Top 30 Foods to Naturally Fight Feelings of Stress & Anxiety

{Note from Jessica: Today’s post is shared by my dear friend Kelly Matsudaira. Kelly is passionate about personal development and reflection on life and often pops in to share words of wisdom! I hope you enjoy today’s article!}

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by Kelly Matsudaira

Life is full of stress and difficult situations that cause us a lot of anxiety. Over 40 million American adults suffer from anxiety disorders, which is nearly 1 in 5 people. And 1 in 10 Americans will develop a depressive order. This means that most of us probably know someone or a few people that struggle with their mental health.

To overcome stress, depression and anxiety without medication, we have to focus on a lifestyle makeover and diet change. This means getting more of certain minerals and nutrients into our bodies through specific foods. While this will not completely cure any of these disorders, it may drastically cut down on a number of negative feelings you are experiencing. They could possibly improve your mood as well.

It’s also important to note that while some foods help towards stress and anxiety, others can make you worse. Therefore, it’s wise to stay away from fried foods, unrefined sugars, high glycemic carbs and alcoholic beverages. These types of foods can be a trigger for an attack. For example, if you’re prone to panic or anxiety attacks, it would be wise to stay away from coffee because the caffeine can increase your heart rate and make you feel jittery.

“If you’re a chronic worrier, you may be able to find relief in your kitchen. Certain foods contain vitamins, amino acids and complex carbohydrates that have been proven to increase feel-good brain chemicals, calm nerves, and help you get a better night’s sleep.” Source

Top 30 Foods to Naturally Fight Stress & Anxiety

When you’re feeling frazzled, try to focus on getting more of these foods into your diet. “They provide vitamins and nutrients that are known to calm the mind and body while also increasing energy and stabilizing your mood. Combine those foods with a balanced diet that is free of fried foods and harmful ingredients and you should see a marked difference in your anxiety levels.” Source

• Leafy greens
• Spinach
• Asparagus
• Avocado
• Blueberries
• Acai berries
• Oranges
• Almonds
• Cashews
• Walnuts
• Pistachios
• Sunflower seeds
• Garlic
• Turmeric
• Maca root
• Adaptogenic herbs
• Rooibos tea
• Chamomile tea
• Green tea
• Full-fat kefir
• Dark chocolate
• Turkey
• Grass-fed beef
• Organ Meat
• Seaweed
• Oysters
• Salmon
• Oatmeal
• Milk
• Yogurt

While changing your diet and switching foods can greatly improve your stress and anxiety, it’s just one step. It’s important to make bigger lifestyle changes, get a better understanding of your stress and anxiety and practice other methods to help you calm down and relax.

Supporting the Your Stress Response Through Herbs

When it comes to supporting your body’s stress responses, looking into the health status of your adrenal glands and thyroid is going to be important. Many people find their anxiety to be much higher when they are dealing with stressed out adrenals (also called adrenal fatigue) and low or fast thyroid. Both hypo- and hyperthyroidism can cause anxiety issues. In addition, those suffering from endocrine system imbalance may find that their sleep rhythms are impaired, leading to more stress. In short, when the endocrine system is out of balance at all, it can dramatically impact our stress tolerance, anxiety, and sleep.

If you’re struggling with anxiety or stress tolerance, caffeine may not be your best friend. While those with sluggish adrenal glands and low thyroid tend to feel run down and in need of a regular pick-me-up (like coffee and other caffeinated beverages), in the long run, caffeine can do more harm than good while you are healing. I go into the “whys” around caffeine and your adrenals in this detailed post here. In addition to the caffeine, there are other constituents, molds, and mycotoxins that can show up in coffee that some people find they react to.

When I was diagnosed with autoimmune disease and adrenal fatigue, one of the first things that had to go was coffee. To be honest, I never drank coffee because of the caffeine. I drank coffee for the taste and aroma, as well as the emotional experience I felt to my morning cup of joe. For me, it was a ritual that I looked forward to every day (and sometimes multiple times a day). Whether I was brewing it at home or going to my local coffee shops, the experience was one that I clung to tightly.

But, when I was faced with new health struggles, I knew I had to do whatever I could to support my body and give it the tools it needed to heal. Giving up coffee and caffeine was one step in this direction.

And it sucked.

I turned to the coffee substitutes on the market in a desperate attempt to recreate the ritual I had grown so fond of, but nothing ever tasted the way I wanted it to. Nothing ever gave me that same experience that my cup of “real” coffee did. I knew there had to be something better, but I simply could not find it on my health food store’s shelves.

Necessity is the mother of invention so that is why I created my own coffee substitutes. They were made with organic, sustainably harvested herbs with zero grains, zero gluten, and zero caffeine. Just herbs. Herbs that not only tasted delicious but supported my body’s function, like liver detox, bile production, digestion, etc. In my mind, if I can get something to not only taste amazing but do amazing things for my body, then it’s a no brainer!

I sold these pre-made blends on Etsy for awhile and the demand was more than I could keep up with. People literally LOVED these blends and were stunned at how much like coffee they actually tasted. Customers who had been dealing with a variety of chronic illnesses had given up coffee to heal their bodies, but like me were deeply missing their morning cup of joe ritual.

After careful consideration and work with some highly experienced advisors, I decided to stop selling the pre-made blends and instead share my proprietary recipes in the form of an eBook. That way I could arm people with the knowledge and recipes they needed to make their own caffeine-free, gluten-free, grain-free blends in the comfort of their own home. 

That is why I created the best-selling DIY Herbal Coffees eBook: A Complete Guide To Making Delicious Herbal Coffees to Support Healing & Stress Relief. Now in its second edition, this ebook features all of my proprietary herbal blend recipes to you can craft a homemade herbal cup of “coffee” at home.

In addition, you get a ton of researched information about coffee’s impact on the health of those dealing with issues like adrenal fatigue, blood sugar dysregulation, autoimmune disease, thyroid disease, and any other chronic illness.

Lastly, you get access to your own personal coffee shop. I show you how to recreate your favorite coffee shop drinks and pastries with wholesome, nourishing real food ingredients. No junk here.

This book truly is a comprehensive guide to supporting your health, reducing your stress, and bringing a little something special back into your healing journey. You can learn more and download your own copy of this revolutionary wellness guide here, or simply click on the image below.