Tuesday, 02 August 2011
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Food Fighting Stress
Does this look familiar or like yourself when your stressed out? Have you ever found yourself eating unhealthy especially when your stressed out? We're always overwhelmed, tired, and desperate for some mental and physical nourishment.
What can you do besides reaching for the first bag of chips you see or hide under the covers?
Thankfully, you can relieve stress by eating certain foods and avoiding the others. Munching these foods will put you back into a better mood.
Peppermint : Peppermint has a very soothing flavor and smell, which is known to relieve stress. Many people find that by drinking peppermint tea, that they are able to sleep better at night.Peppermint is a well-known stress reliever because it is a pain killer, stomach healer, can reduce bad breath, can be a decongestant, and can help the immune system.
Chocolate: Chocolate is an enjoyable food. However, most people don't know that when eating chocolate, that chocolate is actually a major stress-relieving food.
Dark chocolate is highly recommended because it is heart healthy, rich in antioxidants, and it reduces the symptoms of high blood pressure.
Chamomile Tea: Chamomile tea is a well-known herbal tea thought to have a calming and relaxing effect. Chamomile has a whole list of benefits that include things like stress relief, muscle and joint pain, annoyances associated with your menstrual cycle, such as PMS and bloating.
In addition, chamomile has been known to aid in the relief of digestive problems and sore stomachs. It also appears that there a few therapeutic compounds that give chamomile it's power.
Carbohydrates: Simple carbohydrates like bread,pasta, and rice can supply the body with energy.Brown Rice and pasta are well known as wonderful health foods.
They will give you a sustained amount of energy throughout the day which is great for maintaining high energy levels in stressful situations.
Green Tea: There is something in green that that relaxes us. An amino acid called theanine is responsible for green tea's powers. Theanine is very effective for tension, stress and anxiety, relaxing without inducing drowsiness.
Drinking green tea also lowers cholesterol levels.
Eat your favorite food: I'm not telling you to go and binge eat to get over your anxiety. Obviously, that's not a healthy strategy. However, you are allowed to indulge in your favorite comfort foods when things get particularly stressful.One of my comfort foods is pad thai. If you've read my first post on called Pad Thai Binge, there are a few good reasons as to why I love pad thai. However, whenever I eat pad thai I feel cozy and warm. What's your comfort food?
Of course, there are a lot more foods that you can eat to stay healthy and maintain your stress level. Always remember, that eating unhealthy is never an excuse to get rid of your stress. Wouldn't you rather enjoy something that tastes good and makes you feel good? I know I would.
What do you eat when you're stressed out?
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About the Author
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- From: goodeatings
- Name: Jessica
- Location: Brooklyn, New York, United States
- About Me: Simple gal who loves food, blogging, writing, photography, and reading. I'm currently working for a commercial real estate firm and food blogging website. I'm always eager to learn more in life because life has an endless amount of information and opportunities out there. Follow me on twitter: @goodeatings
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Comments (23)
The way I try to avoid eating too much unhealthy food is by not buying a lot of unhealthy food. That way, I'm not tempted while walking around the house, even at my weaker moments.
Stress gives me pimples, sometimes when I eat chocolate I eat quite a bit, which also gives me pimples. Stress + chocolate = more pimples. Juice makes me feel better.
I drink a cup of chamomile tea every night before bed. My mom used to give it to me when I was little and so I find the smell of it very comforting and soothing. It really helps me unwind after a stressful day.
bread, pasta, and rice are not simple carbs. plus, simple carbs don't give you sustainable enegry, complex carbs do. which is what the aforementioned are.
Is there anything that peppermint and chocolate can't fix? lol.
I'm honestly not a chocolate fanatic. I do dearly, dearly love teas, though. Chamomile and green tea happen to be among my favorites. So soothing.
When I'm stressed, I tend to reach for the unhealthy snacks, simply because they're convenient and normally in the house... I don't prefer the unhealthy stuff over fruits and vegetables (how I love fruits and veggies!), I'm just not in charge of the grocery shopping. (insert fist shaking) I'd rather eat nuts because they generally satisfy the need for my crunchy and salty craving when I'm stressed.
We use all that. My special drink is a peppermint lime-monade : peppermint leaves, ice, sugar syrup, water and lime juice.
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM PADTHAI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I feel like this should be titled Stress Fighting Food
Peppermint tea is fantastic for stress, I agree! <3
@MeghanLarissa@xanga - why is that?
@MeghanLarissa@xanga - Theoretically by eating your favorite food or consuming food that contains energy levels and helps you relieve food, is in a way food fighting stress because it is helping you get rid of stress.
@goodeatings - Exactly my point of why it should be the other way around.
@MeghanLarissa@xanga - I agree with you. It should be titled Stress Fighting Food, or Stress Relieving Food.
@goodeatings - If you think about it the other way using the word "relieving" "Food Relieving Stress" doesn't make any sense.
Something else I've noticed about myself is that if I eat junky food it stresses me out more. If I can make myself just eat really healthy food in rational amounts it actually keeps my stress a lot lower than if I eat junk food. Like honestly if I don't follow a really healthy diet I get really bad anxiety. I've always suffered from anxiety though so I'm not sure it's actually CAUSED by the food but it certainly helps to just completely avoid junk.
Carbs are great dinner foods, especially if you eat late at night. I've always heard your breakfast and lunch should be the protein-packed meals, and carbs for dinner help you unwind and fall asleep easier.
If I'm ever too stressed out or anxious to sleep, I'll double-bag a cup of chamomile tea. Milk-thistle tea also helps to soothe out the rough edges. I'll be trying more peppermint tea, too.
I definitely want to get into drinking tea, its just so delicious, and now good for me! :)
I find that my diet helps me in managing stress to being with. But, when high stress times come I usually have some green tea and a hot shower. I try not to use food for stress relief, ever.
When I am stressed I just take a bath
When I'm stressed some kind of smoothie, a fruit salad, or baking makes me feel better.
My diet pretty much consists of every single one of these "healthy alternatives."
Yay stressful lives. :D
@goodeatings - because it would make more sense =)
I love all that.
Dou fu fa is a comfort food, so is a low fat but delicious gelato. And lots of calming green tea.
I love all that. Also... roselle juice. Yum.