5 foods that help your body combat stress | Bare Biology
Written for and published by Bare Biology, April 2020
Friends, there is no doubt about it – we are living in stressful times! Changes to our daily routine, constant sensationalist news headlines, worries about income, longing for loved ones, and myriad other stressors (hello, partners/kids at home all day!) is a recipe for burned-out bodies and minds. While it isn’t quite possible to eat oneself out of a state of nervous exhaustion (though we may give it a go with a family-sized chocolate bar), there is much we can do to support our bodies with nutrition through life’s intensely challenging periods.
So, here are my top five foods for helping to combat stress:
Blueberries
That lovely dark purple pigmentation of blueberries is due to antioxidants called proanthocyanidins, which are responsible for protecting our cells (particularly in the brain) and feeding some of our most beneficial gut bacteria – essential for creating calming neurotransmitters. (More on this in an upcoming gut–brain-connection article.)
Green Tea
Such a good one to have in your feel-good arsenal, not least because it is so easy to carry a spare tea bag with you anywhere. Whilst not caffeine-free, green tea contains comparatively less than coffee, and it also contains an amino acid called L-theanine, the building block to GABA, our calming neurotransmitter. The perfect yin and yang, it gives you a kick of alertness but also calms the mind without causing drowsiness. Find it a little bitter? Play around with brands and types, or brew for less time.
Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds are tiny powerhouses of minerals and nutrients. They are rich in magnesium, a vital mineral used by every cell in the body, and one that is relied upon by the hypothalamus to keep our stress response in check. Add to that good levels of potassium (which helps regulate our blood pressure), zinc (responsible for brain-cell development), and B vitamins (vital for maintaining a healthy nervous system), and you can begin to see why these little fellas are a stress-buster. Furthermore, pumpkin seeds are a great source of the amino acid tryptophan (a building block for serotonin, our happy neurotransmitter) and another called glutamate (a building block for GABA, that calming neurotransmitter mentioned before). Toast them lightly in a dry pan and sprinkle a tablespoon over a salad or your morning porridge, or just eat them straight up as a snack (just let them cool first!).
Dark Leafy Greens
Hate to be that cliché, but dark leafy greens (think kale, spinach, spring greens, chard, mustard greens, rocket) have too many stress-busting benefits not to mention. They are rich in folate – a deficiency of which can suppress the production of SAMe (a naturally occurring compound in our bodies that helps produce serotonin and dopamine, our feel-good hormone) – and are a great source of magnesium.
S.M.A.S.H.
No – not that powdered potato you remember fondly (or with shudders) from your childhood. This S.M.A.S.H. is a handy acronym for sardines, mackerel, anchovies, salmon andthought herring – all rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are to be the only anti-inflammatory molecules able to cross the blood–brain barrier. This makes them vital for brain health and managing our stress response. Inflammation can cause a breakdown in communication signalling and neurotransmitter production (including our feel-good ones: serotonin, endorphin, dopamine and GABA). Current UK guidelines are two portions of oily fish per week. Are you hitting that? If not, a good-quality omega-3 supplement taken daily is a quick win for your brain health.
There are so many great foods that can help ease our stressed bodies and minds – this is by no means an exhaustive list! But it’s also incredibly important to remember that a diet full of rules and restrictions may be yet another stressor added to your already burdened mind, especially when food is scarce or variety is limited. Just eat – and try to get in those nutrients where you can. Eat with pleasure and freedom. And, yes, sometimes that may look like a family-sized bar of chocolate. After all, chocolate (especially the super-dark kind, high in cocoa) contains magnesium, which reduces stress. And in these times, a little pleasure can go a long way.