Diet For Stress: Try These Vitamin-Rich Foods And Drinks To Get Rid Of Stress And Anxiety

Diet for stress can include teas like kava and green tea, and also leafy green vegetables

Chronic stress is detrimental to your physical and mental health. If you are stressed constantly, every day, all day and night, and are being unable to sleep because of this stress, then you are chronically stressed. Being chronically stressed can put at risk of depression, weight gain, weight loss, hormonal imbalances, obesity, menstrual problems, heart disease, high blood pressure, sexual dysfunction, poor digestive system and much more. All these consequences of taking too much stress is the reason why we talk so often about stress management activities and importance of taking as less stress as possible. In this article, we are going to talk about some foods and vitamins that can help in combating your stress.

Diet for stress that can help in combating stress effectively

A healthy diet, exercise, yoga, meditation, listening to music or indulging in a hobby are known to be effective stress management strategies. Also, you can reduce stress by changing your attitude towards stressful situations and how you react to anything stressful that you come across. Lifestyle coach Luke Coutinho says that not every stressful situation needs to be reacted on. Learn the art of ignorance in order to take less stress in your life.

Do yoga to get rid of stress effectively
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Also read: 5 Simple Ways To Reduce Stress At Work

Here are foods that can help you get rid of stress:

1. Oranges

Vitamin-C rich oranges can help in reducing stress hormones and also strengthen the immune system. Studies on high blood pressure patients have found that increasing your Vitamin C intake can reduce blood pressure and levels of cortisol or stress hormone.

2. Leafy green vegetables

B-vitamins and magnesium in leafy greens can help in reducing effects of stress. In fact, lack of magnesium can trigger headaches, fatigue and effects of stress. They are low in carbs, can be included in weight loss diet, and are great for high blood pressure patients.

Also read: High Blood Pressure And Other Top Benefits Of Including Leafy Greens In Diet

3. Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha is an Ayurvedic herb that can improve your body's resilience to physical and mental stress. Here's an interesting way to include ashwagandha in your diet. Take an ounce of ashwagandha powder in ghee and add some date sugar, honey, jaggery or coconut sugar (any one of these sweetening ingredients). Eat the mixture around 20 minutes before breakfast or later during the day with a cup of milk. If stress is causing difficulty in sleeping, then it's the best to consume ashwagandha at night as it can help in inducing sleep. Ashwagandha has also been linked to reducing levels of cortisol in morning.

4. Kava

Traditionally consumed as a ceremonial beverage, kava can help in reducing anxiety because of the calming effects it has on the body. Kava is essentially a tropical evergreen shrub. Roots of this plant are used for making kava tea. People also add shredded almonds and honey in the tea. Drinking it regularly can reduce the amount of stress you experience on a daily basis. Also, green tea, black tea, chamomile tea can have similar effects on stress, when consumed in the right pattern and portions. L-theanine is the amino acid which is commonly found in tea leaves. It has calming effects on the body, can reduce stress and promote relaxation.

Antioxidants in tea can promote relaxation and reduce stress
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These foods and vitamins are most likely going to help you in reducing stress. If these don't work, you can try yoga and meditation. In case chronic stress starts to impact your day-to-day functioning, then you must seek professional help.

Also read: Turmeric Tea: Amazing Health Benefits You Cannot Afford To Miss

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.