WebMD: These Foods Can Help You Feel Better

Can you eat your way to calm?

As much as you may want to, you can’t make yourself feel better with a bowl of your favorite ice cream. It won’t help — the problem is all that sugar. Spikes in your blood sugar can bring on changes in your hormone levels. They can start with “jitteriness” and eventually lead to crashes. But other foods may help boost your mood. 

1. Berries

These have lots of antioxidants, which help protect your cells from stress and may help ease feelings of anxiety. You can get them from nuts, beans, walnuts, or green vegetables, too.

2. Spinach

If this one leaves a bad taste in your mouth, almost any leafy green will do — kale, collard greens, or Swiss chard. The key is the magnesium, which may help you feel calmer. Make sure you get enough of that mineral to help keep things in check.

3. Oatmeal

This is a complex carb — it gets into your system slowly and gives you a steady flow of energy that can help keep you on an even keel. It also can give you a boost of a brain chemical called serotonin that can lift your mood.

4. Dark Chocolate

The flavonoids in the cocoa help protect your cells. They’re a type of antioxidant that may also help lower your blood pressure, boost the blood flow to your brain and heart, and make you less anxious. The dark stuff — at least 70% cocoa — is best, but don’t overdo it. The caffeine in chocolate can make anxiety worse if you have too much, and no one needs a lot of extra fat and calories.

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5. Oranges

You may think of vitamin C when you think of these citrus fruits, and that’s a big reason it might help your anxiety. Studies have shown that a diet rich in it may help calm you and put you in a better frame of mind.

Read the rest of the top ten ways on webmd.com.