As the end of the year approaches, a lot of people find that the holiday season is adding a lot of stress to their daily lives. With so many unhealthy treats available, it can be tempting to turn to food for relief, even if by doing so you’ve added guilt and a few extra pounds to your stress load. Instead of running away from all the delicious goodies, try making a few healthier choices, eating the right foods in order to reduce stress.
Salmon
While it may not feature in too many holiday dishes, salmon is a wonderful source of healthy Omega-3 fatty acids, shown to significantly reduce stress. If you’re a vegetarian, you can get a similar boost of healthy Omega-3 fatty acids from consuming (raw) walnuts.
Turkey Breast
There’s a good reason why people feel so relaxed after consuming a big Thanksgiving dinner featuring turkey. Known as tryptophan, many meats, especially turkey breast, contain large amounts of this amino acid, which has been proven to have a calming effect on people. Low in fat, and reasonably priced, turkey breast is a great go-to meat for the holidays. If you’re a vegetarian, try eating tofu, beans, or seeds, as these foods also contain significant quantities of tryptophan.
Cashews
These delicious nuts are packed full of essential vitamins and minerals needed to maintain good health. Cashews, in particular, are also bursting with plenty of zinc, which has been shown to reduce anxiety and stress. Not only are cashews a delicious, fun snack, but they are also high in healthy omega-3 fatty acids and proteins, making them a smart choice any time of the year.
Dark Chocolate
Although we call a wide variety of foods “chocolate”, only dark chocolate has a good concentration of the cocoa plant, which is widely considered by health experts to be a “superfood” due to its high levels of essential vitamins and minerals. Dark chocolate that is at least 70% cocoa will help you to relax, lowering stress hormone levels, and helping to improve blood circulation. Oh yeah, and it tastes good too!
Blood Oranges
Once a favorite to fill stockings hung by the chimney with care, blood oranges are still an excellent holiday food to help reduce anxiety and stress. With even more Vitamin C than other varieties of oranges, blood oranges have been shown to reduce blood pressure levels and the stress hormone cortisol.
Green Leafy Vegetables
While it may be tempting to head straight to the desserts during the holiday season, don’t neglect to eat your vegetables! Adding a simple salad filled with lots of green leafy vegetables like spinach, kale, or rucola will help tremendously in lowering your anxiety and stress levels. Green leafy vegetables are high in folate, which has been shown to help people feel more calm, happy, and energetic.