Feeling stressed? You’re not alone… It hit home for me personally the other week when I was told by my Doctor “Kylie, your Cortisol levels are above the normal range” What!?
Ok, sure I’ve encountered some stressors through the years and more recently the past couple of years, but not once did I think I would be told by the man in the white lab coat that I needed to “watch my diet.”
Being in my late thirties I’ve taken for granted that I’m not actually invisible, again… What!? I’ve neglected to really care for myself internally, which is why I want to share with you what I’ve learned and how we can lower cortisol levels with nutrient-rich foods, supplements and even the really simple act of relaxing.
I know these things and maybe you do too but let’s refresh, shall we?
What is Cortisol?
Cortisol is the body’s primary stress hormone and its release can be triggered by any type of stressor: a work deadline, a late wake-up call, dogs barking or actual danger. Whatever the cause, when you hit that Fight or Flight mode your body secretes cortisol.
Believe it or not, it’s inherently a good thing because it causes the body to quickly mobilize glucose (aka blood sugar) into the body by changing blood flow and stimulating the liver to produce glucose. This glucose is meant to fuel the muscles and give your body a natural energy boost so that you can quickly respond to the stressor.
However, when your cortisol levels are constantly being elevated from living life stressed out (cue 97.44% of the world’s population) it becomes a not-so-good thang.
High Cortisol Symptoms
Chronic high cortisol levels as a result of chronic stress can lead to numerous issues, symptoms of high cortisol levels include:
- Weight gain and changes to fat distribution
- Fatigue
- Digestive issues
- Headaches
- Difficulty concentrating
- Increased blood pressure
- Mood changes
- Menstrual cycle changes
- Lowered immune function
Raise your hand if you’re the lucky recipient to these 9 lovely symptoms 🙋🏻♀️
But hey! Fortunately there are so many things you can do to lower cortisol levels naturally. Beyond the blatantly obvious things like prioritizing sleep, engaging in exercise regularly (but not in that high intensity way) and engaging in relaxation techniques (i.e: yoga and meditation) regularly, you can also make changes to your diet to help support and lower cortisol levels.
How To Lower Cortisol Through Diet
A diet low in added sugar and other refined carbs (BORING! JK, it doesn’t have to be!) are your first lines of defense here. Added sugar rich foods and other refined carbs lack one big thing… FIBER (which also =’s no pooping). Fiber is what helps prevent those drastic blood sugar swings that result in moodiness, fatigue, and hanger (Hi! Me again 🙋🏻♀️ [just ask my hubby]) all of which can leave you feeling stressed.
Ya sure, refined carb-rich foods may temporarily provide short-term stress relief (we don’t call those “comfort foods” for nothing) but excess intake of them can contribute to chronic inflammation and stress, and can impair your ability to handle stress. In fact a diet high in sugar has been linked to cognitive impairments and emotional disorders such as anxiety and depression (is it all sinking in now?)
Foods That Lower Cortisol Levels
I mentioned above a few things to limit in this Zen-Friendly diet, but are there any things you can add to your diet to help lower cortisol levels? Why Yes! Yes, there are…
Here are my top food picks to include in your Zen-Friendly diet that will help to lower cortisol levels and keep them in check.
Carb-Rich Foods
If you’re a “Carbophobe”, it could be affecting your stress levels and sleep. Your body treats low blood sugar as a stressor, causing your cortisol levels to rise. So, eating carbs can actually help lower cortisol levels and consequently, not eating enough carbs can increase them.
Plus, carbs help clear the way for the amino acid “tryptophan ” to enter the brain which ultimately helps us produce melatonin. Yep! That’s the hormone that promotes good sleep. So, by not eating enough carbs you could very well be hurting your sleep as well (nobody wants that).
It doesn’t even end there, because the body perceives lack of sleep as a stressor so it just puts ya right back on that cortisol train. That’s a train we’d like to stay off of, thank you very much!
This isn’t the green light to go chow down on a bag of chips. As we all know, eating too many refined carbs could make stress worse (which is what we’re trying to avoid here). However, getting a lot of unrefined, fiber-rich complex carb sources in your diet can help control blood sugar and therefore lower cortisol levels.
These foods include:
- Fruits
- Starchy veggies
- Whole & Ancient grains
- Legumes (beans, chickpeas & lentils)
Magnesium-Rich Foods
Did ya know that nearly half of Americans aren’t meeting the recommended intake for magnesium? (I want to say I’m shook, but I’m not) One reason being, drum roll please… STRESS! When experiencing stress and elevated cortisol levels, the body loses more magnesium than usual through urine and sweat (yummy). This results in a vicious little cycle: Stress causes magnesium depletion and magnesium deficiency then amplifies stress (WTF? Get me off this ride).
But, don’t worry your little head just yet. There seems to be an inverse relationship between cortisol and magnesium levels – the higher the magnesium, the lower the cortisol.
You can easily increase your magnesium intake by including these magnesium-rich foods in your new Zen-Friendly diet. These include:
- Almonds and almond butter
- Avocados
- Black Beans (the more you eat the more you toot)
- Cashews and cashew butter
- Dark Chocolate (yep! You read that correctly)
- Dark leafy greens, like Popeys’s fave
- Peanuts and peanut butter
- Pumpkin seeds
- Whole grains, like brown rice and quinoa
- Yogurt and Kefir
Omega-3-Rich Foods
Omega 3’s are polyunsaturated good-for-you! fats that play a variety of Tres Important roles in your body.
Low blood levels of Omega-3’s have been associated with increased cortisol levels. Luckily the relationship is bidirectional (big word, I know, bear with me) meaning that increasing your Omega 3 intake could help to lower cortisol levels. Although we don’t exactly know the “how” and “why” research suggests it has something to do with their inflammation balancing effects.
The three main types of Omega 3’s are EPA, DHA and ALP. EPA and DHA are found mostly in fatty fish and other seafoods, so if you’re a connoisseur of ocean friendly foods, I suggest you order a seafood tower the next time you dine out.
This is also why the dietary guidelines recommend consuming two servings of seafood per week.
ALP on the other hand is found in plant foods, specifically flax seeds and flax oil, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds and walnuts. ALP isn’t effective in the body until it’s converted to EPA or DHA, however, only a small amount actually end up converting to these biologically active forms. Again this is why it’s important to indulge yourself in that seafood tower.
Prebiotic-Rich Foods
This is more than just a “gut feeling” (see what I did there), the gut-brain connection is no joke, and the two are in constant communication with one another. But, the exact mechanisms are not yet fully understood. We do know that stress and high cortisol levels can negatively impact the composition and activity of the gut microbiome, and in turn, an imbalanced gut microbiome can manifest it’s ugly self as anxiety and stress (I feel like you’re getting it now).
One of the best ways to support a diverse and thriving gut microbiome (besides chillin’ the F out) is to eat more prebiotic-rich foods (ya! obviously). Prebiotics are essentially “fuel” for your good gut bacteria, to help them shine and thrive, like the beauties they are.
I came across a study that found, individuals who took a prebiotic supplement had lower levels of cortisol in their saliva when they woke up in the morning compared to those peeps who took a placebo supplements (fools).
So we know we can obtain prebiotics from supplements and powders cause well… there everywhere but, I’m gonna encourage you to take the food-first approach here because that grocery store you visit weekly isn’t short on prebiotics. These foods include:
- Veggies: Artichokes, asparagus, beetroot, brussels sprouts, chicory root, dandelion greens (if you live in the PNW, you forage), fennel bulb, garlic, green peas, leeks, mushrooms, onion, savoy cabbage, seaweed, shallots, snow peas.
- Fruits: Apples, bananas, dates, figs, grapefruit, nectarines, persimmons, watermelon.
- Legumes: Beans, chickpeas, lentils, soybeans, and soy products.
- Nuts and seeds: Cashews, flax seed, pistachios, walnuts.
- Grains: Barley, oats, rye, wheat bran.
Probiotic-Rich Foods
Another way to support a healthy, happy, diverse, and stress-resilient gut microbiome? Probiotic-rich foods! (Duh). Probiotics are live microorganisms (like bacteria) that, when ingested, bestow a health benefit to the host (aka you!). They are often the same as or similar to those that naturally live in your body, which is why you’ll often hear people refer to the good bacteria native to the gut as “probiotics,” too.
One study found that medical students who drank fermented, probiotic-rich milk for 8 weeks while preparing for a big exam had lower day-of-exam cortisol levels than the medical students who drank non-fermented milk. And you guessed it, now they’re all millionaires.
Your best natural food sources for probiotics are fermented and cultured food like:
- Cottage cheese
- Kefir
- Kimchi
- Yogurt
- Miso
- Sauerkraut (go with the natural organic stuff here if possible, skip the Heinze or Bicks)
Supplements That Help Lower Cortisol Levels
I know that in general we should look to the food-first approach when it comes to obtaining the nutrients you need. But I can understand that for many of us this can be a challenge (myself included), so… if you think you’re missing out on one or more of the above, you can always incorporate a high quality supplement to help you achieve the nutrients you could be lacking.
For Magnesium:
Magnesium glycinate (or biglycinate) and magnesium citrate are the two common forms that are both well absorbed. Magnesium citrate is more commonly used to treat constipation (amen🙏🏼) Whereas, magnesium glycinate is often used for its calming and relaxing effects (again.. amen 🙏🏻).
I can honestly say, even taking magnesium glycinate for a few days, I already felt the calming effects and not to mention the better sleep I’ve been having. I’ve never been a great sleeper, likely because of higher than normal cortisol levels but since taking a magnesium supplement I’ve noticed a major improvement. Not just quality of sleep but also falling asleep and staying asleep.
So, if you’re in the market for Magnesium, I would highly suggest a high quality magnesium glycinate, such as this one.
For Omega-3’s
Look for an omega-3 fish oil supplement that contains around a combined 300-500 EPA and DHA. You can easily find these numbers on the label. If you’re vegetarian or vegan and are staying away from fish products. Opt for an algae-based omega 3 supplement.
Hot tip: If you’re like me and you find that taking oil based pills, (especially of the fish variety) cause a slightly unpleasant aftertaste/burping effect. You can grab omega-3 fish oil (not in capsule form), make yourself a cortisol lowering smoothie and add the recommended dose of Omega-3 oil to your smoothie. Volia! No aftertaste or burping! Plus… Additional Cortisol lowering benefits.
For Probiotic:
When choosing a probiotic supplement for overall general use. Look for one with at least a few different strains, most commonly, Lactobacillus (aka acidophilus) and Bifidobacterium (aka lactis or “the good bacteria”) and have at least a few billion CFU’s (colony forming units).
If you’re feeling confused with all these big medical terms, I feel you! Here’s a few to make it easier on you:
Genuine Health Advanced Gut Probiotic
Genestra Forte – Probiotic Formula
Ashwagandha And Cortisol
Ashwagandha – an ancient, adaptogenic herb (with a name like that, it’s gotta help, right?) is another supplement that’s often mentioned when discussing supplements to lower cortisol levels and stress.
Preliminary research supports ashwagandha’s potential as a natural therapeutic for stress and anxiety. So much so, one study found that ashwagandha supplements reduced psychological and physiological markers of stress, improved mental well-being, and reduced serum cortisol level and food cravings in men and women under chronic stress.
Well hot diggity dang! Sign me up for that! Infact, I’ve been taking it in liquid form with a glass of warm water, as the taste just isn’t my cup-o-tea. I can note that I definitely feel less stressed and have fewer sugar cravings throughout the day.
The recommended dose of ashwagandha is 250-500mg per day for at least one month to receive all of these benefits. Below are a few different forms of ashwagandha you can take:
Rootalive Organic Ashwagandha Root Powder
Bottom Line – Foods That Lower Cortisol Levels
Cortisol is an important hormone that helps us deal with stressful situations. However, you want to avoid constantly elevated levels as they can be harmful to your overall health (yep, easier said than done).
If you’re living a stressed out life (like 97.44% of the world), including foods that lower cortisol levels in the diet, like unrefined carb-rich foods, gut-supporting foods and magnesium and omega-3- rich foods can help… and certainly won’t hurt.
A healthy diet is one thing, if you have picky children/spouse that make incorporating these foods into meals difficult don’t forget that you can always get these nutrients in supplement form. Better yet, make your meals exciting and add supplements for all the added benefits.
Relax when possible, breathe and let it go…
Follow along for part two where I’ll touch on the effects of how stress can ultimately be affecting our waistlines and what we can do to help minimize these not-so-pleasant effects.
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