5 Superfoods To Reduce Stress & Anxiety
Organic Traditions Blog

5 Superfoods To Reduce Stress & Anxiety

by Vickie Chin on Jan 25, 2021

Food is essential to life. It nourishes, supports and energizes - but did you know that it can also help ease and reduce (stress and anxiety that is!). Here is our list of top our top five superfoods to help reduce stress and anxiety!

Turmeric:

Touted for its ability to reduce inflammation thanks to the abundance of curcumin found in this superfood, turmeric can also aid in reducing anxiety. There have been many studies that have drawn the connection between the gut and the brain (aka the gut-brain axis) and explored how one can impact the other. It has been proven that a healthy gut is directly related to a healthy mind, and vice versa. Turmeric can help combat inflammation throughout the entire body - including the gut, making it an amazing superfood for not only soothing the body but also the mind. Try winding down after dinner with a warm glass of water with some of our NEW Gold Vitality Blend, a nutrient dense mix of camu camu, full spectrum ginger and full spectrum turmeric.


Ashwgandha:

If there’s one adaptogen that just about anyone can benefit from, it’s ashwagandha. Unlike most other adaptogens, science has actually linked it to a handful of benefits through various studies and research. Ashwagandha works to improve your body’s response to stress and has also shown to reduce anxiety through regular consumption. Regular consumption is made easy with ashwagandha as you’ll find a ton of user friendly ways to incorporate it into your routine. Our favourite way is definitely through enjoying a mug of our Chocolate Latte with Ashwagandha and Probiotics. An unstoppable combo for combatting stress and anxiety - which brings us to our next stress and anxiety reducing food…


Chocolate! 

Well, not just any chocolate. Some people definitely find comfort in chocolate bars, we’re specifically talking about pure, unprocessed chocolate aka cacao. Cacao is rich in magnesium, which can be a natural treatment for anxiety. Magnesium is an essential mineral that plays an important role in a handful of bodily functions and has shown to help improve brain health. While the gut-brain axis illustrates the connection between the state of our gut health and its impact on our mental health - it’s still important to feed our brains everything it needs to stay in tip top shape. Speaking of magnesium…


Pumpkin Seeds:

One ounce of pumpkin seeds gets you up to 20% of your RDI of magnesium! Plus you’re getting a ton of other nutrients like phosphorus, iron, zinc and copper. Pumpkin seeds are also a good source of protein, healthy fats and fiber! 


Holy Basil:

Don’t be throwing it in your pesto, it’s not that kind of basil. While you should refrain from adding it to your pasta sauce, you should definitely be enjoying a cup to wind down if you’re looking to reduce your stress from the day. Holy basil is another adaptogen and is actually referred to as the ‘queen of the herbs’. It’s also considered a tonic for the mind, body and spirit. Holy basil can help reduce stress and insomnia as well as exhaustion and even forgetfulness! Whether or not you feel the stress reducing benefits you can at least feel better about  antibacterial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory benefits that holy basil has to offer!