10

That Reduce Stress

Eighty-eight percent of all college students in the United States have reported being stressed. Education and medical students have the highest levels of stress, directly followed by psychology, arts, and science majors, according to AmericansAddictionCenters.org. There are various stress causes for college students’ exams, including financial and personal issues.

It is easy to slip into bad habits when taking on an obscene amount of stress; however, when feeling stressed, having to go to healthy habits can help you. Practicing healthy eating can help combat the stress of life and college. Many foods are found in your dining hall and beyond that aim to reduce stress levels in the body. A healthy and balanced diet can provide the extra energy to cope with stressful situations.

As you navigate the semester, use these food items to help combat stress and anxiety.

Oatmeal

As simple as this food may be, it has served as a comfort food for many years. Eating oatmeal helps regulate your blood sugar and reduces the level of stress hormones in your brain. The morning treatment releases the important chemical serotonin, which regulates attention, behavior, and body temperature. Following eating oatmeal, expect to feel more relaxed and calmer and have the urge to unlock your creativity.

Bananas

Bananas are rich in vitamin B-6, which keeps the nervous and immune systems healthy. Vitamin B-6 is also essential for normal brain development. Eating bananas rich in vitamin b6 is the key to producing serotonin and can improve your mood and reduce anxiety. Bananas are also filled with potassium, a mineral that helps relieve tension.

Citrus Fruits

Lemons, limes, grapefruit, and several types of oranges are all examples of citrus fruits. These delicious fruits are packed with nutrients with high levels of vitamin c. Vitamin c has been shown to decrease levels of stress and anxiety, with it being rich in antioxidant properties. The antioxidants packed in vitamin c help the body control cortisol levels that trigger stress.

Dark Chocolate

Eating chocolate may make you feel good inside because it is supposed to! Dark chocolate is full of antioxidants that can reduce stress by lowering cortisol. Cortisol has a lot of essential functions in the body, including enhancing the brain’s use of glucose and increasing the substances used to repair tissue. However, cortisol is the primary stress hormone, and overexposure can disrupt almost all your body’s processes, putting you at risk of many health problems. Dark Chocolate has a more significant amount of cocoa, giving you more stress-relieving benefits.

Greek Yogurt

When picking a snack to relieve stress, make sure you choose Greek yogurt instead of regular yogurt. The difference is simply the nutrients. Greek yogurt has a high supply of vitamins B-6 and B12, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and protein. All of these nutrients help reduce anxiety rapidly by lowering blood pressure.

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet vegetables satisfy the familiar urge to get carbohydrates and sweets when stressed. It contains magnesium that helps with normal body functions and helps reduce stress and high levels of anxiety. Researchers have found that lacking magnesium in the body can result in higher levels of depression due to persistent stress and anxiety.

Broccoli

It may have seemed unpleasant hearing your parents and guardians tell you to eat your vegetables as children. However, the constant reminder was not for amusement but for the benefit of your health as you age. Broccoli is one green vegetable packed with high amounts of vitamins, including Vitamin B and folic acid, which helps fight stress in the body, reduce anxiety, and combat depression.

Carrots

These crunchy vegetables are most known to help improve eyesight with their contents of vitamin A. However, carrots are a great source of fiber and carbohydrates, which can boost serotonin in the body. Carrots can be categorized as nutrients rich whole carbs that help lower the stress hormone cortisol. These crunchy vegetables are most known to help improve eyesight with their contents of Vitamin A. However, carrots are a great source of fiber and carbohydrates, which can boost serotonin in the body.

Salmon

Salmon is filled with various nutrients that help the body, including vitamin d and omega-3 fatty acids, both of which help regulate dopamine and serotonin, naturally providing a calming effect. If you are having a bad day, look to see if your dining hall is serving salmon. Your day will gradually get better with each bite.

Tea

In your dining hall, you may have walked past the hot beverages every day, not knowing that one, in particular, can directly help you throughout your day. Each tea flavor contains various nutrients, but tea generally includes antioxidants that make people feel calmer and improve memory when consumed. Tea also contains the amino acid L-theanine, which promotes relaxation.

We often do not think about the small things around us that are essential in our lives. Making sure we throw our trash ensures the earth stays clean, phone cases protect our phones, and reusable water bottles reduce plastic waste in our oceans; we do things without thinking but make a big difference. Micro greens are vegetables that we have not heard much about, even though they can contribute to a healthy eating regimen.

Micro greens are technically baby plants that can fall between sprout and baby green. Though they have often been confused as sprouts, micro greens are usually harvested longer for 7-21 days after leaves have emerged. Sprouts, on the other hand, only have a growing cycle of 2- 7 days.

The greens are more closely related to baby greens because micro greens leaves are considered edible and can be sold before being harvested. These greens may be small but have an intense scent, are packed with nutrients, and comes in various colors and textures.

Growing from a variety of seeds, the most popular seeds come from cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, onions, and spinach, to name a few. These greens vary in taste and can even be sour or bitter, to neutral and spicy. The delicious nature of micro greens can make you forget the nutrients you are consuming in every bite. Each micro green contains its own set of nutritious values, but all micro greens are packed with high levels of vitamins, minerals, and health-supporting components.

Micro greens are high in fiber and vitamin K, which help the body maintain healthy blood pressure and support gut health, easing gastrointestinal distress. Researchers have found that some micro greens, such as red cabbage, can lower cholesterol and liver cholesterol levels, reducing the risk of heart disease.

One of the most exciting things about micro greens is that they can lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. This disease is the most common cause of dementia (memory loss) and the failure of other cognitive abilities. Though this is most common in people over the age of 65, it is vital to take steps now that can prevent any loss of cognitive skills. Micro greens are rich in antioxidants and polyphenols, both linked to lowering the risk of Alzheimer’s.

With all the suitable components of microgreens, it is essential to try incorporating them into your daily diet. You may not notice, but microgreens are most popular in juiced drinks and smoothies. The next time you go to a local smoothie shop or consume a juice drink, check the ingredients to see if wheatgrass or other micro greens are included. You can also find micro greens in salads, sandwiches, wraps, and garnished on various dishes. Those little green vegetables you see on top of pizzas, soups, and omelets are micro greens.

As college students, taking care of your health while dealing with the stress of school may seem overwhelming. However, you have already been doing the work. Unknowingly, you have been fueling your body with one of the most nutritious vegetables. Now with the added knowledge, try to go out of your way to give your body the purposely powerful nutrients it needs.