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Here are the dietary steps you can take to help keep everyday stress from wearing you down.
Stress isn’t always a bad thing. For instance, fight-or-flight can be a stress response that helps with survival in certain situations. And the stress that exercise imparts on the body can help us get fitter and stronger. But health experts will sound the alarm when high levels of stress start to become a daily phenomenon and begin to chip away at our health. Yes, too many of us are too stressed too often. Everything from mental health disorders to heart disease to chronic pain have been linked to uncontrolled stress. And for most of us, there is no shortage of situations in everyday life that can make us feel lousy.
That’s why it’s oh-so important to take the necessary measures to combat chronic stress. There are many steps you can take to chip away at stress and turn a frown upside down, including daily exercise, strengthening personal relationships and volunteering in your community. And did you know that your choices for the food and drink you consume also have a profound impact on your emotional well-being? Certain foods and drinks indeed have compounds that can help us feel our best.
Protect your health and keep your stress levels on the down-low by taking these feel-good dietary measures.
1. Brew Up a Green Latte
If you're as ready as we are to feel more relaxed, consider making matcha a part of your daily drink routine. The verdant tea powder is rich in the unique anti-stress amino acid L-theanine. Research has shown higher intakes of L-theanine can help healthy adults lower their stress-related symptoms as well as improve certain aspects of cognitive functioning. (Theanine has a chemical structure similar to glutamate, a naturally occurring amino acid in the body that transmits nerve impulses in the brain.) Drinking matcha also helps promote better hydration. All of our organs, including our brains, need water to function properly. So if you’re dehydrated, it can be harder to combat mental stress. Scientific evidence suggests that being dehydrated can increase your levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Frothing up a mug of Navitas Organics Matcha Latte is an easy and tasty way to welcome more matcha into your peaceful life. You can also work Matcha Powder into smoothies, oatmeal, yogurt, and even salad dressings for an added dose of feel-good L-Theanine.
2. Join the Dark Side
Here is some awesome news: eating cacao can help you stamp your ticket to Blissville! There is some research to suggest that consuming cacao-rich products can improve mental health including lowering feelings of anxiety and depression. Cacao is one of the richest sources of magnesium, a chill-out mineral that is believed to play a role in our stress response through its impact on neurotransmitter functioning (the body’s chemical messaging system). For instance, magnesium stimulates the brain’s GABA receptors, which help increase feelings of calmness and relaxation. Cacao is also rich in an array of antioxidants that may have a role in boosting brain functioning including the way it handles moments of emotional stress.
You can go bigger on stress-fighting cacao by using Navitas Organics Cacao Powder in smoothies and baking. Crunchy unsweetened Cacao Nibs can be added to everything from cereal to yogurt to salads. A handful of Navitas Organics Semi-sweet Cacao Wafers can serve as a mood-boosting afternoon pick-me-up, or slip them into a warming pot of oatmeal to make your breakfast taste more indulgent.
3. Add a Splash of Color
Turmeric can not only brighten up your diet, but it may also keep you surprisingly feeling more zen. The rhizome contains a plant chemical called curcumin that gives turmeric powder its vibrant color and research suggests this substance impacts our gut microbiome in a way that brings on antianxiety and neuroprotective effects through what is known as the microbiota-gut-brain axis. In other words, consuming turmeric can alter the make-up of our gut microbiome which, in turn, may have profound effects on brain functioning. Using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scale, curcumin has been studied for its power to help people better manage anxiety and depression.
For the biggest impact, it’s best to try to consume turmeric daily. You can do this by using Navitas Organics Turmeric Powder in soups, stews, curries, roasted veggies, and rice-based dishes. And caffeine-free Golden Turmeric Latte is a comforting drink that can be enjoyed morning to night as a stepping stone to feeling less beaten down.
4. Reach for Adaptogens
Incorporating more so-called adaptogens into your diet may help you better tolerate all those everyday stressors. Essentially, how items like maca, ashwagandha, and medicinal mushrooms behave is by helping our bodies adapt and respond to external stressors and in doing so make it easier to maintain a state of balance. When we face a particular stressor such as traffic gridlock or impending work deadline, our bodies are faced with what is known as general adaptation syndrome (GAS). GAS is a three-stage response: alarm, resistance and exhaustion. The role adaptogens like maca and reishi mushroom play in this process is to allow us to stay in the resistance phase for a longer time and hold off the dreaded exhaustion phase, which, in turn, can lead to more mental angst.
A no-fuss way to incorporate adaptogens into your day is by adding Superfood+ Adaptogen Blend or Maca Powder to your morning smoothie or mixing it into your oatmeal. Both of these can also be used in hot drinks like coffee and hot chocolate or you can blend them into dips.
