Nutrition to Support Soothing & Calm

Jun 06, 2025

Recognising when we may be overwhelmed, anxious or agitated is the first step to be able to choose the self-care we need. We can play a very real part in supporting our capacity to self-soothe and come down from heightened, reactive states, by a nutritional foundation alongside mindful, embodied practices and plenty of time in nature.

Stress & nutritional choices:

We cannot eliminate stress and things will always come along to knock us off balance - recognising the foods and habits we use to self-medicate when things get tough can help us navigate our way back to equilibrium.
We don't need to beat ourselves up about that packet of crisps when feeling stressed or tired; to recognise that we can all turn to self-medicating foods at times helps us get off the self-criticism cycle that creates internal stress.
This gives us the chance to notice whether our choices are based on nourishment that satisfies a deep need that we crave, or as a numbing agent that fills a hole of pain or agitation.
We can feel that different foods have particular effects and inherently the difference between deep nourishment and that quick-fix habit we turn to in times of challenge, sadness or pain.
We can have many ways of spinning our internal dialogue to allow our choices ("I deserve a treat") and sometimes this energy we use in the decision-making of whether we are ‘allowed’ to give in, can wear us down.
Recognising our patterns (and the types of food we turn to) can help us avoid them, but also create a consciousness around them that means we can enjoy guilt-free treats, but not beat ourselves up and produce the very stress that has us craving them.
Supporting how we cope with stress via nutrition can create a foundation to come back to when stress may send us towards more quick-fix, sugary or junk foods...

Soothing through nutrition can work in several ways:

Helping you to resist turning to the knee-jerk food choices you may not want to make, but visit over and over when stressed or agitated.... Here blood sugar balance is key to creating a level platform of energy and cope with stress.
Blood sugar balance, healthy food choices and mindful attention to notices our responses to stress, all feed in to help avoid reliance on foods that can create agitation in the nervous system - too much caffeine, refined sugars, processed foods, poor quality meat and vegetable oils. All of also promote inflammation that keeps us cycling around stress responses.
Supporting your natural self-soothing mechanisms ie your ability to drop into nervous system calming parasympathetic mode. This might be sources of calming magnesium to put back depleted reserves or providing the protein you need to create soothing neurotransmitters like GABA - so quality protein and plenty of green leafy vegetables.
Good levels of vitamin C through plenty of vegetables and fruits - organic where possible. Our adrenal glands and nervous system use up a lot of this antioxidant nutrients in the stress response, and we need it for protection of all tissues.
Omega 3 oil sources for optimal brain and nervous system function - most modern humans need to supplement as our diets are so high in omega 6 oils (eg via vegetable oils) which tends to create low-grade inflammation. Vegans in particular need to supplement as we would usually obtain direct sources of omega 3 oils through oily fish. Vegans should supplement via algae or algal oil - rather than plant sources such as flax - for direct forms (DHA).
Actively addressing as therapeutic foods; examples are below.

Specific calming foods:

Camomile - has long been traditionally used for anxiety and insomnia, with one of the oldest uses as a herbal medicine. Drinking chamomile tea has shown to raise urine levels of glycine, an amino acid that works as an inhibitory neurotransmitter. Drinking chamomile tea regularly has shown to increase levels of glycine for several weeks. The compound apigenin also binds to GABA and benzodiazepine receptors in the brain showing CNS depressive effects. Camomile tea is made by infusing the flowers and leaves of German camomile (Matricaria recutita) in boiling water for 10-15 minutes and is also known as manzanilla. Can be bought easily as tea bags or for more potent effects, buy the fresh plant from a herbal shop or supplier and brew in a teapot, experimenting with strength to your taste and adding just a little raw honey if need be. Best drunk in the evening as acts as a mild sedative and avoid with allergies to ragweed. Evening or calming type herbal tea blends often also include valerian and hops that have similar GABA inducing properties.
Celery - wild celery has been used medicinally in many cultures for hundreds of years. Its calmative effects from apigenin (as in camomile) made it a traditional anxiety and insomnia remedy. Research into celery has shown resoundingly good results in lowering blood pressure and other sympathetic action; four stalks a day proving to be an effective lowering agent. The chemicals apigenin and phthalide expand blood vessels and therefore activate the parasympathetic NS. It also contains tryptophan, the amino acid we need to produce serotonin. It is also a good appetite regulator as it takes a lot of chewing and so tells the brain it is satisfied for food, the perfect late night snack for insomniacs who tend to binge.
Lettuce - known to have mild sedative qualities and was known as ‘sleepwort’ by the Anglo-Saxons. This is due to a substance called lactucarium or ‘lettuce opium’ found in the latex of the stems.
Green tea - contains L-theanine, a substance that helps us produce the soothing neurotransmitter GABA. It is found in tea and often used in supplement form as an anti-anxietic (calming) from 50-200mg daily. It has also shown to increase dopamine but effects on serotonin remain unclear. The levels in green tea have shown to have a calming effect and with the lower caffeine content means green tea is a favourable alternative to other caffeine drinks; the small amount can help stave off withdrawal symptoms whilst potentially helping to reduce sympathetic dominance.
Dark chocolate - many studies have shown that those who eat regular dark chocolate cope with stress better! 40g a day of good quality chocolate of at least 70% cocoa can prevent us turning to other, less helpful sugar sources, but be aware it contains caffeine so don't have too late in the day if you have sleep issues.
Bananas and oats - these are good sources of the amino acid tryptophan, which is converted to serotonin in the body and to help promote relaxation and anxiety relief. Turkey is also a good source, which explains the deep sleeps often seen after a traditional Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner!
Others: mint, tarragon, lemon balm are all used as calmatives in many traditional medicine systems.

Supplements that support our calming capacity:

Magnesium - known as the 'calming mineral' as it is used for relaxation responses throughout the nervous system; tends to be low in modern diets.
Adaptogens - such as shilajit, rhodiola, ginseng, gingko biloba and ashwaghanda; these help regulate the nervous system via the brain to adrenal axis.
Brain function support - many substances that help our brain (and the rest of the nervous system) work effectively and therefore regulate appropriately, also support other factors such as blood sugar balance, focus and mood.

See the supplements in this blog to support hair and structure in various ways, from the Charlotte Watts Health range at the shop site - click on each nutrient below to see it there. Whole Health members receive a 20% discount on all products within the shop. See details on joining Whole Health and everything that includes here.

More info:

This content and the accompanying recipes can be seen in the full eBook on Soothing Foods for Heightened Stress Responses, available to Whole Health members.