Yum, right? Next time you feel a meltdown coming on, don't grab the chips NO- go ahead and get you a handful of edamame. Edamame helps your brain produce the mood-balancing hormone serotonin. 

One of my favorite snacks is edamame dipped into a sauce (2 Tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp of mint leaves, 2 tsp of lime juice, a bit of garlic clove, 2 tbsp of water- puree until smooth) or if you have hummus on hand that works too!

Yogurt

I strive to have yogurt at least three times a week. Yogurt has been rumored to help positive effects on brain health. Well, there you go- another reason to eat yogurt!

Make a smoothie or yogurt, and some fruit is always an excellent snack or breakfast on the go. Stress can also affect your stomach, so it's a good idea to keep your gut healthy, Try eating more prebiotic foods like garlic, onion, asparagus, legumes, unripe banana, whole grains, and artichoke.

Oranges

Vitamin C is useful to fight colds, plus it can lower inflammation in your body.  Which, in turn, tells your brain to stop flooding it with the hormone cortisol, which makes you anxious.



Try to have at least one orange a day- it will help. When you plan your meals, make sure to add more vitamin C-rich foods like Kiwi fruit, berries, and kale to the list.

Lean Beef

Lean beef is a top source of zinc, which is a mineral that eases anxiety and depression-like symptoms. Also, zinc will help your immune system, which is important as well.

Grab a steak salad for lunch one day and see how good you feel after eating that yummy entre.

Chocolate

Oh yes, chocolate is the solution for everything stressful in life- I wish, but it does help quite a bit! The compounds in the cocoa might help boost your mood. No wonder we always crave chocolate on a bad day, or is that just me!

Dark chocolate has less sugar, so that is even better. Stick with dark chocolate that has at least 72 percent cocoa. Feeling blue in the morning, make yourself a hot chocolate- recipe below. 

On top of the FIVE foods I mentioned above, please also look into drinking chamomile or green tea to lift your mood during the day.

• Having a nice hot cup of chamomile tea before bed is my favorite bedtime drink. People use chamomile tea as an herbal remedy.
• Green tea is easy to add to the day-to-day diet. Try to replace soft drinks, coffee, and alcoholic beverages with tea. Your mind and body will thank you.

It is the perfect time to make some lifestyle changes to help manage your stress levels. First and foremost is eating a diet high in vegetables, fruit, legumes, whole grains, and lean protein.

Make sure to cut out the unnecessary foods that drag you down like coffee, energy drinks, pastries, soft drink, chips, pies and white flour, bread, and pasta. If you are tired of being stressed out, look at your diet for a week. See where you can make improvements and add in foods that will help you not drain you!

Please let us know what food you will try to add to your diet and what food or drink you will give up!

Make sure to try out this No-Sugar-Added Banana Bread recipe!