7 healthy foods that calm the nervous system and help fight stress
Constant exposure to stressful situations gradually destroys the nervous system, destabilizes its work. At best, this ends in prolonged depression, at worst – nervous disorders, which you will not be able to get rid of without medical help.
But the harbinger of all this, as practice shows, is a deficiency of B vitamins and disorders in the endocrine system that produces hormones - it is these substances that regulate human behavior in a stressful situation.
According to research, a daily diet directly affects the health of the central nervous system.
How do you calm your nerves with healthy food? Can a change in diet really enhance the resistance of the nervous system to various kinds of external stimuli that provoke stress? Which specific products are most useful? What is the role of fresh fruits and vegetables in the diet?
Content
How does nutrition affect the nervous system?
Nutrition is what the body gets all the nutrients from, the so–called nutrients. Almost 20% of them are used by the brain to realize its functions, including hormone production.
For example, for good mood
The so-called endorphins respond. These include serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. And during times of stress or nervousness
it is their lack that the body experiences
.
What is needed to develop them? B-group vitamins, as well as fatty acids (the main one among them – omega-3 ). To a certain extent, iron, potassium, magnesium, iodine, phytoncides and so on are also used.
A person can get all this only if they follow a varied diet. So, one of the first tips is to include a wide variety of dishes in your diet. Although it is believed that the most useful are fruits and vegetables , but you can't do without the same meat or milk. And the imbalance of micronutrients in the body is no less harmful than vitamin deficiency (vitamin deficiency).
And also, to strengthen the nervous system, man needs tryptophans are substances that enhance the sensitivity of neurons to impulses and prevent the degradation of nerve cells. There are tryptophans that the body synthesizes on its own, but some people get only with food. For example, the high content of some groups of tryptophans is found in chocolate, garlic, bananas. That is why their use will help you quickly cope with depression and stress. It doesn't work at all not worse than alcohol or nicotine (many also use them to quickly "calm down").
7 Soothing products
There are a lot of products and dishes that help to quickly calm the nerves and strengthen the neural system, strengthen the body's resistance to stressful situations. In most cases, these are fruits, vegetables and sweets with a high content of minerals, B vitamins, tryptophans and glucose (it is glucose that is absorbed by the brain and transformed into energy). What are the most effective foods for calming the nervous system?
1. Herbal teas
Among soothing teas
black tea, mint, chamomile are especially useful. Each of these herbs has a high content of sesquiterpenes, which are directly involved in the regulation of
metabolic processes
of the brain.
The same chamomile, for example, stimulates intercellular metabolic processes between the walls of neural cells, allowing faster absorption of vitamins, iron, and magnesium.
Mint works in a similar way, but it also has a high content of essential oils. It is well known that the aroma of mint has a calming effect, prevents the excitation of nerve cells .
But black tea contains caffeine (about 2 times less than in coffee). He gives energy and a feeling of cheerfulness , and also helps to fight headaches (often accompanied by stress, as blood pressure increases along with nervousness).
2. Plain water
Plain water also helps to calm the nerves , since
accelerates the course of biochemical processes in neurons
.
Doctors recommend drinking at least 2 liters of water daily (and those who actively exercise – at least 3 liters).
And it's also a good way to get rid of a bad habit – "eating stress" with sweets .
3. Beans and other legumes
They contain a large amount of selenium and other trace elements that calm the nerves and strengthen the human nervous system.
Also High selenium content found in corn, cattle liver, rice, almonds.
Selenium can accumulate in the body and be used as needed.
Accordingly, both beans and legumes should be consumed not only when stress and nervousness are already present, but also regularly, including them in your daily diet. Moreover, the need for selenium is very small, but this element is extremely important for the normal functioning of the nervous system.
Well, since legumes are extremely nutritious, but they do not harm the figure, including them in the diet will allow get rid of the habit of &171;overeating&187; stress .
4. Dark chocolate
It is proved that chocolate improves mood
. This can also include any products with a high cocoa content (hot chocolate, various kinds of chocolate creams).
Cocoa beans contain L-tryptophan, which is an indispensable neurotransmitter
.
At the same time, it provokes the production of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine – all this helps in a complex improve your emotional state .
But you shouldn't abuse chocolate. Nutritionists recommend eating no more than 1 tile per day, dividing it into 6 to 8 meals (in small pieces of 10 to 15 grams). It will be most useful for the nervous system.
5. Goat cheese
In principle, any other one will do, but it is in goat cheese that the highest calcium content is this element useful for the brain
, because it helps him regulate the metabolism of electrolytes.
But we should not forget that vitamin D is necessary for the absorption of calcium – it is found in large quantities in cottage cheese, sour-milk products, yoghurts, fish, bone meal.
6. Bananas
Bananas cheer you up , because in them
High tryptophan content
, enhancing the sensitivity of neurons.
Doctors recommend eating at least 200 grams of bananas daily – this is about 2-3 medium fruits.
And they are also a source of simple carbohydrates, which are absorbed literally 15 minutes after assimilation – they should definitely be included in the diet for those who actively exercise and want to have a slim figure.
7. Whole grain bakery products
They contain complex carbohydrates, which the brain cannot do without.
When they are deficient, endorphins cease to be synthesized normally , the process of normal absorption of vitamins slows down.
Oatmeal can also be included here – it should be eaten for breakfast.
Also check out the content of vitamins necessary for the nervous system in the products on the infographic:
;
What should be avoided?
There is a whole list of foods harmful to the brain , the use of which negatively affects the functioning of the nervous system. Doctors recommend excluding or at least limiting the presence of the following in the diet:
- Strong brewed coffee. Although it contains caffeine, it also provokes a sharp jump in blood pressure, which is "perceived" by the body and the brain as a stressful situation. It is allowed to drink no more than 2 cups of regular coffee per day, with a total caffeine content of up to 150-200 mg. Learn more about the link between coffee and stress see here.
- Trans fats. They provoke blockage of blood vessels of the brain, and yet they do not carry any nutritional value. A high content of trans fats is observed in margarine, factory sausages, sausages, as well as fried beef.
- Sweet carbonated drinks. First of all, they contain a huge amount simple carbohydrates (about 250 grams of sugar per 0.5-liter jar), which dramatically increases blood glucose levels – this is perceived as stress by the brain, after which the pancreas is actively working (to produce insulin). Instead of sweet soda, it is better to drink milk or plain water, in extreme cases – tea.
- Very spicy dishes. On the one hand, they act as an antiseptic on the digestive system, on the other hand, they irritate the receptors, thereby provoking an increase in the sensitivity of brain cells. During stressful situations or depression, it is better to give up such products.
Useful video
We recommend watching these videos for a better understanding of the topic:
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Conclusion
In total, it is really possible to calm the nerves and improve the functioning of the nervous system by correcting your diet.
But it is better to contact nutritionists for help – they will choose the optimal diet taking into account the physiological characteristics of the patient. After all, neuroses are not always provoked by a lack of nutrients or endorphins in the blood. It is quite possible that we are talking about the pathology of the endocrine system, which is not eliminated by changing the diet.
