HOW TO MANAGE STRESS LEVEL

ARTICLE WRITTEN BY C. MITRA   Msc Food and Nutrition , B, Sc Food and Nutrition

Stress level


Stress is a feeling of physical or emotional tension, which makes an individual unable to cope up with mental pressure. Stress may develop severe health complications thus it is better to decrease the stress level for promoting wellbeing

Below points will discuss 14 natural ways for managing the stress level –

Consume hemp oil extract

  • Consumption of hemp seed extract is extremely useful for decreasing stress level
  • It contains an imperative compound named phytocannabinoid, which is responsible for improving the activity of amygdala and prefrontal cortex, which are involved in stress
  • Phytocannabinoid present in hemp oil is also associated with providing calmness to the body and lowers stress level as well as anxiety

Try tahini                                                   

  • Tahini is a condiment prepared by sesame seed
  • It is considered as the richest source of L-tryptophan (an amino acid)
  • Consumption of tahini plays significant role in decreasing stress as its L-tryptophan component acts as the precursor of mood regulating neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine thus helps to improve mood and also subsequently decreases anxiety and depression

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Have some herbal tea

  • Consumption of herbal tea is very effective for preventing anxiety and stress
  • It helps to provide calmness to the body and also elevates mood
  • Among all herbal tea, chamomile tea is considered as the most helpful option for managing stress level as it is directly linked with decreasing the level of stress hormone cortisol in body

Try matcha powder

  • Matcha powder contains L-theanine, which exerts potent anti-stress activity
  • It is associated with decreasing stress markers hence its consumption is thought to be very effective for decreasing stress level

Have some Swiss chard

  • Consumption of Swiss chard is very much helpful for preventing stress as it loaded with several anti-stress nutrients
  • Its micronutrient components are accountable for combating stress, especially its magnesium component plays vital role in the stress response of body
  • It has seen that mineral deficiencies are accountable for developing panic attack and anxiety thus it is always better to consume all minerals as per recommendation for avoiding such complications and consumption of Swiss chard is considered as a healthy choice as it provides various essential minerals to the body

Try kimchi

  • Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish, basically it is a fermented vegetable dish prepared with a type of radish called daikon and cabbage
  • Being a fermented food it is loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and probiotics, which play significant role in promoting mental health and significantly decreases stress
  • We know that probiotics are responsible for promoting the growth of intestinal beneficial microbes and these gut microbes are associated with producing various neurotransmitters like norepinephrine, GABA, dopamine, acetylcholine etc that directly affect the mood

Try Artichokes

  • Consumption of artichoke is considered as another imperative remedial action for preventing stress
  • It is loaded with fibre and especially rich in fructooligosaccharides or FOSs, which play significant role in lowering stress level
  • It acts as prebiotic too that helps to feed the intestinal beneficial microbes and promotes their growth, which ultimately helps to improve mood
  • It also contains various micronutrients like Vitamin C, Vitamin K, magnesium, potassium etc, which are closely related with healthy stress response and helps to decrease anxiety and depression

stress

Have some organ meats, shell fish and egg

  • Heart, kidney and liver of animals are recognised as organ meat, which is considered as an important source of B vitamins. It is especially rich in Vitamin B2, B6, B9 and B12 that play essential role in stress control. Whereas, B vitamins are also responsible for stimulating the synthesis of neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine that ultimately help to regulate mood
  • Consumption of shellfish is also very effective for reducing stress as it contains desirable amount of taurine, which exerts mood boosting activity. Taurine also exhibits anti-depressant activity. Apart from taurine shellfish contains various amino acids, which are required by body for synthesizing neurotransmitters that help to regulate stress responses of the body. Whereas shellfish contains several other imperative nutrients like selenium, zinc, copper, magnesium, which also help to improve mood
  • Egg provides adequate amount of proteins, antioxidants and micronutrients, which are required for a healthy stress response. Choline is an important micronutrient present in egg, helps in improving brain health and also protects brain from stress related injuries

Try parsley

  • Parsley is an important nutritious herb, loaded with antioxidants, which help to fight against free radicals and decreases oxidative stress
  • Oxidative stress is responsible for developing various life threatening complications and also affects the mental health in an adverse manner. Oxidative stress is closely related with developing anxiety, depression and stress
  • It is better to consume antioxidant rich food for combating the consequences of oxidative stress and parsley is a healthy choice

Try Acerola cherry

  • It contains significant amount of Vitamin C, which involves in stress response
  • Its Vitamin C content is also associated with improving mood
  • It helps to prevent depression and anger too

Include cruciferous vegetables in diet

  • Consumption of cruciferous vegetable is extremely beneficial for health as it is packed with various imperative nutrients that offer numerous health benefits
  • Its consumption is also related with promoting mental health. It exerts potent antioxidant activity that helps to decrease oxidative stress as a result reduces the prevalence of mental health disorders like anxiety, depression, stress, anger etc
  • Whereas it is also loaded with several imperative micronutrients, among which, Vitamin C, Vitamin B9 and magnesium play vital role in inhibiting depressive symptoms
  • Cauliflower, cabbage, turnip, broccoli, Brussels sprout, watercress, radish, Bok choy are the example of cruciferous vegetables. Among all cruciferous vegetables, broccoli is considered as most useful therapeutic agent for preventing stress, depression and anxiety as it has strong neuroprotective activities and also exerts antidepressant effects

Have chick pea

  • Consumption of chick pea is closely related with boosting up the overall brain health as well as mental performance
  • It is loaded with various stress fighting micronutrients such as magnesium, manganese, copper, zinc, selenium, potassium and B vitamins that help to manage the stress level of body
  • It also contains L-tryptophan, which is responsible for synthesizing mood regulating neurotransmitter hence improves mood

Try bluebrerry

  • Consumption of blueberry is very much helpful for improving mood
  • It contains flavonoid that exert antioxidant as well as anti-inflammatory activities that help to reduce the prevalence of stress related cellular damages and also protects the body from stress related inflammatory events
  • It also exhibits neuroprotective activities that ultimately decrease the risk of developing mental health disorders

Other ways of decreasing stress

  • Exercise plays significant role in lowering the stress level
  • Meditation is also considered as an effective remedial action for preventing stress and anxiety. It plays vital role in proving calmness to the body that helps to improve overall mental status
  • Aromatherapy is another important way of preventing stress, depression, anxiety and other mood related disorders. It has seen that inhalation of soothing plant oils or essential oils significantly decrease stress level of body
  • Herbal supplements or adaptogens can also be consumed to adapt the stress

Individual can easily manage their stress level by familiarize themselves with the above stated measures. Apart from consuming healthy foods and physical activity it is also important to restrict the consumption of alcohol and too much caffeine as they may also worsen anxiety.

stress



Source:

Bamber, M.D. and Schneider, J.K., 2016. Mindfulness-based meditation to decrease stress and anxiety in college students: A narrative synthesis of the research. Educational Research Review, 18, pp.1-32.

Challem, J., 2011. AARP The food-mood solution: All-natural ways to banish anxiety, depression, anger, stress, overeating, and alcohol and drug problems--and feel good A. John Wiley & Sons.

Khodarahmi, F., 2020. How To Cope with Anxiety and Depression Using Natural Treatments. Depression and Anxiety.

Taira, J., 2021. Oxidative Stress Modulators and Functional Foods.

Torres, S.J. and Nowson, C.A., 2007. Relationship between stress, eating behavior, and obesity. Nutrition, 23(11-12), pp.887-894.

Yau, Y.H. and Potenza, M.N., 2013. Stress and eating behaviors. Minerva endocrinologica, 38(3), p.255.

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