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Diet

Five foods that fight stress

Avocados are just one of the foods that can help you stay calm when stress is high. This recipe for a carob hazelnut spread is a delicious way to bring some zen into your life.
Five foods that fight stress Masterfile

Are you feeling attacked by a constant stream of demands? If so, you're definitely not alone. In the book The Adrenal Stress Connection, naturopathic doctor Maritia Schauch reports, “45 percent of all adults suffer adverse effects to stress and 75 percent to 90 percent of all visits to physicians are in some way related to the results of psychosocial stress.  Stress is a factor in many illnesses from headaches to heart disease, immune deficiencies, anxiety disorders and digestive problems just to name a few.”

I found it funny that I was writing about stress this week, while every email, every call, every meeting created a longer to-do list that pushed my adrenals to produce stress hormones. Before I was a nutritionist, I would have devoured a pint of chocolate ice cream and a row of cookies to cope, but now I have an amazing arsenal of relaxing and healing foods to help me to get through any challenge. Eating refined sugars and flours can inhibit the production of your brain's natural pleasure chemicals, but healthy whole foods are packed with the nutrition your brain needs to produce a positive, calm and more alert state that leads to a happier and less stressful life.

Five foods that fight stress

1. Add carob for a chocolate flavour and extra minerals: Carob contains high amounts of essential minerals like calcium and magnesium, both of which are required for the proper contraction and subsequent relaxation of muscles. Magnesium also supports adrenal function and inhibits the release of adrenalin, the hormone that contributes to the feelings associated with stress.

2. Boost your vitamin B6 with an avocado: Vitamin B6 is necessary for the creation of steroid hormones, including those that are released during periods of stress. States of excess stress could cause a depletion of vitamin B6 stores, which could cause other hormonal imbalances and additional internal stressors.

3. Crunch on raw red bell peppers to boost immunity and fight stress: Red bell peppers are packed full of vitamin C, which can reduce cortisol (stress hormone) levels in the blood. The benefit of vitamin C is two-fold because it also improves your ability to fight infections, which people tend to be more susceptible to during periods of high stress.

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4. Decrease anxiety by increasing your fish intake: EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) are two major components of the omega fats found in fish oils. Including adequate amounts of these fats in the diet has been shown to decrease episodes of anxiety and even anger in adults. Just remember to choose sardines, anchovies and other fish that are low on the food chain to avoid pollutants like mercury.

5. Eat turkey to take the edge off: Tryptophan is the amino acid that is often blamed for the "Thanksgiving coma," but it's also present in high levels in beef, poultry, salmon and shrimp. When tryptophan is transported to the brain, it has the ability to convert into serotonin to reduce anxiety and stress, as well as into melatonin, which aids in stress-related insomnia.

Five foods that fight stress  

Carob hazelnut spread

This spread is an equally decadent alternative to store-bought chocolate-hazelnut spreads. Carob is a high-fibre bean that tastes uncannily like cacao. However, it contains no caffeine, so it won’t exhaust your adrenal glands. This recipe is from nutritionist Daniela Rambaldini.

Ingredients: 2 whole ripe avocados 4 whole Medjool dates, soaked in 1/2 cup water 3 tbsp (45 mL) carob bean powder 1 tsp (1 mL) cinnamon powder pinch pink rock or grey sea salt

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Recommended flavour variations: 1/4 tsp (1 mL) ginger powder 1/4 tsp (1 mL) clove powder 1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) nutmeg powder 1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla bean powder

Directions: 1. Combine all ingredients in a blender, including the 1/2 cup (125 mL) of water used to soak the dates.

2. Whip until smooth.

3. Serve immediately or store in a sealed glass jar or container for up to three days. Makes 2 cups (500 ml)

Nutritionist Julie Daniluk hosts Healthy Gourmet, a reality cooking show that looks at the ongoing battle between taste and nutrition. Her soon-to-be-published first book, Meals That Heal Inflammation, advises on allergy-free foods that both taste great and assist the body in the healing process.

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For more amazing recipes visit Chatelaine.com's recipe section.

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