14 Best and Worst Foods for Stress
Foods that are high in refined sugar only increase stress hormones, including cortisol. That's because your body can't use up all that refined sugar
Ice Cream
Caffeine is known to be a mood-booster (and may lower your risk of depression) by stimulating dopamine activity, this chemical compound can also blunt the absorption
Coffee
When your body switches into fight-or-flight mode during times of stress, one of the responses is to elevate your blood pressure shoveling high-sodium foods into your face
Chinese Take-Out
Not only will their high sodium levels bolster your blood pressure, but their fast-digesting, refined carbs can actually increase anxiety.
Pretzels
we typically look for when it comes to satisfying those stress cravings—but avoid this vehicle of food at all costs Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine-disrupting
Canned Soup
Overturning your anxious mood with a healthy option is a good idea, but don't grab a freshly pressed juice. whole fruits, juices are devoid of slow-digesting fiber
Pressed Juices
Add that to soy's high levels of anti-nutrient phytic acid, which can't be diminished by traditional soaking and sprouting methods soy is also high in linked to anxious behavior.
Tofu
Health experts for its impressive fiber content, but wheat bran gets a black mark in the anti-anxiety department for its high concentration of phytic acid.
Wheat Bran
Wine-ing down with alcohol may only wind you up more. While a glass of vino or whiskey on the rocks may feel like it initially helps to calm an anxious mind
Red Wine
Aspartame, an artificial sweetener that's found in many diet sodas, has been found to block the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin.
Diet Soda
Folic acid deficiency can suppress the production of S-adenosylmethionine, a naturally occurring compound that helps produce serotonin and dopamine.
Spinach
A separate study found that people who ate olive oil daily enjoyed a bigger boost of the happy hormone serotonin than those eating other types of fat.
Olive Oil
Role in helping the serotonin building blocks cross into your brain where they can be assembled into the feel-good hormone your stress-induced carb
Oats
These fish are loaded with omega-3s, a mood-boosting fatty acid that may make it easier for serotonin—a chemical that makes you feel happier—to pass
Wild Salmon
THE BEST LOW-FODMAP FOODS