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5 Essential Foods To Eat When Feeling Stressed

November 25, 2014 by Monique Leave a Comment

Today’s article comes to us from the vibrant Kavisha Jega, a wellness coach living in Melbourne, Australia.  Kavisha and I connected through social media (as so many healthy foodies do – I love it!).  After meeting Kavisha over a delish brekky in Bondi one day, I was instantly struck by her positive nature and radiance.  She glowed; and seemed so relaxed despite being one very busy lady. So who better to provide us with an insight on to some key foods to eat when feeling stressed!

De-stress Smoothie 1

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Working long hours, late nights, busy schedules, caffeine, sugar and alcohol… your body can be tired and stressed without you even knowing it. When under stress, the body uses more essential nutrients than it normally would. Therefore, it is important that these vital nutrients are constantly being ‘topped up’ to ensure your body is well protected to cope with stress and other illnesses.

It’s important to include the following foods in your diet when feeling under the pump, here’s why…

1. Avocado
We need B vitamins for healthy nerves and brain cells, and feelings of anxiety may be rooted in a B vitamin deficiency. Avocados are rich in stress-relieving B vitamins. They’re also high in monounsaturated fat, magnesium and potassium, which help lower blood pressure.

2. Berries
Berries pack a powerful punch of antioxidants and vitamin C, making them mighty stress-busters. When we’re stressed, our bodies need vitamin C and antioxidants to help repair and protect cells. As our immune system is weakened when we are under stress, vitamin C will help boost your immunity.

3. Raw Cacao
Raw cacao is an excellent source of magnesium- a mineral that gets depleted when under stress. Magnesium is key for relaxation and healing of the muscles throughout the entire body and is therefore great for lowering blood pressure. Not getting enough magnesium may trigger migraine headaches and make you feel fatigued.

4. Nuts
Almonds and cashews are rich in magnesium, B vitamins and vitamin E- all great at helping your body cope with stress. Pistachios and walnuts are also fantastic nuts to consume. Eating a handful of pistachios a day lowers blood pressure so your heart doesn’t have to work overtime. Walnuts have also been found to lower blood pressure, both at rest and under stress.

5. Salmon (or other oily fish)
Adequate levels of Omega-3s can help reduce anxiety and promote clear and focused thinking. A diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids also helps keep cortisol and adrenaline from spiking when you’re feeling tense. Consuming oily fish at least three times a week goes a long way towards protecting your heart when those stress hormones are surging.

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Kavisha, thank you so much for your contribution to Nourish Everyday! I’m putting Kav’s advice into edible form with a fabulous simple Chocolate De-stress Smoothie – click here to jump to the recipe.  Okay, I couldn’t whack the salmon in, but I have added chia seeds, which are also an excellent source of omega-3s! Click here to get the recipe.

Kavisha JegaAbout Kavisha

Kavisha is a food & wellness coach who is a self-confessed lover of good food and travel.  She works to educate and empower health conscious people to make healthy and positive changes to their diet and lifestyle.  Kavisha holds a Masters degree in Wellness and is best known for her expertise in holistic wellbeing and healthy eating.

Connect with Kavisha

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM 

Filed Under: Blog, Nutrition Tips, Wellness

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Monique Cormack

I'm Monique, student nutritionist (and part-time lawyer!) and creator of Nourish Every Day. I share my favourite healthy recipes, nutrition articles and tips. Thanks for stopping by!

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  • | BIRCHER MUESLI | One of my favourite ways to start the day and the perfect swap for a hot porridge bowl during the summer months. I make mine with loads of different seeds and top it off with fruit and usually a generous sprinkling of granola, too. Gotta have all the different textures! Best thing is you can make a big batch in advance which is perfect for when you’re busy running a million and one errands as Christmas draws closer...with fresh berries and colourful toppings it’s fancy enough for a festive brekky too. Recipe for this Super Seed Bircher Muesli is on Nourish Every Day, link in bio or -> nourisheveryday.com/super-seed-bircher-muesli/ #birchermuesli #bircher #oatsforbreakfast #wholegrain #overnightoats
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  • | HEALTHY HACKS | planning, shopping, prepping, cooking, it all takes time! Yesterday we had a bbq at our house and with the boys to look after I didn’t have as much time as I used to. So I grabbed a few of the things I often buy when I need to get food ready fast. Shredded coleslaw veggie mix + canned chickpeas were the foundation ingredients of this yogurt slaw with spice roasted chickpeas👌So delicious and really easy to prepare thanks to these pre-prepped supermarket winners! Yes making this totally from scratch is amazing but we have to make healthy eating practical and accessible. What are your fave healthy hacks? Recipe coming soon. Happy Sunday! #healthyhacks #nutritiontips #eattherainbow #coleslaw #healthylunchideas
  • | HOMEMADE SNACKS | These no food processor protein balls are the most popular recipe on the blog at the moment and it’s not hard to see why; you only need 5 ingredients and no fancy equipment is required! Simple bliss balls that last for ages in the fridge, so make a big batch all at once. Love having a batch of these on hand alongside some of my other fave snacks like nuts, hummus, cheese, veggie sticks, dates, rice cakes. What are your go-to snacks? Full recipe for the protein balls is on Nourish Every Day -> nourisheveryday.com/no-food-processor-protein-balls/ #blissballs #proteinballs #healthysnacks #snackideas #homemadesnacks
  • | FIRST FOODS 👶| Pictured are the very first foods I introduced to the boys when we started complementary feeding, ie when we introduced solids. 🥦 Once upon a time the standard approach used to be starting out solids with rice cereal or fruit purée, but more recent research suggests toddlers/children are more likely to accept a wider variety of healthful foods if we start with vegetables first, and offer them frequently and in variety. 🥦 Starting with the more bitter or neutral flavoured veggies from the outset gives the most opportunity for bubs to adopt them into their taste preferences and may reduce risk of rejecting these foods in later years. 🥦 In the beginning, these can be blended with breast milk or formula to create a smooth consistency and create a slightly more mild flavour, then just reduce or omit the milk/formula completely. 🥦 We started with avocado and moved on from there. All initial foods were a hit except for the green beans, which of all things would seem to be the sweetest! I also blended the potato and spinach together as blending spinach alone is a damn pain. 🥦 I’ve been asked quite a bit about baby feeding recently so I’m going to start sharing some stuff on here, but there will be lots of non-baby nutrition stuff too! #startingsolids #firstfoods #babynutrition #babyfood #weaningjourney EDITED TO ADD: it’s also important to introduce iron-rich foods at around 6 months, these first tastes can be introduced alongside or for 1-2 weeks preceding iron-rich foods. More info to come!
  • | EASY VERMICELLI BOWLS | Sunday night dinner sorted! Salad veggies, rice vermicelli, peanut sauce and your choice of protein. For an easy fix use store bought bbq chicken, or if you want meat-free substitute in the oven baked bbq tofu from my last post! Thinking of possibly making a Christmas cake during baby nap time today. Do you like Christmas cake? What’s your go-to Christmas dessert? p.s. full recipe for vermicelli bowls with peanut butter sauce is on Nourish Every Day -> nourisheveryday.com/vermicelli-noodle-bowls-peanut-butter-sauce/ #easydinnerideas #vermicellinoodles #bowlfood #noodlebowl #peanutsauce
  • | OVEN BAKED BBQ TOFU | New recipe is up on the blog guys! The tofu recipe you need when you’re not so sure about tofu 🤷🏻‍♀️ With a good marinade it becomes tasty little cubes of goodness perfect for tossing into buddha bowls, salads, stir fries...you name it. I recommend it in a colourful bowl like the one pictured, drizzled with tahini dressing. For this recipe, use extra firm tofu so it’s easy to handle and doesn’t fall apart. Full recipe is on Nourish Every Day, link in bio! #bbqtofu #tofurecipes #bakedtofu #plantprotein #veganrecipes
  • | THANK YOU 🙏 | Thank you for all the love on my previous post announcing my change of name and slightly new biz direction. It has been a pretty strange but amazing year...had twins, finished uni, y’know...just pretty intense (understatement!). And I’m so grateful for you guys sticking by me as I’ve not been as consistent with blogging and recipes. But the love for creating things is still there ❤️ and I’m looking forward to getting back into more of a flow! For now though it’s been another crazy day involving hot weather, babies throwing food around a restaurant, vaccinations, temperatures and more...so is cake for dinner acceptable? I think so. Apple Zucchini Snack Cake recipe from the blog (link in bio) -> nourisheveryday.com/apple-zucchini-snacking-cake/ . . . . . . . . . . #cakefordinner #applecake #zucchinicake #zucchinibread #glutenfreebread #glutenfreebaking #healthybaking #healthyrecipes #easyrecipes #cakegram #healthier #healthysnacks #loafcake #feedfeedbaking #feedfeedglutenfree #thekitchn #thebakefeed #eeeeeats #healthyfoodrecipes #nutritionist #nourisheveryday

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