How do you respond to a bad mood or a stressful situation? The key to managing food and mood is putting the right foods in your mouth, which can actually calm you down. Over time stress can increase your risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, and obesity. Check out these five smart foods to decrease stress and reduce the damage that chronic pressure puts on your body.
Oatmeal: A bowl of warm oatmeal is a comfort food that causes your brain to produce more serotonin, a calming brain chemical. “Because thick, hearty oatmeal is high in fiber, few things take longer for your stomach to digest,” says Elizabeth Somer, M.A., R.D., author of Food & Mood. Other complex carbohydrates such as whole-grain breakfast cereals, breads, and pastas can help you feel balanced by stabilizing blood sugar levels.
Fatty Fish: Stress hormones have an arch enemy: omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in salmon, tuna, and mackerel. They also protect against heart disease.
Avocados are packed full of potassium; half of one contains more potassium than a banana! According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, one of the best ways to reduce high blood pressure is to get enough potassium.
Spinach contains magnesium, which also lowers your stress levels. According to studies performed by Harvard Medical School and USDA’s Agricultural Research Service, the lack of magnesium can cause migraine headaches and make you feel tired. One cup of spinach provides 40% of your recommended daily value.
Almonds, pistachios, and walnuts are loaded with vitamin E, an antioxidant that helps the immune system. Almonds also contain B vitamins, which help your body during unpleasant events. A 2007 Penn State study led by Dr. West found that eating one and a half ounces (about a handful) of pistachios a day lowers blood pressure so your heart doesn’t have to work overtime. “Walnuts have also been found to lower blood pressure, both at rest and under stress,” West says. Start today by adding a handful of these nuts to oatmeal, salads, or cereal.
Courtesy of LocalTable.net
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