THUNAIThe right food can help us lower stress levels, says Dr Naidoo of Harvard Medical School.
There are many factors that cause stress, including psychological and systemic stressors. This is why we must feed our body foods that are nutrient rich, are anti-inflammatory, and have antioxidants because these have the capacity to reduce our body’s stress response.
You might have heard many times now from your teachers and parents that you must eat your fruits and vegetables - this is common advice, and is true. In their whole form, i.e. where they are not processed in any way with added ingredients, they can reduce systemic stress and overall metabolic health.
Foods rich in vitamin C, a potent antioxidant, help reduce stress. Additionally, fiber-rich foods promote the growth of beneficial gut bacteria that further support appropriate stress responses. In our Indian diet, you might consider dal puri roti, cabbage, spiced nuts, or chickpeas, amongst many other options.
Dr Uma Naidoo, MD is a Nutritional Psychiatrist, and author of This Is Your Brain on Food: An Indispensable Guide to the Surprising Foods that Fight Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, OCD, ADHD, and more. She recommends “eating the rainbow” to reap the stress-fighting benefits of the nutrients and antioxidants in colorful fruits and vegetables, which are also high in fiber.
She shares, “Turmeric is my go-to anti-stress food. Curcumin, its active ingredient, decreases anxiety and changes the corresponding brain chemistry, protecting the hippocampus because stress can deactivate the hippocampus. I add it to smoothies, salads, soups and even tea. Always add a pinch of black pepper to activate.” She uses it in a Golden Latte, which she makes with 1 cup macadamia milk, ½ teaspoon ground turmeric, a pinch of black pepper and ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg or cinnamon. “Simply heat all the ingredients minus nutmeg in a saucepan over medium heat for about five minutes and then sprinkle with nutmeg and enjoy! If you like it sweet, add a light drizzle of honey.”
A lot of sweets and large amounts of simple starch (such as rice) can actually perpetuate stress and anxiety. Proper nutrition is necessary to provide your brain and adrenals with the nutrients they need to function optimally especially since a poor diet can contribute to HPA-axis dysfunction and imbalanced levels of your stress hormone, cortisol.
Dr. Will Cole emphasizes the importance of healthy fats for hormone health, balanced inflammation levels, and regulated cortisol levels. In the Indian context, some of the best sources of healthy fats include avocados and coconut oil. ” For a stress-fighting snack, he loves sweet cherries when they’re in season. “There is a lot of research surrounding their stress-reducing abilities. Cherries actually have a high serotonin content— your ‘happy’ neurotransmitter. Serotonin has been shown to reduce stress and improve mood.”
Holistic Psychiatrist Ellen Vora, MD counsels her patients on the connection between food, lifestyle, and mental health. “Getting adequate nutrition sends a signal of abundance to our brain, telling us we have enough of what we need,” she says. “That is calming to the nervous system. Also, stress burns through many micronutrients, such as the B vitamins, so it's important to replete those nutrients in times of increased stress. It's always important to eat a wide variety of nutrient-dense foods.
There's no one food we all need—each of us needs whatever we're missing. I do think one universal truth is that we're all helped by keeping our blood sugar stable in times of stress.”
It doesn’t have to be complicated, though. “Sometimes what's easy is what's best. In my household, if we feel our blood sugar crashing in between meals, we take a spoonful of almond butter.”
It’s also important to look beyond simply what we’re eating, she adds. “We need to start thinking about what we read, watch, and hear like food. It gets into us and affects us, so we want to make conscious choices with our information diet.