Fight Holiday Stress with Food!
You're overwhelmed, overtired, and in
desperate need of some mental and physical
nourishment. You're stressed. What can you do
beyond throwing in the towel and hiding under
the covers? Thankfully, you can relieve
stress by eating certain foods and avoiding
others.
Tara Geise, a registered dietitian (RD) in
private practice in Orlando, Florida, and a
spokesperson for American Dietetic
Association says, "One of the keys is
avoiding things that will give your body and
mind real highs and lows like caffeine and
alcohol. You don't want to intake a lot of
stimulants or a lot of depressants when
you're stressed."
Not to worry -- there are many foods you can
eat that will help with your stress levels.
MILK: Milk is high in antioxidants and
vitamins B2 and B12, as well as protein and
calcium. Have a bowl of whole-grain cereal
and low-fat milk in the morning to start your
day with a stress-fighting breakfast.
ALMONDS: Are you ever looking for
something you can really dig your teeth into
when you're stressed? Try crunching on
almonds to get some aggression out. A good
source of Vitamin B2 and E, as well as
magnesium and zinc, almonds are high in fat,
but most of the fat is unsaturated. Like
vitamin C, vitamin E has been shown to fight
the free radicals associated with stress, and
in particular, those free radicals that cause
heart disease.
BLUEBERRIES: Very rich in antioxidants,
blueberries offer a high-fiber, low-calorie
fruit option that is also rich in
stress-fighting vitamin C. Try them with
cottage cheese or as a snack on their own.
ASPARAGUS: This green veggie is high
in folic acid, which can help stabilize your
mood. "When you're stressed, your body
releases hormones that affect your mood,"
says Geise. "Eating certain vitamins and
minerals like folic acid and B vitamins can
help keep your mood steady because they're
needed to make serotonin, which is a chemical
that directly affects mood in a positive way."
