuts, stir, and serve.

*soak oats, water, and salt overnight. This will reduce your cooking time by 20 minutes.

*soak walnuts overnight. All raw nuts should be soaked overnight before use.

Speaking of walnuts…

Walnuts

If you’re looking for a healthy snacking option that will help you to stay better in control of your stress levels, walnuts are a great choice.

There is no denying the sweet, pleasant flavor of walnuts. They can be a tasty snack for in-between meals or as part of a desert.

EASY WAYS TO EAT WALNUTS

A versatile nut, walnuts are great for salads or add them to a sweet treat such as coffee and walnut cake.

Or just make the delicious oatmeal recipe above, which includes walnuts.

Pistachios

Another food that is great for snacking on and can also help to combat stress and anxiety in the long term is pistachios.

Studies have found that simply eating two small, snack-size portions of pistachios per day can lower vascular constriction when you are stressed, putting less pressure on your heart by further dilating your arteries.

Along with this, the rhythmic, repetitive act of shelling pistachios can actually be quite therapeutic!

EASY WAYS TO EAT PISTACHIOS

Grab your snack bags, food scale, and pistachios. Weight out 1 oz and put into bags for easy on the go smart snacking.

Did you know that one serving of pistachios is about 49 nuts, which is the largest serving size of any nut mix?

Green Leafy Vegetables

Leafy, green vegetables should be a pivotal part of anyone’s diet. Along with helping to combat stress, leafy greens are full of nutrients and antioxidants which help to fight off disease and leave your body feeling healthier and more energized.

Dark leafy greens, for example, spinach, are especially good for you since they are rich in folate, which helps your body to produce more mood-regulating neurotransmitters such as serotonin, which is a ‘feel-good’ chemical.

Making leafy greens a part of your diet will help you to feel happier and less stressed out overall.

EASY WAYS TO EAT LEAFY GREENS

Salads, side salad with your meal, sandwiches on whole-grain bread or tortillas, or in a smoothie. You can include leafy greens to anything and everything!

Fermented foods

Last but not least, eating fermented foods such as yogurt can help to keep your gut healthy, which actually in turn will help to improve your mental health and reduce stress levels.

The beneficial bacteria which are found in fermented foods such as yogurt actually have a direct effect on your brain chemistry. They can transmit positive mood and behavior regulating signals to your brain via the vagus nerve.

CAUTION

The food industry has mastered the art of turning healthy food into junk food without us knowing. Be so careful when choosing a yogurt to eat.

Check out this article How to Choose The Best Yogurt for Your Health

EASY WAYS TO EAT FERMENTED FOODS

I like to take Fage Total Nonfat Greek Strained Yogurt and add any of the following:

• berries
• pure vanilla (or vanilla Stevia drops)
• cinnamon (or cinnamon Stevia drops)
• granola

Putting Together Your Stress Fighting Eating Plan

Planning your meals wisely is key to not only staying physically fit and healthy but also to staying mentally strong and being able to best manage your levels of stress.

Knowing which foods to avoid and which are the best to reach for to snack on when you’re feeling worried and anxious is important to helping you get control over your emotions and fears.

Check out the 16 Ways to Battle Stress and Anxiety from the Inside Out.

When you’re feeling stressed, you may be tempted to reach for classic ‘comfort foods’ – usually foods which are laden with sugar, very starchy, or greasy. However, although these foods can make you feel momentarily better, they will actually make you feel worse in the long run.

Having stress-busting snacks such as fresh berries, dark chocolate, yogurt, walnuts or pistachios, or even a fruit smoothie with avocado and leafy greens in it can help you to feel better in both the short and long term when it comes to stress.

When it comes to combating and dealing with stress in the long run, it’s important to make sure that for the most part, you are eating a diet that is healthy and balanced.

Stay on Track

In order to stay on track, it’s a good idea to make a meal plan for your week. Plan ahead to make sure that you have a good selection of these stress-busting foods in your kitchen to make meals and snacks from when you’re feeling like stress-eating.

Be sure to grab your STRESS FIGHTING FOODS GUIDE which includes these 10 stress-fighting foods along with a Meal Planning Guide and Food / Mood Tracker.

Send Me The Guide

Making sure that the majority of your meals include foods such as lean proteins and leafy green vegetables. This will not only make you feel healthier overall but can improve your mental health and stress levels, too.

A good example of a healthy, stress-busting menu would be:

• Breakfast: Oatmeal with berries or a fruit smoothie with avocado and berries
• Mid-morning snack: Natural yogurt with fruit or a handful of pistachio nuts
• Lunch: A whole-grain pasta salad filled with plenty of leafy greens
• Afternoon snack: Dark chocolate
• Dinner: Grass-fed beef with vegetables
• Before bed: Chamomile tea

Of course, you don’t need to stick to this menu – but it gives you a good idea!

Remember to exercise good portion control when eating foods such as nuts, chocolate, yogurt, or avocado! As the saying goes, you are what you eat – so make sure that first and foremost, you’re filling yourself up with foods that are good for your mental health.

Just Move

Finally, remember to just move. Whether it’s as simple as hitting your step goal for the day, going for a walk outside to soak up some sun, yoga, jogging, or hitting the gym for an intense session… any of these things help reduce stress dramatically.

Check out 6 Simple Ways to Stay Active While at Home. Here I cover simple things you can do without leaving your house.

LOOKING TO LOSE WEIGHT IN A HEALTHY WAY?

Head here now… 5 simple ways to start losing weight today!

So tell me, friend, what foods am I missing from this list? I would love to hear in the comments below!

Here’s to a healthy you~

Mo