Feeling stressed? Rather than turning to the pantry and grabbing that box of double chocolate chunk cookies that\u2019s calling your name or resorting to the fattiest, \u00a0juiciest burger from any fast food joint, turn to smarter choices.<\/p>\n
While the above foods may temporarily help take your mind off whatever is stressing you, they aren\u2019t a long term solution. And what\u2019s worse is that they\u2019ll all have negative impacts on your body composition, so that in itself can also increase your stress as well.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s important that you do take stress seriously because too much stress can have an extremely negative impact on your health and can set you up to experience a number of degenerative diseases.<\/p>\n
Those who are highly stressed out are going to be releasing more cortisol in their body. Cortisol is not a hormone that you want free flowing throughout your tissues as it can increase your risk of stomach fat accumulation, while also boosting your risk of heart disease and eventually stroke.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, with the right diet techniques, you can overcome these problems. Let\u2019s have a quick peek at some of the top foods that help combat stress.<\/p>\n
Foods That Fight Cortisol<\/strong><\/p>\n The first food to eat to help reduce cortisol is\u00a0salmon<\/strong>. Essential fatty acids are a must for proper hormone support and salmon is one of the best sources. Other good foods with essential fatty acids include\u00a0walnuts<\/strong>and\u00a0flaxseeds<\/strong>, so be sure to get them in as well.<\/p>\n In addition to essential fatty acids, also nosh on foods rich in vitamin C from time to time as well.<\/p>\n This includes foods such as\u00a0oranges, bell peppers, as well as kiwi\u2019s,<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0all of which can help defend against cortisol release.<\/p>\n Foods That Fight Stress<\/strong><\/p>\n In addition to eating foods that help reduce your cortisol levels, it\u2019s also important to consider other foods that combat stress as well.\u00a0 Sweet potatoes are a good one to select due to their beta-carotene content, as well as their complex carbohydrate composition. They\u2019ll help to improve the level of serotonin release you experience, which can instantly promote a sense of calmness in the body.<\/p>\n Turkey\u00a0<\/strong>is another good stress-busting food to consider. It contains tryptophan, which is an amino acid that can help you feel more relaxed, putting you into a mental calm state.\u00a0 Plus, the protein rich nature of it will help you control your blood sugar, so you don\u2019t experience a crash which can leave you feeling more stressed and anxious.<\/p>\n Finally, include plenty of green vegetables in your diet such as broccoli, kale, as well spinach as all of these will contain vital nutrients and antioxidants that you need to combat the damaging effects of stress on the body.<\/p>\n So there you have some key stress busting eating strategies to make sure that you remember as you go about your diet plan. Eating balanced meals at regular intervals throughout the day will also help combat stress as it\u2019ll keep your energy level on an even keel so you\u2019re ready to deal with whatever comes your way.<\/p>\n What are your favorite Stress-busting foods? Let us know right below<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Feeling stressed? Rather than turning to the pantry and grabbing that box of double chocolate chunk cookies that\u2019s calling your name or resorting to the fattiest, \u00a0juiciest burger from any fast food joint, turn to smarter choices. While the above foods may temporarily help take your mind off whatever is stressing you, they aren\u2019t a…<\/p>\n