The 18 Best Stress-Busting Foods You Can’t Afford To Miss Adding To Your Diet (3 of 3)

Kimchi

Kimchi’s popularity is growing day and night and for all the right reasons. A teaspoon of this Korean staple is all that’s needed to turn a boring dish heavenly.

This fermented pickle is made mostly with cabbage and radish and is an excellent source of probiotics and antioxidants. Research shows that fermented items work well at bringing down stress. To take an example, a study performed with 710 adults found out that those who had fermented foods frequently suffered from lesser social anxiety symptoms.

In addition to this, many studies in the past have linked the consumption of fermented food items to lower instances of brain disorders. Most probably, it is a result of its effect on gut bacteria.

Organ meats

Having a low vitamin B profile can have damaging effects both on your physical and mental wellness. Organ meats from animals such as kidneys and liver have ample amounts of all kinds of B vitamins namely B6, folate, B12, and riboflavin. All of these are needed for beating stress.

You require B vitamins for producing happy hormones such as dopamine and serotonin. These directly lower stress. You can either supplement your diet with B vitamins or include foods rich in these vitamins.

An in-depth review of about 18 studies revealed that vitamin B significantly brings down stress.

You can meet as much as half of your daily need for B vitamins by consuming a mere 1 slice of the beef liver which should be about 85 grams.

Artichokes

Although not the easiest vegetable to prepare, artichokes taste as good as they look. They are an incredible source of dietary have and pack some prebiotics as well. The prebiotics serve as a feed for the healthy bacteria in your gut keeping your digestive tract on track.

Studies in animals have suggested that prebiotics such as fructooligosaccharides, present in ample quantities in artichokes, act upon stress. Also, a review showed that eating at least 5 grams of prebiotics a day can help to alleviate symptoms of mental health disorders.

Along with a good prebiotics content, artichokes are also packed with vitamin C, magnesium, vitamin K, and potassium. All these nutrients are required to fight stress.

Swiss chard

It is no wonder that anything green and leafy is good for you. This rule applies to swiss chards too. Packed with a ton of stress-busting ingredients, you have to have swiss chard once in a while.

As little as 1 cup or 75 grams of swiss chard fulfills 36% of your daily need for magnesium, which has a huge part to play in how your body responds to stress. Deficiency of magnesium has been associated with higher instances of stress and panic attacks. Moreover, chronic stress wipes out your magnesium stores, so make sure you are eating even more when trying to tackle stressful situations.

Matcha powder

Not many are familiar with the use of this bright green powder but it’s quite a favorite among those into health and fitness. It contains L-theanine which is a kind of amino acid that attacks stress.

Although all kinds of green tea have this amino acid, matcha is considered better for it is extracted from green tea plantations in shady areas. Being deprived of direct sunlight increases the concentration of certain compounds in them such as L-theanine.

It has been proven through studies in both humans and animals that matcha is great for fighting stress provided it has high L-theanine content and low caffeine. In one study, 36 participants were given cookies to eat which had approximately 4.5 grams matcha for 15 days. All of them experienced significantly lower stress.

This vibrant green tea powder is popular among health enthusiasts because it’s rich in L-theanine, a non-protein amino acid with powerful stress-relieving properties.

Sweet potatoes

Some love sweet potatoes for their sweet taste and others for their versatility. There are a ton of easy ways to cook them and each recipe tastes better than the other.

Consuming carbohydrate-rich foods such as sweet potatoes helps lower the blood levels of stress hormones. Although our body more or less is capable of regulating cortisol, prolonged stress can culminate into cortisol dysfunction. This condition poses several side effects such as pain or inflammation.

A study over a period of 8 weeks with women with excessive weight issues laid down that those who have a higher proportion of whole carbs in their diet had a better cortisol level. On the other hand, those on American diets which comprise mostly refined carbs suffered from higher cortisol levels.

Sweet potatoes can be a great pick when you are looking for something which is wholly carbohydrates. They also have impressive nutritional content.

This concludes our list of stress-relieving foods. Along with paying attention to your diet, there are certainly other things you can do about living a stress-free life. Having a good workout regimen suited for your body’s needs is one of those. Besides, spending time engaging in your hobbies can also positively impact stress.