Dealing with stress and anxiety isn’t easy. We are not encouraging you to eat because you are stressed we are encouraging you to keep your body nourished with food that will help you to keep your stress level down.
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
― Hippocrates
If you don't medicine may become your food! - The Womacks
Now yes, we know the arguments about how depleted our foods are of vitamins. Let's not get into that whole debate. We want help you to think about using food as fuel and a way to keep your body healthy.
And, to help you be sure that you’re not fighting something else, it might be a great idea to consider seeing an Allergy & Immunology specialist too. That way you can see if there is another cause of stress. But alongside that, let’s look at the vitamin that could help.
If you are feeling a little stressed and blue, try adding a few of these B vitamin foods to your next meal.
Vitamin B1/Thiamine.
This is one of the vitamins which works to lift your mood and help you feel a little bit happier. It aids with the functionality of your nervous system too, which is responsible for many of your feelings, including adrenaline and stress.
Foods containing B1/Thiamine include:
- Salmon, Tuna, Trout, Catfish
- Flax Seeds, Sunflowers, Macadamia Nuts, Pistachios
- Navy Beans, Black Beans, Black-Eyed Peas, Lentils
- Asparagus, Acorn Squash
- Brown Rice, Quinoa
Vitamin B3/Niacin
Vitamin B3 is able to help your body falling asleep more peacefully, and can also help you to stay asleep for longer in order to get a better quality of sleep.
- Foods Containing B3 include:
- Ground Turkey
- Mushrooms
- Avocado
- Sweet Potato
- Green Peas
Vitamin B2/Riboflavin
A common vitamin for relieving stress, Vitamin B2 is a must-have for anybody struggling to manage high levels of stress. Known as one of the natural stress relievers, it can be taken alongside other vitamins to boost its impact.
Foods containing B2 include:
- Spinach
- Almonds
- Eggs
- Salmon
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is also an essential part of any weekly diet for those suffering with iron deficiency, it can improve other general health concerns. This includes problems with falling asleep or staying asleep, general tiredness and fatigue, and both physical and mental energy levels.
- Foods containing B12 include:
- Clams
- Fortified nutritional yeast
- Liver
- Trout
We encourage you to increase your intake of Vitamin B food sources to help you to reduce your stress.