Foods That Soothe Stress

I'm not stressed out or anything, but maybe you are. Most of the world seems to be running a high intake of stress these days. The other day, we were walking across the street and the woman in the car was slowly rolling toward us, and the look on her face for just having to wait for us to reach the sidewalk was haunting.

Americans are faced with stressful schedule daily. And all of that stress adds up. It really adds up. Which got me to thinking about foods that could help taper stress levels. After all, we know that Americans are not eating properly, and that can further contribute to stress levels. Here are the five foods that I researched that have stress soothing benefits.

​Nuts
Nuts like almonds, cashews, pistachios, and peanuts provide plentiful doses of protein and fat. But more importantly, nuts provide a whopping amount of B vitamins. B vitamins are critical for metabolism and energy. They rich with potassium and have proven to lower blood pressure.

Red Bell Peppers
Red bell peppers much like many other fruits and vegetables loaded with vitamin C are known to reduce cortisol levels. In case you didn't know, cortisol is a real asshole, causing fat storage to increase and your brain to feel not-so-calm. Bell peppers contain two times the amount of vitamin C as oranges. Add them to your salad or dip them in hummuus.

 Dark Chocolate
 Lowers cortisol. Do you really need a reason to eat dark chocolate?

Salmon
The omega-3 fatty acids in salmon work to reduce anxiety. Broil 6 ounces of salmon for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Pair it with roasted asparagus, sauteed spinach and lemon juice. Yum Yum.

Spinach
Spinach contains magnesium. Magnesium enables energy production and maintains balance within the nervous system. We both know those are key to maintaining sanity.
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