Just like every single person at Penn State, I am stressed. Everyone is stressed for different reasons, clubs, schoolwork and even relationship issues. So as I try to balance what does and doesn’t stress me out I try to find ways to make me calm down, music works sometimes but I can never decide what to listen to and what works best for my studies.
So I started my research by talking to a friend who smokes cigarettes he said that he actually does the same thing and it has helped him smoke less and less cigarettes as the year has progressed. Sunflower seeds are not only good for relieving school stress but can actually supplement as a replacement for abysmal habits.
As I am sitting in my room studying, I get hungry and being a baseball player for 8 years I naturally go to sunflower seeds. Immediately I begin to feel more relaxed and my studying seems to improve so I wondered if this was a placebo or was it actually scientific. Turns out it is scientific.
Sunflower seeds are filled with folate. Folate is one of the healthiest foods in the world and helps with irritability, mental fatigue, depression, and insomnia; as well as diseases like gingivitis. Folate allows for proper function of nerves and support of red blood cells.
Having been a baseball player for so many years, another way people attempted to get me to relieve stress is chewing tobacco. According to studies this relieves stress as well, however, it is something I always resisted and will continue to. There are countless ways to relieve stress, from oatmeal and spinach to meditation and excersize. Realistically however, there are countless ways to relieve stress and some you probably cannot find on google, just whatever works for you, but everyone has that one thing that can make them calmer and more focused.
So next time you are stressed out about something, don’t fill your heart with cigarette smoke or full your mouth with some tobacco or bite your fingernails. Relax and take a deep breath and just like you did in little league before a big at bat and have some seeds, it’ll calm you down and help you focus to do better in school.
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=63
http://www.marcussamuelsson.com/news/eat-your-way-to-relaxation-stress-relieving-foods
http://humannhealth.com/foods-that-help-you-quit-smoking/389/
http://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-diet-for-stress-management
http://brown.edu/Student_Services/Health_Services/Health_Education/alcohol,_tobacco,_&_other_drugs/tobacco/smokeless_tobacco.php
I found this blog very interesting because I know there are certain foods out there that help produce relaxation such as oatmeal and salmon (mentioned in the link you posted), but I would have never guessed for sunflower seeds to be one of those foods. You mentioned that the scientific evidence behind this is that sunflower seeds contain a substance called folate that helps with irritability and fatigue, but I was curious if you have researched of any actual statistics to show this relationship. The link below goes more in depth about the benefits of sunflower seeds. Take a look if you are interested, but hopefully there will be some more research conducted soon!
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/are-sunflower-seeds-bad-for-you.html
This is such an interesting topic because I would have never thought to put a link between sunflower seeds and relaxation. I wonder if there were any experiments done to see how much sunflower seeds can reduce stress by. Since the sunflower seeds have folate in them, I am sure that studies could be conducted about the amount of folate it takes to reduce certain amounts of stress. Here is a link that I found that has more ways you can benefit from sunflower seeds!
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/5-super-health-benefits-of-sunflower-seeds.html