When we’ve been under prolonged stress, our bodies often stay in “survival mode” long after the danger has passed. Nutrients become depleted, digestion slows, and energy feels constantly low. The good news? The right foods can help rebuild your body’s natural resilience and calm your nervous system from the inside out. The key to knowing which foods will help you do this is knowing which nutrients you need to prioritise!
Vitamin C – Fuel for Your Adrenals
Vitamin C is always top of my list for supporting the body through stress. When you’re stressed, your adrenal glands (little organs that sit on top of your kidneys) use up more vitamin C than usual. Studies show that people who are experiencing acute stress have more vitamin C in their urine than those who are not experiencing stress. I know, this seems like a weird thing for our bodies to do...dump the very thing that will help! With that and the body using more vitamin C, you can very quickly have a vitamin C deficiency. Without enough, you might feel flat, anxious, or fatigued. You are also more likely to get unwell because your immune system won't work as well.
Try this: Fresh citrus, kiwi, capsicum, strawberries, and parsley are all rich in vitamin C. Add them to a smoothie or salad for a natural adrenal tonic boost. Try to get a few sources everyday. A nice easy way to do that is with this Vitamin C boost smoothie.
Vitamin C boost Smoothie (makes 2 serves)
Ingredients
1 Whole Orange Peeled
1 Whole Banana Peeled
0.5 Cup Frozen Mango Chunks
0.5 Teaspoon Fresh Ginger Peeled and chopped
1-2 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
1-2 Teaspoon Honey
2-3 Teaspoon Collagen Hydrolysate powder (optional but recommended for blood sugar stability)
1/2 Cup Almond Milk or alternative: Oat Milk, Coconut Milk or full fat milk
½ Cup Coconut Water
Instructions
Combine the oranges, bananas, frozen mango, fresh ginger sliced, lemon juice, honey and almond milk to a high speed blender
Blend until all ingredients are fully combined and creamy (add more milk if needed)
Minerals – Salt that soothes you
During the first wave of COVID, one of my clients would get home from work as an essential service worker and eat a bag of organic chips with a cider. She swore it was the crunch and the alcohol that was helping her to cope and unwind. I got her to trial adding [a lot] more salt as a supplement and almost instantly her craving for chips and cider disappeared! The stress was still there but it was the salt her body was craving.
When we’re under chronic stress, our adrenal glands work overtime, producing hormones like cortisol and adrenaline to help us cope. Over time, this can leave the body depleted of essential minerals—especially sodium, magnesium, and potassium—that are crucial for energy, hydration, and nervous system balance.
Salt has gotten a bad rap in the last few decades but unrefined salt gets grouped in with the white refined table salt and is painted with the same brush. It’s like saying all cars are dangerous because of one bad driver! Natural, unrefined salts such as Himalayan pink salt or Celtic sea salt contain trace minerals that help restore electrolyte balance and support adrenal recovery. Unlike refined table salt, which is stripped of its natural mineral content, these salts nourish rather than deplete.
When you’re feeling anxious, foggy, or fatigued, including a small pinch of mineral-rich salt in your water or adding more of this type of salt to your diet can gently help your body feel more stable and supported. Unrefined salt is not usually an issue for leg swelling or blood pressure (and can in fact help to improve them) but it is worth checking in with your own health care practitioner or reach out to me if you are unsure if it is right for you.
Try this: Enjoy mineral-rich foods like prunes, bone broth, seaweed, leafy greens, and pumpkin seeds. These foods, along with the unrefined salt, will help replenish minerals and gently support your adrenals during ongoing stress.
Magnesium – Nature’s Relaxation Mineral
Magnesium helps your muscles relax, your mind unwind, and your sleep improve — all vital when your body’s been in fight-or-flight for too long. When stress is ongoing, your body burns through magnesium faster, which can leave you feeling wired, anxious, or unable to switch off. Replenishing magnesium helps break feeling, restoring a sense of calm and stability to both body and mind. If you struggle with restless sleep, muscle tightness, or that “can’t unwind” feeling at night, it’s often a sign your magnesium stores need some attention.
A really lovely way to help relax and also increase your magnesium level is having a magnesium bath using magnesium flakes or instead use topical magnesium spray. This can be part of your self-care as a nightly routine to help promote calm and sleep.
Try this: Dark leafy greens, almonds, pumpkin seeds, and cacao (yes, good-quality dark chocolate counts!) are magnesium-rich. You can make a soothing cacao and almond smoothie or warm magnesium-rich hot chocolate to replace your coffee for a less jittery start to the day.
Healthy hot chocolate recipe (Make one big serve or two small serves)
Ingredients
1 cup milk of choice – almond, coconut or dairy if you can tolerate it
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tbsp raw cacao (approx 20g)
1-2 tsp maple syrup
1 pinch himalayan rock salt or sea salt
Instructions
Add milk, water and raw cacao to a pot and simmer gently until cacao is dissolved into the milk. Don't allow it to boil and make sure to whisk regularly.
Take it off the heat and add maple syrup, pinch of salt and any spices you want to include. Nice options are cinnamon, ginger, turmeric or, if you want to get a bit fancy, saffron. All of these spices are great for mood and have many benefits for health. If you like a bit of heat, add chilli! This is a very flexible recipe that you can adjust to your own taste easily.
If you have one, use a stick blender to froth before pouring into your favourite mug.
B Vitamins – Energy and Emotional Balance
Stress burns through your B vitamins, especially B5 (for adrenal health) and B6 (for mood regulation). Deficiency of B vitamins have become much more common. Many people also have gene mutations that stop their bodies using certain forms of these vitamins as well. This requires a special supplement form while avoiding fortified synthetic B vitamins....Don't think you eat any fortified products? Go check out your bread, flour, wraps, cereal and even some plant-based milks!
Try this: Whole grains (true whole grains in their original form – not fortified wholemeal flour or whole grain breads), meat, eggs, beans, nuts, and dark leafy greens are all good sources. A balanced B-complex supplement may help if levels are low.
Herbal Helpers – Supporting Your Stress Response
I will never forget being told at college that chamomile is like a hug in a herb. As a new grad starting to see clients for consultations, that herbal hug got me through lots of nerves. It truly felt like it was giving me a hug and patting me on the back to give me courage like a mother would support their son or daughter on their first day of school.
Now, for many of my clients, I make herbal mixes which are a blend of the herbs that will best support them on their health journey. The blend depends on their needs and the outcome we are looking for. Adaptogenic herbs like Withania (Ashwagandha), Rhodiola, and Licorice root help your body adapt to stress, as the name suggests, and restore energy.
If you aren't a client of mine [yet] and don't have your own practitioner to make herbs for you, you can find really great herbal teas that are milder and safer when you aren't being supervised by a practitioner. It can be as simple as straight chamomile, holy basil, lavender or passionflower or you can find special blends targeted at relaxation and sleep.
Try this: It's coming into Summer here in Australia so keep a bottle of cold herbal tea, sweetened with a little honey, in the fridge to sip on to keep your hydration up and your stress down.
Final Thought:
Healing from stress or trauma isn’t just about mindset — your body needs nourishment to feel safe again. Every small choice to rest, hydrate, and feed yourself well helps rebuild that foundation.
If you would like my support to have a better understanding of what your body needs, to try a herbal mix or any of my other services, book a discovery call now!