Best Foods for Easing Stress, Anxiety, and Depression

In addition to a healthy lifestyle that includes a good diet and a good amount of regular exercise, there are certain foods that specifically aid in reducing stress, anxiety, and depression.  These conditions are so common for everyone, from the student who has to deal with peer pressure and succeeding in school to the average worker and homeowner who has to worry about paying bills, maintaining health, and raising a family.

Stress can happen as a result of work demands or daily struggles with friends and family.  If left unchecked, stress leads to other health issues, including weight gain, heart disease, and even cancer.  Stress can also lead to anxiety or panic attacks, as well as depression, or a sense of lacking energy and motivation.  In the same way, anxiety and/or depression can be stressful, thereby elevating the level of stress someone is already trying to cope with.  Therefore, it is very important to reduce the amount of stress, anxiety, and depression you may be suffering from in your life.  And what easier way to do so than by choosing healthy foods that promote health, a sense of calm, and happiness?

Implementing healthy food options that will boost your health and your mood can also help you to save money on expensive doctor visits, health insurance, and prescription drugs.  So without further ado let’s take a look at some of the best foods that can help you to ease stress, anxiety and depression.

Foods that Reduce Stress

• Almonds are perfect snack foods, especially for times when you are stressed.  They are packed with healthy fats and vitamins that fend off free radical damage that can lead to chronic disease.
• Blueberries are amazing fruits, loaded with vitamins and antioxidants that reduce stress and help fight disease.  Snack on them regularly if you are trying to fight off high levels of stress.
• Broccoli is a vegetable known for its many health benefits, but what you probably did not know is that it is great for relieving stress, thanks to the fact that it is loaded with B vitamins, including folic acid, which is great not only for stress, but also for easing anxiety and depression as well.

Foods that Reduce Anxiety

• Peaches are perfect for reducing anxiety, thanks to the fact that they contain natural sedatives.  As a bonus, they are packed full of vitamins that help your immune system fight illness.
• Chocolate containing the highest possible amounts of cacao is best for relieving anxiety because it is packed with magnesium.  Make sure to go for dark chocolate varieties to avoid the excess fat and sugar found in milk chocolate.
• Herbal Teas can help you relax because they do not contain stimulating caffeine, so make sure you ditch the coffee and replace it with a tea that pleases your taste buds and helps calm frazzled nerves.

Foods that Reduce Depression

• Brown rice is a food that can provide you with sustained energy, without the highs and lows that come from simple carbohydrate foods, and its B vitamins and folic acid can help ease your feelings of depression.
• Brazil Nuts are great for boosting your mood because they contain high levels of selenium.
• Chilies actually cause your brain to release endorphins that can help boost your mood and ease you out of a depressive state.

While implementing a healthy diet and lifestyle can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, having an affordable health insurance plan can also help, because it will give you the peace of mind you need in the event of an illness or emergency.