In our last article we spoke about stress and some stress-busting tips to help you feel calmer and make positive changes. Today Neil from @MineralifeBlog wants to give you a list of some foods that can help you fight stress.

Stress-busting Super-foods for when…

You can’t sleep -

Rich in tryptophan, which converts into serotonin (the feel-good hormone), which also helps to induce sleep. Other great tryptophan-rich foods  include turkey, eggs, oats, beans, cheese, chicken, fish, milk and bananas.

You feel low -

EFA (essential fatty acids) are particularly important when you feel stressed and down. They boost serotonin production. Avocados are packed with nutrition and particularly EFAs. Also include plenty oily fish such as mackerel and salmon. Seeds and nuts are great too!

Your hormones are unbalanced -

Shellfish and prawns are packed with zinc, which helps with the synthesizing of stress-regulating hormones such as melatonin and serotonin. Other zinc-rich foods include turkey, radishes, mushrooms, asparagus, brown rice, seaweeds and oysters. Take a liquid ionic zinc supplement for maximum absorption.

You are tired all the time -

Regular snacking (on healthy snacks) between meals is a great way of boosting energy levels. Snacking every 3 hours helps to keep blood sugar levels even. Fatigue results in low stress-tolerance levels and adrenal exhaustion. Eat unsalted nuts including peanuts, pistachios, cashews, walnuts and almonds between meals.

You have low energy levels -

A diet high in fiber and low glycemic load will help your blood sugar levels to remain constant without the peaks of stress-hormones induced by high-GI foods. Oats is the perfect high-fiber, low GI food. Herbalife healthy meal shakes are rated 16 on the GI scale!

You feel irritable -

Magnesium rich foods help regulate blood sugar levels, helping insomnia and irritability. Magnesium is probably the most important mineral where stress is concerned. Eat loads of green, leafy vegetables, tofu, whole grains, seeds, nuts and oily fish and invest in a quality liquid ionic magnesium supplement.

Bonus Stress-busting tips

• Replace caffeinated drinks with mineral water
• Eat first thing in the morning to avoid low blood sugar
• Take a daily multiple dietary supplement