Health Talk: 7 Foods To Help Reduce Anxiety And Stress

Overcoming anxiety without medications involves making lifestyle changes, and that includes changing your diet. There are foods that will help cure anxiety, and foods that will contribute to anxiety, and by choosing the right foods, you can drastically cut down on the amount of anxiety you experience and possibly improve your mood.

The next time you feel overwhelmed, eat your way calm by putting these superfoods on your plate. Below are some foods that would actually calm your nerves and that are actually good for you;

1. Avocado:
Avocado is used for almost everything because its rich in everything so you would be right to refer to it as the gift that keeps giving and this delicious gift has vitamin which helps to relieve stress. We need B vitamins for healthy nerves and brain cells, and feelings of anxiety may be rooted in a B vitamin deficiency. Avocados are rich in stress-relieving B vitamins. Bonus: They’re also high in monounsaturated fat and potassium, which help lower blood pressure.

2. Green Leafy Vegetables:
Dark leafy greens like spinach are rich in folate, which helps your body produce mood-regulating neurotransmitters, including serotonin and dopamine.

3. Turkey:
If you’ve ever eating a lot of turkey before you might have realized that you were a bit drowsy, you might not have attributed it to this delicious bird but well you need to know that Turkey contains an amino acid called tryptophan which releases serotonin to the brain which makes you feel so calm and a bit drowsy. Tryptophan in the form of meat, has been shown to reduce anxiety disorders!

4. Oat Meal:
There’s no doubt that oatmeal is very healthy, this has been spoken about in many articles and dietricians have also recommended it as a healthy breakfast meal but maybe you didn’t know that oatmeal actually helps and this is because it contains serotonin

5. Oranges:
Now this is the vitamin power house which is really good for warding off and reducing cold but I bet you didn’t know that this amazing fruit also helps to lower cortisol levels and blood pressure. Vitamin C is another vitamin known to lower blood pressure and the stress hormone cortisol. For a quick burst of vitamin C, simply eat a whole orange or drink a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice without added sugar.

6. Milk:
Yes milk is great for your teeth, bones and muscles and of cause it contains the vitamins B2 and B12 and a large dose of protein so this cool beverage relaxes you sustainable and quickly too. A glass of warm milk before bed is a time-tested remedy for insomnia and fidgetiness. That’s because milk is high in antioxidants, vitamins B2 and B12, as well as protein and calcium. The protein lactium has a calming effect by lowering blood pressure, while the potassium in milk can help relieve muscle spasms triggered by feeling tense.

7. Dark Chocolate:
If you're one of these individuals who gets a nice mood boost whenever you sink your teeth into a bar of pure, unadulterated chocolate, it is not happenstance. There's a chemical reason behind it called anandamide, a neurotransmitter produced in the brain that temporarily blocks feelings of pain and depression. It's a derivative of the Sanskrit word "bliss," and one of the great things about chocolate is that it not only produces this compound, it also contains other chemicals that prolong the "feel-good" aspects of anandamide.

Chocolate has even been referred to as "the new anti-anxiety drug." One study in the Journal of Psychopharmacology also revealed that drinking an antioxidant-rich chocolate drink equal to about 1.5 ounces of dark chocolate daily felt calmer than those who did not.