Best Vegetables for Stress and Anxiety: Cruciferous Veggies & Peppers

Can eating your vegetables help you deal better with stress? Can it reduce anxiety?

It might. And some vegetables stand out among the crowd for serving this purpose.

Your body and mind work together in response to stressors. Your adrenal glands' production of cortisol, neurotransmitter activity, and brain function all get involved. Eating foods that provide the building blocks for these systems can help things run more smoothly. 

The two groups of vegetables that made my Top 12 Anti-Anxiety Foods list are cruciferous vegetables and sweet peppers. I'll explain why.

What Are Cruciferous Vegetables?

Cruciferous vegetables are also known as brassica and the cabbage family.

Cruciferous family members include:

• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Brussels sprouts
• Leafy greens such as cabbage, kale, collard, bok choy, and arugula

What Are Sweet Peppers?

Sweet peppers (aka bell peppers) are green, red, orange, and yellow bell peppers.

Antioxidants: Protecting Your Brain From Oxidative Stress

Vitamins like the vitamin C found in both cruciferous vegetables and bell peppers are antioxidants. You probably know the term but might not be aware of how important a role they play in your mental health. 

To deal better with stress, and reduce anxiety, you need to protect your brain’s nerve cells from oxidative stress.

Your body’s cells can be under attack by free radicals: junk molecules that you take into your body or create inside your body.

You breathe in, absorb, and eat free radicals from your environment, food, and activities like smoking. You also create free radicals as leftovers from normal biochemical reactions in your body. 

Antioxidants are your body’s clean-up team. They swoop in and sweep up those free radicals. As long as you have enough antioxidants to deal with your load of pollutants and chemical reaction leftovers, your body will do relatively well. But, if you have more free radicals than you can clean up, those molecules will mess with your cells and their ability to function. That stresses out your body and can stress you out. 

Even the term for not having enough antioxidants to play cleanup has stress in the title. It’s called oxidative stress.

Over the last decade, more and more research has pointed toward oxidative stress as a potential contributor to anxiety.  Mental/emotional stress can lead to oxidative stress, and oxidative stress can contribute to mental/emotional stress. It’s a vicious circle that you can help break with the care and feeding of your brain.

Why Include Cruciferous Vegetables in Your Anti-Anxiety Diet 

Cruciferous vegetables are good to great sources of:

• Magnesium — helps regulate cortisol, supports relaxation, and plays a role in nervous system function
• B vitamins — support neurotransmitter production and energy balance
• Vitamin C — helps reduce oxidative stress and supports your body during times of stress

The cabbage family of vegetables also has an anti-anxiety bonus component: sulforaphane. Sulforaphane includes sulphur in its makeup and is believed to be anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative. Both of these qualities could help you deal with stress. One study in 2016 showed that the form of sulphur found in cruciferous foods reduced anxiety in mice.

What About Goitrogens?

Note if you have thyroid problems: There is a concern about cruciferous vegetables and thyroid problems. Raw members of this family can release goitrogens that might tax your thyroid. Specifically, goitrogens may interfere with your thyroid’s ability to absorb iodine. If you have a thyroid condition such as hypothyroidism, Graves’ disease, or Hashimoto’s disease, you should consider having your iodine levels checked before increasing your cruciferous intake and talk to your doctor about how these vegetables might impact your particular body. 

Note for everyone: The bottom line message about cruciferous vegetables is that they have many benefits, including anti-anxiety benefits, but don’t overdo them in raw form. Don’t make this family the only vegetables you eat, but enjoy adding them — especially in cooked versions—to your menu. And, if you have a thyroid condition, check in with your doctor for specific advice.  

How Sweet Peppers Help with Anxiety and Stress

Sweet peppers make my list of top foods to combat anxiety because of their very high vitamin C content and their anti-anxiety bonus component: carotenoids.

Sweet peppers are good to great sources of:

• Vitamin C — helps reduce oxidative stress and supports adrenal function during stress
• B vitamins — support brain function and energy balance
• Carotenoids — antioxidants that help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress

Bonus Antioxidants: Carotenoids

Carotenoids (i.e., beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin) are associated with brightly and darkly pigmented foods.

Research has demonstrated that they are very helpful for reducing oxidative stress and inflammation, both of which could help you deal with stress. Though there isn’t a lot of research into a direct link to an anti-anxiety effect, a 2017 American study of sixty young adults showed a correlation between increased carotenoid consumption and reduced stress and cortisol.

Caution: Member of the Nightshades Family

One downside of peppers is that they are part of the nightshades family of foods. Some people are sensitive to this group, which includes tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, and bell peppers. Joint pain is the most common complaint associated with nightshades. If you start eating more peppers and find you suddenly get more joint pain, intestinal problems, or allergy symptoms, then this may not be a good vegetable for you. 

Cruciferous and Peppers: Saving Their Vitamin C 

Vitamin C in foods can be destroyed by heat or light, and it deteriorates over time with exposure to air.

Don’t overprocess or overcook vitamin C foods. Eating them raw and fresh will maximize their benefit. You can cook them lightly, but don’t overdo the exposure to heat.

Other Foods That Support Anxiety and Stress Resilience

Cruciferous vegetables and sweet peppers are just part of a larger group of foods that can support the body’s response to stress.

🟢➜ See the full list of foods and nutrients that support anxiety and stress resilience in this post: 12 Best Foods to Reduce Anxiety and Stress Naturally

The Bigger Picture: Nutrition and Anxiety

I go deeper into what is happening in your body when you're stressed, what foods might be contributing to your anxiety, and what nutrients relieve anxiety in my book Feed Your Calm: Anti-Anxiety Anti-Stress Diet and Supplement Tips for Stress Resilience.

It brings together the science behind food, supplements, and stress resilience in a practical, easy-to-understand way.

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