I Reduced My Cortisol Naturally With These 15 Foods

We all know what stress is. Cortisol is the stress hormone – technically a steroid hormone, actually – and it’s produced by your adrenal glands. Cortisol helps regulate our stress response and blood pressure, so it spikes when our stress levels increase. Like that feeling of growing anxious in crazy traffic that you drive in every day to get to work, or getting ravenous (and irritable) for a solid 48 hours a couple of days before your period hits.

If a woman is experiencing chronic stress and regularly tapping into that fight or flight reaction, this can cause more frequent cortisol spikes. In turn, this stresses the adrenal glands (in case you’ve ever wondered why that lower back massage feels so good, that’s where your adrenals are located). Chronic stress can lead to adrenal fatigue and burnout, which can result in health problems like chronic fatigue, skin breakouts, sugar cravings, imbalanced hormones, weight gain, sleep problems, lowered immunity, and brain fog. 

Cortisol and Your Cycle

We all know that we feel our internal stress clock tick louder when we get closer to our period. It’s actually not “in our heads” – a woman’s mood throughout her cycle is indeed affected by her rising and falling cortisol levels. I did my research so I could know when to be more aware of when to give my cortisol some extra TLC. Here’s what my research found. As estrogen and progesterone each rise and fall throughout the cycle, the same applies to our cortisol. In the luteal phase, the calming effect of progesterone, which peaks about seven days after ovulation, helps regulate and reduce cortisol. During PMS, later in the luteal phase, when progesterone falls dramatically right before your period, many women experience increased stress and anxiety in their heightened emotional responses, which could be affected by both cortisol and hormonal changes.

At the beginning of the follicular phase, when estrogen levels are low following your period but starting to rise, cortisol levels are relatively stable. Toward the end of the follicular phase however, as the body prepares for ovulation, the increase in estrogen can enhance energy and cortisol levels rise. With peaking estrogen at the time of ovulation, cortisol might also increase, potentially leading to higher stress reactivity. 

Having that self-knowledge about fluctuations in cortisol levels can help us not be caught by surprise. It can also help us know when we need to focus on incorporating more foods that support our adrenals and naturally reduce cortisol. 

Foods To Eat

As Hippocrates said, food can indeed be your medicine (or your poison)! I’ve noticed significant changes to my mood, energy, and mental clarity when I focus on quality foods and foods that are beneficial for certain needs. So – drum roll, please – here’s what I added into my diet!

Foods high in certain nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, selenium, and magnesium can help reduce cortisol and manage stress levels. These foods – which I have happily made a point of adding to my diet – include lemons, extra virgin olive oil, dark chocolate, sauerkraut, berries, salmon, garlic, avocados, and walnuts (in limited portions). 

Beneficial Teas

Tea has been a praised method of medicinal healing for thousands of years, and it’s a cozy practice that never goes out of style! Thankfully, there are plenty of herbal teas that help soothe the nervous system and help reduce cortisol levels. Chamomile, ashwagandha, mint, licorice, and green tea are ones that I’ve taken for the past several years, off and on (I rotate for variety).

Green tea is my personal favorite, and it contains theanine and helps reduce cortisol. I started drinking green tea daily over a year ago (I even pack my Trader Joe’s green tea bags when I travel), and I’ve noticed major benefits! My once-stringy hair has grown back super fast and thick after I cut off 11 inches last summer. What took two years to grow, I grew back in one year! Fun fact, green tea contains antioxidants that contribute to hair growth, and I’m convinced it played a big part in growing mine back so fast and thick. I also added this collagen powder to my diet, which was probably another factor in my voluminous hair regrowth. 

The small amount of natural caffeine in green tea helps boost my metabolism and my energy has felt well-charged throughout the day. Green tea also helps balance blood glucose and curb hunger cravings, and I’ve definitely noticed this and that it helps regulate my internal stress levels and with my weight management. When I start my day with my green tea, it’s easier to skip the snacking, and I don’t get light-headed like I used to. After all, getting “hangry” doesn’t exactly spell happy cortisol, actually the opposite! 

Chamomile tea helps ease anxiety, and licorice, mint and ashwagandha tea help reduce cortisol. All of these teas are best in the evening since they induce relaxation. Personally, chamomile hits me with drowsiness like melatonin, and I’ve noticed that both licorice and ashwagandha really calm my system, even helping to destress and focus my thoughts. I’ve also made a sort of magnesium tea as a bedtime mocktail with warm or room temperature water and magnesium powder (I use Calm and Moon Juice Magnesi-om). This makes a delicious cup and helps me have great quality sleep! I take these teas regularly and have noticed a huge difference in my stress management and lowered cortisol levels from before I took them.

TCM For Cortisol

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and naturopathic remedies, specifically adaptogenic herbs, have been used for anxiety and stress management long before NSAIDs and anxiety medications were invented by Big Pharma. Actually, natural herbs that can help anxiety and manage stress also help lower cortisol. 

Supplements that I’ve taken that help lower cortisol include magnesium, the herb passionflower, zinc, and omega-3 fish oils. Although I have not personally incorporated them into my routine, other TCM herbs for cortisol include lemon balm, holy basil, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, and turmeric curcumin. 

Closing Thoughts

Stress is a natural part of life, just like cortisol is a natural part of our body and hormones. It won’t go away, but we can learn to take control of our stress response and nurture our hormones, including cortisol, by taking advantage of those nutrients that help stabilize our system. For myself, I’ve noticed I have more energy, I’ve lost weight when I’ve meant to, I have improved mental clarity, and I’m able to better practice stress management. My face isn’t as puffy as it used to be, and my skin is clear and smooth. There's no doubt that my body is loving these nutrients!