9 Healthy Foods for Emotional Eaters  

Stress means comfort food. Carb loading with girlfriends–consuming starchy or sugary goodness like donuts, pasta, ice cream and chocolate–sounds like a great idea when you feel like stress arrows are ready to fly and you’re the target. Although appealing, those comfort foods actually set off a reaction in your body that is anything but peace-inducing. Unhealthy, fatty foods that you associate with happiness and good times will temporarily give you a boost, but as soon as your body processes them, they tick off a series of awful reactions that actually increase stress at a cellular level.

If you tend to be an emotional eater, there are healthier option to feed the need and lower your body’s stress response. Instead of indulging the sugar fix, feed your body the nutrients it needs to better manage the stress of your daily life, without adding stress at the cellular level.

Asparagus
High folate levels in asparagus help you stay relaxed. Steam some with dinner or toss some into a salad for extra crunch and nutrients.

Salmon
There’s nothing fishy here. Salmon is chock full of iron, protein, omega 3 fatty acids and magnesium, all helpful in reducing stress levels while providing quality energy, not the quick sugar-fix variety. There are strongly documented links between omega 3 fatty acids in fish and emotional responses in the body. Omega 3s reduce inflammation, which in the brain can interfere with signals between nerves, creating stress at a basic level.

Blueberries
Stressed bodies crave Vitamin C and antioxidants, and blueberries are quick to deliver. Add some as a sweet bonus to your spinach salad or eat them chilled, by the handful for a snack. Don’t think you have to stick with blueberries. All berries-strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries, too—provide vitamin C purported to lower cortisol levels and blood pressure in the body.

Avocados
Avocados are loaded with the B vitamins—natural stress relievers–necessary for healthy nerves and brain cells. The healthy monounsaturated fats in them also promote healthy weight loss by controlling blood sugar and hunger pangs, which in itself lowers a woman’s stress.

Spinach
Spinach has long been known for its iron content, but it also provides tons of magnesium, a mineral known for its calming properties. At 23.7 mg/ cup of raw spinach, one spinach salad at lunch provides a good chunk of the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of about 300 mg/day for adult females.

Eggs
Forget the bad things you heard about eggs when you were growing up! Eggs are really a super versatile and inexpensive food for reducing stress. They provide a host of B vitamins as well as Vitamins A, E and D and lower stress and blood sugar levels.

Almonds
If the stress-eater in you reaches for crunchy snacks, feed the beast some almonds instead of greasy chips or salty pretzels. Almonds are packed with B vitamins and vitamin E that strengthen the immune system and guard against stress-induced illness.

Oranges
Step away from the donuts! Trade sugary sweet treats for a healthy, naturally sweet orange. That tangy orange smell alone can be enough to boost spirits, but the vitamin C hidden below that orange skin supports a healthy immune system and gives it a boost.

Chia Seeds
Maybe you won’t want to munch on chia seeds by themselves because they have very little flavor on their own, but they are all the rage right now. The reason for their sudden elevation in stature? Chia seeds contain omega 3 fatty acids, just like salmon, but they are much more portable. Chia seeds won’t leave a fish smell in the breakroom at work, in fact, when added to a smoothie, cereal, or yogurt, no one will even know that you are adding omega 3s, magnesium and B vitamins to your snack. Your body will thank you, however, for giving it the power to reduce stress.

If you absolutely won’t make it through the night without a sweet treat, it’s okay to indulge once in a while. But next time, try vanilla frozen yogurt topped with blueberries and chia seeds to feed your body as well as your emotions.