It’s perfectly normal to experience a certain level of stress and/or anxiety throughout the day. In fact, it’s a natural human reaction to threatening or worrying situations that helps keep you safe and away from danger—otherwise known as your fight-or-flight response.

But when unforeseen circumstances arise, causing the combination of stress and anxiety to bubble over and impact your day-to-day activities, Uma Naidoo, MD, a Harvard-trained nutritional psychiatrist and the author of Calm Your Mind With Food, says it’s important to take note when symptoms begin to impact your daily life. To that end, Dr. Naidoo says there are simple lifestyle habits you can adopt that can help keep stress and anxiety at bay—starting with stocking up on stress-fighting foods and bevs.

7 delicious stress-fighting foods (and drinks) to stock up on 

1. Green Tea

Aside from water, green tea is a popular drink of choice among health professionals for many reasons. Most notably, it’s packed with the amino acid L-theanine, which Dr. Naidoo says has been scientifically proven to reduce levels of stress and anxiety.

What’s more, green tea contains potent polyphenols that support brain health by helping reduce inflammation. “Its leaves are incredibly rich in antioxidants and a catechin called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). EGCG has powerful anti-inflammatory properties that can reduce the risk of neurodegenerative diseases with age,” Dr. Naidoo says.

2. Spices

According to Dr. Naidoo, incorporating more anti-inflammatory spices into your meals is one of the easiest ways to curb anxiety through food. Her favorites? Turmeric (paired with black pepper), cinnamon, ginger, and saffron. “All of these are loaded with micronutrients that help to reduce inflammation to boost brain health and improve mental fitness,” Dr. Naidoo says.

Best part? You likely already have many of these already in your collection, especially after the holiday baking marathon season has wrapped.

“When it comes to black tea, I love a spicy masala chai, which nods to my South Asian roots. Made from a base of polyphenol-rich black tea with invigorating cinnamon, inflammation-fighting cloves, calming cardamom, and warm ginger…it’s heavenly.”
—Uma Naidoo, MD, nutritional psychiatrist and author of Calm Your Mind With Food

3. Masala Chai

Now that you’re stocked up on all those spices, Dr. Naidoo says to make yourself a delicious mug of masala chai—stat. Traditional to India, chai tea is a black tea brewed with a mixture of spices—most commonly cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, black peppercorn, and ginger.

“When it comes to black tea, I love a spicy masala chai, which nods to my South Asian roots. Made from a base of polyphenol-rich black tea with invigorating cinnamon, inflammation-fighting cloves, calming cardamom, and warm ginger, and often topped with a splash of rich hemp milk… it’s heavenly,” she says.

4. Golden Milk Turmeric Latte

Another creative way to incorporate these stress-relieving spices into your daily routine is by sipping on Dr. Naidoo’s five-ingredient mood-boosting golden milk turmeric latte recipe. It features powerful “brain-food” ingredients such as almond milk, turmeric powder, raw honey, grated nutmeg, and a pinch of freshly-ground black pepper.

 

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5. EVOO and Avocado Oil

Holiday meal prep may have meant buying cooking oil in bulk. Now that you likely have tons leftover, Dr. Naidoo says they’re the perfect ingredients to use in your arsenal of ingredients that support healthy brain function. “Extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil are rich in monounsaturated and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, which help support healthy brain tissue and reduce neuroinflammation.”

6. Lavender Tisane

Caffeine trigger your anxiety? Tisanes, aka herbal teas, can help. Dr. Naidoo recommends a combination of lavender, hot water, and a bit of fresh mint or lemon juice (both optional) for a soul-soothing drink. “While lavender oil is a known scent used to help create a calm feeling, dried lavender can be easily made into a delicious tea. Lavender has also been researched for exhibiting both a calming and a neuroprotective effect,” Dr. Naidoo says.

7. Assorted Veggies

Feeling stressed? Dr. Naidoo says e