Foods to help combat stress and anxiety

When it comes to stress and anxiety, each one of us has a way of dealing with them. Some of us choose to deal with stress with exercise or meditation, others find that the best way to handle stress is to vent to their family and friends and some (myself included!) choose to stress-eat.

But what if I told you there is a way to reduce stress and anxiety that is truly effective.

When we face stressful situations, hormones like cortisol and adrenaline are released to trigger an increase in heart rate, pulse and muscle tension. While this physical response may be useful during certain situations (like escaping a burning building), it negatively affects our mood (and waistline!) if it becomes a long-term experience.

Stress depletes our body of B Vitamins, which are essential for the synthesis of:

Dopamine: the reward our brain gives us when we are doing something useful and exciting.

Serotonin: responsible for maintaining mood balance. A deficit of serotonin may lead to depression.

Melatonin: the body’s pacemaker: regulates our sleep cycles.

So enough with the science-talk. Let’s talk food:

Adding the following vitamin-filled foods to your daily diet, will effectively reduce the impact of cortisol and stress on our bodies:

Avocados contain high levels of folic acid which helps reduce the risk of depression.

OWN Team recommends: skip the avocado toast and let’s make a breakfast taco. Assemble the taco with scrambled eggs, sliced avocados and some chopped tomatoes and onions. Taco ‘bout a nutritious breakfast!

Oats are a rich source of energy and aid in boosting heart health.

OWN Team recommends: You know it! Our OWN bars contain many nutrient-filled ingredients such as nuts, real dried fruits and yes, you guessed it: Oats! Try one of our energy bars and OWN your stressful moments.

Greek Yogurt contains plenty of natural probiotics that promote digestion and increase your metabolism. It also boosts the immune system (essential during flu-season!) and lowers cholesterol levels.

OWN Team recommends: Check out our OWN recipe for an easy-peasy Greek yogurt breakfast!

Have a stress-free day!

OWN your food. OWN your life.