Skip to main content

Change Your Diet to Reduce Stress: 3 Easy Dietary Tips for Women

April is Stress Awareness Month.  But strategies to reduce and manage stress are welcome any time of the year.  Studies show that women are more likely than men to report high levels of stress, and for African American women chronic or daily stress is even more problematic. 


While we tend to think of approaching stress management from an emotional wellbeing and physical health standpoint, we don't often associate making dietary changes with reducing stress and anxiety.  

While scheduling an appointment with your primary care doctor and seeking help from a therapist or spiritual advisor may still be necessary to help address the underlying reasons for why you're feeling stressed and the degree to which your stress affects your life, here are a few food for thought tips from Constance Brown-Riggs, MSEd, RDN, CDCES, CDN, nutrition consultant and author Diabetes Guide to Enjoying Foods of the World


Swap your morning coffee with a cup of warm tea.  “The key to tea's ability to reduce stress is centered around its amino acid content. Both green and black tea contain L-theanine an amino acid that relaxes the mind yet it doesn’t make you feel drowsy. Enjoy 1-2 cups of tea each day as a nourishing way to distress.” 


Boost your morning smoothie with spinach and flax seeds. “Thanks to an abundance of magnesium, spinach helps to lower blood pressure and stress levels. Flax seeds are loaded with omega 3 fatty acids that stimulate the release of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a natural anti-depressant that helps regulate mood.”


Load up on whole grains for lunch. “Whole grains boost serotonin levels to help reduce afternoon mood swings. Whole grains found in bread and crackers are high in fiber, B vitamins, iron, magnesium and selenium. The fiber slows the digestion of carbohydrate which promotes a steady release of serotonin.”

 



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Giveaway: Thank Your Friends with Merci Chocolates!

National Friendship Day was August 4, 2013, but Everything She Wants has decided to continue the celebration with a giveaway from merci fine European chocolates . While some friendships are for a season or a reason, other friendships are built to last a lifetime.  I’m fortunate to have two best friends: Cindy, whom I’ve known since junior high school and Deanna, who started out as my amusing intern.  Besides my mother and my husband, these girlfriends are my greatest confidants.  They’re like the sisters I never had and we’ve supported each other through personal trials and triumphs. So what better way to say ‘thank you’ to your friends than with merci chocolates?  One lucky reader will win a ‘Friendship Kit’  that you can either keep to reward yourself for being such a great friend or share with a deserving comrade. The kit includes: $25 Target gift card (yay!) 7 ounce box of merci chocolates A picture frame to display a photo of you a...

Memorial Day Summer Swimsuits in the Amazon.com Swim Shop!

Memorial Day weekend is right around the corner.   Do you have your new summer swimsuit yet?  If not, Everything She Wants recommends checking out Amazon.com's  Amazon Swim Shop . Me at the Amazon Swim Shop preview. The online shop is stocked year-round with trendy and timeless swimsuit styles, cover ups and swim accessories from your favorite brands. While I'm usually partial to the figure-flattering tankini, at a press preview for the Amazon Swim Shop, I noticed that the often unforgiving one-piece suit has made a compelling comeback. Thanks to a generous gift card from Amazon I took a chance and ordered a Calvin Klein one-piece in a pretty nude/coral "Sand" color, along with several bohemian tunics. Now here's your turn.    One lucky reader will receive a promo code for $100 to spend at the Amazon Swim Shop (qualifying items must be sold and shipped directly by Amazon and not a third-party seller). Here's how you can win ( you must comp...

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater Comes to Brooklyn, June 5-8

Attending a performance of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is always a highlight of my arts and culture calendar. An engagement with this awe-inspiring and genre-bending dance company is even better when they perform close to home at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.                                                                                                                                         Photo: Danica Paulos Ailey’s long-standing relationship with BAM began in 1969 when the trailblazing choreographer established The Ailey School in Brooklyn and presented his company’s...