Being a single mom is stressful, but did you know that there are certain nutrients that can help reduce stress and anxiety? There are certain vitamins and minerals that can help you manage your stress levels throughout the day.
Vitamin B6 helps your body to produce serotonin, a hormone that produces a calming effect on your body. When your stress levels are high, which is often if you are a single mother, Vitamin B6 is completely depleted throughout your body. Instead of feeling calm, you find yourself on edge, easily irritated, and overwhelmed. Green beans, bananas, and avocados are all rich in Vitamin B6.
Vitamin B12 is another important vitamin that helps control GABA, another calming neurotransmitter. This vitamin can be found in several types of seafood: clams, sardines, salmon, etc. If you’re not a big seafood eater, don’t worry. This vitamin is also found in fat free milk, fat free yogurt, and chicken.
Vitamin C is important for more than just your immune system. It also helps fight against damage to your brain from elevated cortisol levels, which come from prolonged amounts of stress. Cortisol increases weight gain, weakens the immune system, and even decreases bone formation. Vitamin C is found in lots of yummy fruits and vegetables. Oranges, strawberries, kiwis, cauliflower, broccoli, red and green peppers, and sweet potatoes are all chalked full of Vitamin C.
Folic Acid helps produce dopamine, which is another one of those feel-good hormones. Folic Acid can be found in dark leafy greens like spinach. It can also be found in asparagus, broccoli, strawberries, raspberries, oranges, and grapefruit.
Stress also has an effect on the body’s amount of magnesium. Magnesium helps control both GABA and dopamine. It also helps strengthen your immune system. That means you should be looking for foods like rice, dark chocolate, sesame and sunflower seeds, and soybeans. Nuts like almonds and cashews are also high in magnesium.
As a single mother stress is inevitable, however, there are lots of ways to fight back against the stress in your life, starting with getting essential vitamins and minerals in your diet. The next time you are feeling overwhelmed, you might want to make a trip to the grocery store!