Making sure you’re getting the right amount of exercise – and putting the right ingredients in your body – doesn’t just benefit your physical health. Something that’s scientifically proven, yet wildly underappreciated, are the ways in which a healthy diet and exercise can give your mental health a boost – and, in turn, help to keep your stress levels in check too.
At Garden of Life, we’re passionate about doing things as naturally as possible and using natural ingredients, so we’ve put together our top stress-relieving diet and exercise tips to help reduce stress naturally.
How Stress Can Impact Your Body
Stress can take a negative toll on the body, especially when stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisol, are released. These effects can include:
- Increased blood sugar levels
- Faster heart rate
- Higher blood pressure
- Heightened anxiety levels
This means that long periods of stress can affect both your mental and physical health, but eating the right foods, and doing certain types of exercise, can help to reduce your stress levels and leave you feeling ready to take on the world once again.
Stress-Busting Foods
With stress causing increased blood sugar levels, it’s important to ensure you’re eating healthy meals at regular times to keep your blood sugar levels in check. One of the main stress-busting foods to include in your diet is protein. Protein releases sugar into the bloodstream slowly, so we recommend eating plenty of protein-rich foods such as chicken, tuna and eggs to help you maintain blood sugar levels and manage stress too.
Supplementing your diet with our vegan protein powders can also help with the slow release of sugar into your bloodstream, which may leave you feeling calmer in times of stress.