The stress busting effects of spinach

Not keen on eating your greens? What if I told you that they can help to tackle stress? 

Spinach is a good source of magnesium. Lots of us are deficient in this nutrient and it’s also easily depleted when you’re super stressed. Given that magnesium is involved in over 300 chemical reactions in the body, it’s not hard to imagine how this can affect a whole heap of processes. 

If you don’t eat a lot of leafy greens and nuts and you’re stressed more often than not, you could be lacking in magnesium. You may notice this in the form of weak muscles, muscle cramps, muscle twitches and constipation. 

And from an anxiety and stress perspective? Magnesium is hugely important for relaxing the nervous system, which is one reason why you’re more likely to feel anxious and stressed if you’re low on magnesium. 

Let’s talk a little bit about why:

Magnesium helps to convert tryptophan into serotonin. As you probably know, serotonin is a “feel good” neurotransmitter and is hugely important for mood and sleep. 

It also supports activity of GABA, another super important neurotransmitter linked to sleep and relaxation. Low levels of GABA can make you more likely to experience anxiety and insomnia. 

That’s not all … Magnesium also helps to regulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The HPA axis is strongly linked to stress response and the secretion of stress hormones such as cortisol. In stopping the HPA axis from being too active, magnesium can also keep cortisol levels in check. 

A cup of spinach puts you well on your way to a healthy intake of magnesium and you can boost your levels through pumpkin seeds, avocado, dark chocolate (the type with plenty of cacao, preferably!), banana and cashews.