Stress is now part of our daily lives, and it causes a great deal of damage, often insidiously. Some even call it the "evil of the century". Yet there are some easy things you can do or apply on a daily basis to alleviate this scourge. For example, respect your sleep patterns. We often forget it, but sleep is a major asset and a guarantee of good mental and physical health.
Learn to stand back and try to adopt a Zen attitude. If you can't do it on your own, get some help at first. Today, there are coaches who apply and practice many of the techniques that are very much in vogue in the field of "zen-attitude". And don't forget anti-stress foods, which can help you combine nutrition and relaxation, and keep you serene in all circumstances.
By feeding your brain properly, you'll enable your body to better manage stress. To function, the brain needs oxygen and sugar, but be sure to choose the "good sugars", i.e. low-glycemic index sugars that release glucose slowly into the bloodstream, ensuring a constant supply of sugar for the brain and preventing fatigue, cravings and loss of attention.
Anti-stress foods: dark chocolate
One of the anti-stress foods that makes even the least greedy salivate is dark chocolate. Chocolate contains phenylethylamine, a mood-enhancing alkaloid found, for example, in LSD and certain morphines! Unlike these drugs, a bar of 70% cocoa dark chocolate is very rich in active substances, and poses no danger to your health.
Anti-stress foods: cereals
Carbohydrate-rich foods are also recognized as anti-stress because they facilitate the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that acts as a natural antidepressant and counteracts anxiety. Cereals enable you to combine an anti-stress effect with a balanced diet by gradually releasing their benefits, thanks in particular to the fiber they contain, their minerals and their many B vitamins, which promote attention and memory, and which are slowly assimilated by the body.
Anti-stress foods: omega-3s
Stress impairs memory, so turn to omega-3 fatty acids, which facilitate serotonin production and have a positive effect on memory and nervous tension. You'll find them in vegetable oils such as linseed, walnut, soybean, rapeseed and wheat germ. For fish lovers, omega-3s of animal origin can be found in fatty fish such as tuna, sardines, salmon, halibut, mackerel and herring, or in their oils. Choose wild fish over farmed fish. The omega-3 content of wild fish is higher than that of farmed fish.
So there's nothing like a good tartare or carpaccio of raw salmon or tuna to calm stress. Omega-3s, like certain B vitamins (B1, B6, B9 and B12), have the ability to lower cortisol and adrenalin levels, two hormones that are particularly high in people under permanent, long-term stress.
Anti-stress foods: vitamin B6
It is essential, as it reinforces the effectiveness of magnesium. It enables the brain to produce GABA (gamma-butyric acid) and serotonin, two anxiolytic substances. Pyridoxine is found mainly in dried brewer's yeast and liver, and in lesser proportions in pulses, wholemeal bread, cereals and fish.
As we mentioned earlier, everyday stress gives rise to disorders that we don't always pay attention to at first. People under stress may experience signs such as high blood pressure or palpitations, oppression, hyperventilation, sweating, anxiety, panic, insomnia, poor sleep, severe fatigue, gloomy mood... Their sympathetic nervous system puts their heart and adrenal glands to the test due to the high production of adrenalin and consequently cortisol.
Anti-stress foods: nuts
By helping to reduce blood pressure, walnuts are valuable allies for the stressed. Today, even organizations such as the Food and Drug Administration, convinced of their virtues, recommend consuming them daily. You can also turn to sunflower seeds. They're rich in vitamin B9, which helps our bodies secrete dopamine, another feel-good hormone. You'll also find folic acid in dark green leafy vegetables, brewer's yeast, liver, egg yolks, legumes and asparagus.
Anti-stress foods: magnesium
Anxiety, for its part, causes a major magnesium drain. So remember to eat spinach and other green leafy vegetables, bananas, cocoa and dark chocolate, certain dried fruits (figs, almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts), oat flakes and other wholegrain cereals. Other magnesium-rich allies include pulses such as white beans, lentils and split peas, all of which can help you cope with stress, relax your muscles, tone up and combat anxiety and spasmophilia. You'll also find magnesium in wholegrain pasta and rice.
Anti-stress foods: taurine
It is a valuable protein. It has an anti-stress effect, not only because it preserves the body's magnesium concentration, but also because it has a calming effect on muscles and the nervous system. Found in meat, fish, oysters and pulses, it also protects against excess salts.
Anti-stress foods: blueberries and red berries (cranberries, raspberries) or other berries (blackcurrants, blackberries).
They're packed with antioxidants to counterbalance the harmful effects of stress hormones such as cortisol. Antioxidants such as vitamins A (orange-colored vegetables and fruit), C (citrus fruits, red berries, kiwis), E (soybean, wheat, sunflower, corn and rapeseed oils), selenium (Brazil nuts, kidneys, cod, shiitake, fish eggs) and zinc (oysters, wholemeal bread, pulses) combat toxic substances and the formation of harmful free radicals released during stressful situations.
In conclusion, whatever your living conditions, a healthy, varied diet based on fresh fruit and vegetables and organic whole foods, rich in minerals and vitamins, will prevent the onset of chronic fatigue and lack of energy, two factors that generally reinforce stress and generate a loss of self-confidence.
An excellent and essential anti-stress remedy is to give yourself time off for sport or other pleasurable pursuits. Create or allow yourself moments of positive emotions, such as laughter sessions or lovemaking, which put the stressed brain at rest and put you "outside" the constraints of time. These diversions provide deep, healthy relaxation for the brain, as well as a release of endorphins, natural antidepressants and painkillers.