5 Tips for maintaining a diet to reduce stress

If all this time the demands of work, school, or relationships with those closest to you are more closely linked as causes of stress, it turns out that there are other factors that often go unnoticed. When you are under stress, try to remember things that you often or rarely notice lately. Because, in fact, the daily diet has a big role as a source of stress. However, don't worry. The key is discipline to maintain a diet to reduce stress, so that the body and mind are happier.

Diet to reduce stress

What you eat and drink on a daily basis has an effect on the ups and downs of your mood.

This is because various nutrients play an important role in supporting brain function, immunity, regulating blood pressure, and removing toxins. Even the intake of nutrients from food helps to reduce levels of the hormones cortisol and adrenaline which increase when stressed.

In order to be more comfortable when you are on the move every day, here are some recommended eating patterns that you can apply to help reduce stress:

1. Increase your fiber intake

Quoting from The Journal of Physiology, foods with high fiber content in your daily diet can help reduce stress. It is rarely known, it turns out that bacteria lodged in the intestines can help reduce levels of anxiety and stress in the body.

Every time you eat a source of fiber, these bacteria will convert the fiber into short chain fatty acids, akashort-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Apart from serving as one of the main sources of nutrition for digestion, foods with SCFAs can also help reduce stress levels.

Apples, soybeans, peas, wheat products, and various vegetables are high fiber sources which will help stimulate the production of SCFAs. In addition, prolonged stress conditions can also affect the work of the intestines by creating a barrier or "barrier".

As a result, the food in digestion will be more difficult to digest. In this condition, the intake of high-fiber foods can help remove the "barrier", as it produces more SCFAs.

So, from now on, don't hesitate to increase your fiber intake to reduce stress. Whether it's from the main meal, or snacks in the midst of busy daily activities. For example consumingsnack soybeans which are rich in fiber content.

2. Eat a source of complex carbohydrates

When stress hits, the body automatically releases a lot of the hormones cortisol and adrenaline to prepare the body for this situation. Unfortunately, levels of the substance serotonin, which is responsible for improving mood, actually decreased.

In order to restore serotonin levels to normal, it is recommended that you consume complex carbohydrates at every meal. For example, from whole wheat bread, whole grains, vegetables, and fruits. A study in the Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences explains that consumption of complex carbohydrate sources will help produce more serotonin.

Interestingly, carbohydrate intake can also work together with fiber to optimize digestion. Both of these nutrients will make the digestion process slow down, so that the flow of the hormone serotonin can be more stable.

3. Reduce fat intake

If in recent times you have been fond of eating fatty foods, try reducing or even stopping them if you don't want your stress to get worse. A study from Psychiatric Clinics of North America tried to compare stress levels in animals that ate a regular, high-fat diet.

The results showed that in animals that were given a balanced nutritional content, there was no increase in glucocorticoid hormone levels. Meanwhile, in animals that are fed a high-fat diet, the hypothalamus of the brain produces more glucocorticoid hormones.

Glucorocorticoids are a group of steroid hormones, which usually play a role in supporting the body's metabolism. However, in excess amounts, glucocorticoids can indicate that you are experiencing acute stress.

In short, an unhealthy diet, such as too much saturated and trans fat, can have a negative impact on the hormonal balance in the body. One of them affects the levels of hormones that trigger and control stress.

4. Increase your intake of vitamins and minerals

The importance of vitamin and mineral needs is not a mere figment. Not only is it needed to support various body functions, the intake of these micronutrients also helps reduce the body's stress levels. Starting from vitamin B3, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, magnesium, and selenium.

If the body's needs for vitamins and minerals are not fulfilled properly, the risk of developing psychological stress can be greater. In fact, lack of intake of these micronutrients can disrupt the balance of hormones that trigger and control stress in the body.

5. Fulfill the needs of fluids every day

Lack of fluids not only makes you thirsty, but can make the body dehydrated. Without realizing it, when you are dehydrated, there is an increase in the level of the hormone cortisol.

You could say, high levels of the hormone cortisol are the body's way of responding or giving signals when it is lacking fluids. That's why it doesn't take long, you will feel very stressed and have difficulty thinking clearly.

So, make sure that the body does not lack fluid intake every day to prevent stress and dehydration.