Are You Stressed? These 10 Nutritious Foods Can Help You Fight It – Check It Out!!!

Health awareness and working with the knowledge gained from being healthfully aware are the keys to living a long and healthful life. With the daily hustle and bustle, people sometimes forget to keep an eye out for their well being.

But without one’s health, one cannot fulfill what he usually busies himself with. Imagine being sick but still having to go to work to pay for the medical bills. That would be a very difficult thing to do. That is why one must give the utmost importance to his own health.

Health awareness can help an individual function his best. If this value is instilled, it will most definitely help him make the right choices as far as physical activity and food intake are concerned. A man named Edward Stanley once said,

“Those who think they have no time for healthy eating will sooner or later have to find time for illness.”

This holds true for anyone. Diseases do not discriminate. No matter what race, religion, or gender an individual is, if he does not make the effort to lead a healthy life, he probably will be not be able to escape from illness in the future.

It is much better to prevent something from happening than to cure or correct it later on. And to stay healthy, one needs exercise. The most obvious benefit of exercise is weight loss.

For the obese and the overweight, an increase in physical activity will benefit them in the long run.

A daily 30 minute brisk walk through the park, or taking the dog for a walk every night are some exercise routines that will help one lose weight.

The increase in physical activity will also cause an increase in metabolism. Higher metabolic rates mean that the body digests the food that one eats much faster, preventing accumulation of fat, thus preventing obesity.

In order to lose weight, the calories one takes in should be less than the calories one burns. Exercise does wonders, and part of a test for health awareness is to know whether or not one is exercising as much as he should.

Exercise is not the only factor to be considered when it comes to staying healthy. Food also plays a major role in maintaining and improving one’s well being.

Knowing the benefits and disadvantages of eating a certain kind of food is another test for health awareness. But excess weight is not the only factor to consider when thinking of an individual’s health and wellness.

His state of mind is also very important. Because stress is always coupled with a busy lifestyle, it is essential to know which kinds of food help alleviate it. Here are 10 non-fat foods that fight stress.

• Chamomile tea –

This tea contains antioxidants called flavonoids, which help reduce the risk for developing atherosclerosis by preventing the oxidation of certain fats in the body. Chamomile tea also contains certain chemicals that allow a person to relax and is used as a mild sleeping aid.

• Dark Chocolate –

A person with good health awareness knows that this should be eaten moderately! Dark chocolate also contains the antioxidants called flavonoids, which help in preventing certain heart diseases. Chocolate also contains phenethylamine, which stimulates the release of noradrenaline and dopamine, a hormone that plays a significant role in the reward-punishment and motivational aspects of our brains.

• Oatmeal –

A fiber-filled carbohydrate that allows the body to absorb its components slowly. This slow absorption allows the body to constantly produce serotonin, a hormone that contributes to the feelings of well-being and happiness.

• Grapefruit –

A fruit of high Vitamin C content. Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant, trapping unwanted chemicals and priming them for excretion. Vitamin C also plays a significant role in the body’s synthesis of carnitine, which helps shuttle certain fatty acids through our cells and prepares them for easy digestion. Grapefruit also stimulates the release of cortisol, which aids in lowering stress levels.

• Coffee –

Coffee also induces the body’s release of cortisol by acting as stimulant. Cortisol then acts to lower the imbalance caused by the stimulation of coffee. The effect is stress relief.

• Milk –

Heat up a glass before going to bed, and this will help reduce stress. Cow’s milk contains whey protein, which contributes to stress-relief and relaxation by decreasing anxiety.

• Wine –

Wine has antioxidant properties, lowers blood pressure, and induces relaxation. Make sure not to drink too much though, because a hangover would definitely add more stress instead of reducing it.

• Spinach –

Popeye definitely got one thing right. Spinach is rich in many vitamins and minerals, most especially iron, calcium, and folic acid, which help reduce the risk for anemia, thus allowing oxygen to circulate the body easily, thereby helping to prevent stress.

• Nuts –

Anyone who knows the value of health awareness also knows that nuts are rich in the B vitamins, certain minerals, and vitamin E, which acts as an antioxidant and helps in trapping the unwanted chemicals in the body.

• Chillies –

Chilli peppers stimulate the release of endorphins, the “feel-good” hormones of the body that are also released during exercise! The hotter the chilli pepper, the greater the stimulation for endorphin-release!

These are just some stress-busting foods that contribute to a person’s health and wellbeing. If one is at the peak of his health awareness, he should know that these foods, when coupled with proper exercise routines, will not only help one lose weight, but will also reduce stress, and prevent the risks of developing diseases.