Stress is a physiological reaction of our body to a particular situation through the sympathetic nervous system, which activates the so-called “e situations,” escape, stress, exercise, and emergency. When we are in times of stress, our body can have reactions such as increasing the frequency of the heartbeat, dilating the pupils, and there may be excessive sweating. Although these situations are necessary to face danger, constant alertness is no longer healthy and affects our health. At FastlyHealwe show you some foods to combat stress.
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Relationship between diet and stress
Many of the nutrients that the food we consume daily provides us are used by our bodies in stressful situations. In case your diet is not adequate, you can suffer a deficiency because of this; Minerals such as potassium, sodium, and calcium are the most used, so if your body has not acquired enough, there will be an imbalance, and this will affect your health by weakening your defenses, increasing free radicals, increasing the desire to eat sweet, the emergence of obesity and diabetes.
Vitamins to combat stress
The most important vitamins to reduce stress are group B, eight. Their function is to obtain energy from the food we eat and the formation of red blood cells, which is why a deficiency of these can cause severe damage to our organism.
The food to combat stress containing vitamin B are:
- Legumes: chickpeas, lentils, soybeans, beans, and peas.
- Meats and organ meats: beef, chicken, pork, kidneys, heart, brain, duck liver, beef, and pork.
- Fish: salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardine.
- Vegetables: sweet potatoes, potatoes, cabbages, spinach, watercress, onions, and tomatoes.
- Whole grains: wheat, oats, and barley.
- Fruits: raspberry, currant, avocado, apple, watermelon, melon, blackberry, grape, and mango.
- Nuts: sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, peanuts, and pumpkin seeds.
- Others: egg, corn, and dairy.
One of the B group vitamins is cobalamin, specifically vitamin B12, which is very useful because it is responsible for preserving balance in the nervous system, so it will help us fight stress. Any of the foods of animal origin mentioned above are the ones that will provide us with the most significant amount of this nutrient; however, in case you have high cholesterol, you should consume only poultry and fish.
To guarantee an adequate supply of vitamin B12 to our body, it will be necessary to take supplements with a medical prescription combined with magnesium and other B group vitamins.
C vitamin
Adrenaline rises when we are in periods of stress, and vitamin C is needed to produce it, so we must ensure a reserve through our diet; it will also help us improve our immune system. The foods rich in vitamin C to combat stress are:
- Peppers.
- Citrus fruits, such as orange, lemon, grapefruit, and strawberry.
- Green leafy vegetables like broccoli, spinach, and Brussels sprouts.
- Other foods include cauliflower, radishes, banana, carrots, pineapple, papaya, and garlic.
Minerals to combat stress
One of the minerals to combat stress is magnesium; the functions in our body are to regulate blood glucose levels, keep our immune system healthy and ensure the normal functioning of muscles and nerves. When magnesium levels are deficient, it becomes a stimulus that causes stress or prevents a response to that situation. Foods rich in magnesium are:
- Broccoli, chard, arugula, spinach.
- Chickpeas, white beans, sunflower, sesame seeds, quinoa, and peas.
- Almonds, cashews, and walnuts
- Brown rice, oats, and barley.
- Milk, yogurt.
- Tofu and soy flour.
Tryptophan
It is an essential amino acid responsible for producing serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a hormone that promotes satiety and well-being; when serotonin is low, anxiety, depression, the urge to eat, and insomnia appear. The food to combat stress that contains tryptophan are:
- Lentils, soybeans, chickpeas, peas, beans.
- Oats, barley, and rye.
- Almonds, pistachios, cashews and chestnuts.
- Arugula, watercress, spinach, pumpkin, asparagus, garlic, onion, aubergine, cucumbers, and carrots.
- Salmon, sardine, mackerel, tuna.
- Meats.
- Eggs, milk, cheese, and yogurt.
Carbohydrates for stress
Carbohydrates make up the primary nutrients in our daily, along with food proteins and fats. These provide us with energy for our body to function correctly; they also affect the nervous system, so a low consumption can destabilize it and produce alterations in our metabolism. On the other hand, they contain vitamin B, allowing you to reduce stress and anxiety.
You must remember that carbohydrates are divided into simple and complex; those you need to combat stress are complex ones since they are rich in nutrients, the body metabolizes them slower, and do not increase blood sugar levels. , producing an effect of calm and satiety.
The carbohydrates to combat stress are:
- Wheat, oatmeal, rice, pasta, noodles, and spaghetti.
- Chickpeas, soy lentils, and peas.
- Potato, onion, carrot, and spinach.
- Peaches, plums, pears, and apples.
Foods that increase stress
In this case, the foods that increase stress are simple carbohydrates, these cause spikes in insulin, generating energy quickly but of poor quality and durability, and this produces an effect of fatigue and irritability when its effect passes. Foods that increase stress are:
- Caffeine is not only found in coffee; it is also in tea or cola drinks.
- Refined sugars, chocolate, cakes, pastries, and ice cream.
- Alcohol.
- Energy drinks.
- Spicy.
This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to Foods to combat stress , we recommend that you enter our Food category .
I am a Surgeon with a diploma in comprehensive ultrasound and surgical care residency, an area I am specializing in. During the exercise of my profession, I have realized the need for patients to know the diseases they suffer, and I can tell you that a large part of their complications is due to a lack of information. Being a health web writer allows me to transmit my experience, without borders, to all those readers eager for knowledge, educate them in the prevention of diseases and promote a healthy lifestyle.