By Bethany Woodcock
The American Psychological Association performed a study where teens were asked about their stress levels during the school year. Among 1,018 teens, they were 1.9 points more stressed on the 10 point scale, 5.9 vs 3.9. Stress is an interesting topic, as being a state of mental or emotional strain that results from demanding circumstances. School from 7:00-2:00 pm every day, then sports practice 2:30-4:30 pm, and work from 4:45-7:00 pm, where do you have time for a social life? When do you have time to do homework? These are all questions racing in our minds when we plan our schedules. All of those tasks are pretty demanding in different senses.
In a high stress situation, you may want to call it quits. You may want to use your stress ball or take deep breaths, like you were taught. But from teachers, parents and guidance, we have heard it all; stress is good for you and you need it in your life because it helps with building character and so on. This isn’t entirely true. Stress weakens the immune system, heart health, sleep cycles, and general happiness. Believe it or not, there are delicious foods to help cope with the stress. Have you ever thought of resorting to foods as a stress reliever?
These next five foods are great to help reduce stress. They have certain vitamins and nutrients that help the body in, for example, lowering blood pressure.
1. Keri Glassman, MS, RD CDN of Prevention Magazine, explains how berries are great with dealing with stress. They have a hefty amount of antioxidants, which fight off oxidative stress, which is basically the normal stress that we all know. Berries are also rich in Vitamin C. In a German study, researchers asked 120 people to public speak and do math problems, like a math meet in school. Half of those studied were given 1,000 mg of vitamin C. Those who did not receive the supplement of vitamin C, the stress hormone cortisol, was elevated significantly and high blood pressure were greater. So, vitamin C has been proven to decrease cortisol which lowers your overall stress! Sources of vitamin C can be oranges and citrus fruit, too. Go home from school and have a bowl of blueberries or strawberries instead of a bowl of chips!
2. Nuts, more specifically cashews, help with stress, too. Cashews are a great source of zinc, and only 1 ounce of cashews are needed a day to boost your zinc levels. Our bodies cannot store zinc, so daily doses must be consumed. Low levels of zinc leads to stress, and no one really wants that. Cashews also have 83mg of magnesium per 1 ounce, which is more than 30% of your daily needs. Cashews are a yummy and nutritious snack and even better, can help to pull that stress of your upcoming bio test off of your shoulders!
3. Chocolate; we all love it. Its rich, creamy, and delicious, and the third most sold candy in the country. Dark chocolate sends endorphins to the brain which makes you in a better mood, which is ultimately the job of endorphins. I know that when I am stressed, I am never happy and I don’t like it that way at all. According to research published in 2009 in the journal “Proteome Research” and reported by “The Huffington Post”, eating 1.4 ounces of dark chocolate daily for two weeks lowers the stress hormone cortisol. All chocolate is stress relieving, but dark chocolate is better, in general, because it has lower sugar and fat than milk chocolate. IN a 2011 AARP bulletin, Harvard University conducted a study where Harvard tested 1,106 people and found dark chocolate lowered blood sugar in all of the participants.
4. Bananas are said to be the perfect post-workout snack or on the go breakfast, but it does not get enough credit. Bananas are very high in potassium. Potassium lowers blood sugar, like cashews. Most vegetables and fruits contain potassium but bananas have an especially high amount. Since potassium lowers blood pressure, it lowers your stress. Who wouldn’t want less stress? Try to incorporate a banana into your breakfast.
5. There are many options for stress relief, but the last one I am going to mention is fish. It is rich in Omega 3 fatty acids that help brain cells to function more efficiently. This helps to deal with with stress more effectively. Fish has choline which is a compound that improves memory. Your spanish vocabulary will come easier to you with Omega 3 in your body.
Who knew that so many foods can help deal with stress? You eat food everyday, so why not just replace certain foods in your diet with these stress relieving alternatives. You may feel yourself enjoying life more and overall, being happier.
Citations
Glassman, Keri. “13 Foods That Fight Stress.” Prevention. 22 May 2014. Web. 11 Dec. 2015. <http://www.prevention.com/mind-body/emotional-health/13-healthy-foods-that-reduce-stress-and-depression/berries>.
“How Food Can Affect Your Life.” Stress Management Socitey. Web. 11 Dec. 2015. <http://www.stress.org.uk/How-food-can-help-your-stress-levels.aspx>.
Sagon, Candy. “Harvard Study: Dark Chocolate Can Help Lower Your Blood Pressure.” AARP. 24 Mar. 2011. Web. 11 Dec. 2015. <http://www.aarp.org/health/medical-research/info-03-2011/dark-chocolate-can-help-lower-your-blood-pressure.html>.
“Vitamin C: Stress Buster.” Psychology Today. Psychology Today, 25 Apr. 2003. Web. 11 Dec. 2015. <https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200304/vitamin-c-stress-buster>.
Worden, Jeni. “Antioxidants and Oxidative Stress.” Netdoctor. 07 Feb. 2014. Web. 11 Dec. 2015. <http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/healthy-eating/a10835/antioxidants-and-oxidative-stress/>.
