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Sunday, July 10, 2016

Ten Foodie Ways to Destress

We are living in stressful times, my friends. It has been an interminably long and uncivil political campaign for a presidential election that has done more to create strife than consensus. Fear and hatred are now both political commodities as well as currency. The news cycle seems to roll around a macabre rollercoaster ride made up of blood, terror and sadness.


I can’t fix the world for you, but I can offer you a fun list of foods that will help you destress (some with scientific justifications and everything!):

Chocolate
Dark chocolate regulates the levels of the stress hormone cortisol, along with a number of other health benefits. Candy bars are the easy answer, but that’s limiting. Ice cream, fudge, cake, brownies, cookies!


Linalool Troika!
This is aromatherapy for foodies. According to a study in food chemistry, the smell of linalool-rich foods may help the body deal with stress. Here are three magic foods to induce a worry-less aura: basil, lemons, and mango. I can tell you that I have a pesto dance, a mango ice cream dance, as well as a lemon chicken dance. See? I am living proof…


A Taste of Honey
A spoonful of honey can boost relaxation and combat depression and anxiety. (In fact, herbal tea is the perfect combo as it contains L-theanine, which relieves stress by “inducing a relaxing effect without drowsiness.”

Dancing to "A Taste of Honey" will also result in some giddiness. 

Coconut
A study at Columbia University claims people’s blood pressure recovered faster after a challenge when the subjects were exposed to the scent of coconut. It apparently blunts your fight or flight response and slows your heart rate. PiƱa Coladas for everyone!

Bananas
Bananas are fully loaded to make you feel good—they contain natural muscle relaxants that help the body manage tension, and they are also rich in tryptophan which releases serotonin (the ultimate natural mood enhancer) in the brain. This is why minions are always so darned happy!


Oysters
Oysters are super rich in zinc, and half a dozen shells will provide over half of the recommended daily allowance and that, with a splash of lemon, will keep the anxiety away, baby.


Are You Nuts?
These days I think, we’re all a little nutty, but to help you relax, I suggest pumpkin seeds and walnuts, which with omega-3 fatty acids, keep stress hormones in check. Lightly toasted they go equally well over desserts as over salads.

There are other foods that may help relax you, as long as you enjoy them in moderation. Build up your strength because summer is young and the year is far from over, and the intensity with which this year has used and abused us is not likely to let up.


Be kind. Be sweet. Embrace tolerance and your own dignity. And if that doesn’t work, let’s hope Keith Richards didn't deplete the planet's supply of drugs and alcohol for the rest of us! 


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