Stress Relief Food
Is Soothing & Nourishing

The basic qualities of stress relief food are:

• Fresh and Natural - old, stale and processed food creates a toxic burden on the body which is stressful. (Anything you purchase in a bottle, box or can is suspect.)
• Whole and complete as nature provided, rather than refined or processed. For example,
  whole grains are an excellent source of B vitamins which are important for stress relief.
• Rich in fruits and vegetables - these natural, colorful foods are high in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phyto-nutrients. They are potent stress relief food.
  (Years ago, one Ayurvedic doctor told me to eat mainly fruits and vegetables. I discovered that if more than half of every meal I ate was fresh vegetables or fruits I felt much better.)
• Low in oil and grease - frying foods and adding oils tends to create a digestive burden on our bodies. But a handful of fresh raw nuts and seeds can provide important essential fatty acids in a healthy way.
• Low in added processed sugars and refined carbohydrates so that blood sugar tends to stay more naturally stable.
• Moderate in quantity - starvation diets can be just as stressful as overeating and binging.
• Cooked naturally, avoid microwaves and
• Free of chemicals, pesticides and preservatives.
• Delicious - because the sense of enjoyment tends to reduce stress. Ideally, eat food which looks, smells, and tastes good.

Eating a variety of foods rather than the same foods all the time will help to insure the nutritional needs of the body are met.

Soups Are Soothing Stress Relief Food

Soups are very hydrating, nourishing, soothing, and easy to digest, especially if freshly made with natural, whole food ingredients. Soups are wonderful in the fall and winter months to warm our insides.

Soup recipes are very flexible and can be easily adapted to whatever vegetables you have on hand. Season with your favorite spices and it is hard to go wrong.

Smoothies Made With Fresh Fruits & Vegetables Are Nourishing and Digestible

Try adding a few mild tasting green leaves like romaine lettuce, parsley or spinach to a fresh fruit smoothie for a delicious healthy treat. Fresh vegetable/fruit smoothies prepared in a high speed blender are fun to drink and easy to prepare.

Fresh grapes, bananas and berries are a yummy base for fruit/vegetable smoothies. Smoothies are especially wonderful in warm and hot weather when we want to cool down.

For fresh smoothie ideas, I recommend Green for Life by Victoria Boutenko.

For more information, recipes and practical suggestions on
how to eat more stress relief food (fruits and vegetables) try http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/

Some Foods Called "Super Foods" Are
Exceptionally Nutrient Dense

These can be wonderful for building strength and energy and relieving stress.
A few examples are:

• Gogi berries
• Wheat grass juice, or barley grass juice
• Blueberries
  
• Chia seeds
• Flax and Hemp seeds
• Sea Vegetables such as dulse and kelp

"Super foods" are often more expensive then “regular” food. Sometimes their flavors may be strong or not what you are used to. They can be added, even in small quantities to other foods to boost the nutritional support for effective stress relief foods. Find the ones you like. Many local health food stores carry "super foods."

Following these suggestions will help to insure your body receives, digests and assimilates the nourishment it needs to meet the challenges of life so that our response to these challenges is less stressful.

But understanding what to eat is not the whole picture.
Knowing how to eat, can be as important as knowing what to eat.
Click here to find out more about Reducing Stress Eating Habits,

Visit Natural Stress Relief to explore other ideas to reduce stress.

To gain an overview of many other healthy ways to reduce stress jump to Gentle Stress Relief home page.