Feeling stressed? Perhaps depressed or anxious? Before looking for a pharmaceutical solution (let’s face it drugs have side-effects and often dissuade us from looking at causes) it would be wise to carefully look at your lifestyle including diet, activity levels and relationships. Of these, the easiest thing to do is change at one’s diet. Did you know that when we are stressed we are most likely to crave the very foods that will increase our stress levels? Yet just by making simple changes to diet we can lower our stress levels and become calmer, more peaceful people. Magnesium is essential for stress reduction and is found in green leafy vegetables and oily fish. So just by adding these to our diets or increasing our consumption of them, we can reduce the stress on our bodies and improve the way we cope with mental and emotional stress. Oily fish contain essential fatty acids which increases serotonin levels in the brain. Serotonin helps us to manage stress and balances our mood. If you don’t like oily fish then a daily omega 3 fish oil supplement along with a magnesium supplement will be very helpful. Stress can also be exacerbated by a deficiency of Vitamin B ‘ all B vitamins. These can be found in nuts and brewers yeast is another great source. If Vitamin B complex intake is inadequate adrenal problems and fatigue can result. Regulating blood sugar levels is also important for managing stress. High fiber and low GI foods should be included in the diet as an active component of stress management. Zinc deficiency is common among stressed people. Zinc is necessary for the regulation of serotonin and melatonin (important stress management hormones). Zinc is found in brown rice, turkey, mushrooms, asparagus and seaweed. If you feel unable to eat enough food containing zinc, it would probably be a good idea to take a zinc supplement. Tryptophan regulates the brain’s neuro-transmitters and helps us to relax and rest. Tryptophan is found in bananas, milk, cheese. These foods should be eaten at least three times a week. We cannot avoid stress, but we can improve our ability to cope with it by making these simple dietary changes.
