Mood & Food

Foods to Beat Stress

Stress breaks down protein in the body which explains why people under extreme stress often lose weight. You need to ensure that each of your main meals contains some form of protein so that your intake is regular. The quality of that protein is important as is variety. Try and include nuts, seeds, pulses such as lentils and chickpeas, meats, fish and poultry in your diet.

Inflammation is triggered by stress hormones. This in turn can create inflammation in the body. To reduce inflammation, you should try and get enough omega 3 fatty acids into your diet. Omega 3 can be found in oily fish such as mackerel, salmon and sardines if you’re a fish eater. If not, you can always supplement. Algal oil is a suitable vegan source of omega 3 fatty acids whilst fish oil supplements are widely available from good health food stores.