While some people enjoy their favorite junk foods when coping with stress, there are plenty of healthier food choices available that naturally reduce anxiety. If you can eat nutritiously, receive all the essential antioxidants and minerals your body needs and ease all your mental tension at the same time, wouldn't you want to take advantage of it? Put down the ice cream and throw out the cookie jar, here are five healthy options that can help you eliminate stress:
Avocado
Salads, sandwiches or all by themselves, the flavor of an avocado is extremely compatible. They are also known to help alleviate stress thanks to their abundance in potassium, a key mineral that helps blood pressure stay low.
Green tea
Don't take our word for it, trust researchers from the University of Basel in Sweden where doctors discovered all of the brain boosting and mental calming qualities drinking green tea can provide. The colleagues supplied green tea supplements to a number of volunteers, finding that it was able to improve overall cognitive performance. This meant that the brain's connectivity effectiveness was increased, leading to better memory and decreasing the likelihood of psychological trauma.
Salmon
A huge contributor of protein and omega-3 fatty acids for our bodies, salmon is a great way to relieve your stress. Researchers from Ohio State University have attributed eating 2.5 grams of omega-3, which would be the equivalent of having a 12-ounce salmon fillet, can reduce your stress by upwards of 20 percent. Salmon is an ideal entree option that will pack you with protein while calming down your nerves.
Whole-wheat pretzels
Pretzels tend to get a bad reputation as an unhealthy snack due an abundance of salt, but eating pretzels made from whole-wheat bread has some truly nutritional qualities. Not only can whole-wheat pretzels stimulate some energy in the body, but its carbohydrates work to release a chemical in your brain known as serotonin, which is known to help put you in a good mood and increase motivation.
Almonds
For a perfect snack that will help reduce your hunger as well as your anxiety, almonds are great. The generous portions of zinc in almonds help to boost your immune system, allowing you to feel terrific all day.
