Everyone suffers from stress. If you are jittery package of nerves, start eating for stress relief.

 The following nutritional strategies will not only help you to manage stress, but will also improve your general health, so that you’re calm, even in the middle of the chaos of your life.

1. Oranges - Fast Stress Relief Oranges for stress relief. It turns out that vitamin C relieves stress by returning your blood pressure and levels of cortisol (a chemical produced by the body when you’re under stress) to normal quickly.

2. Dark chocolate. There’s nothing in it that relieves stress, but when only chocolate will do, reach for the dark, sultry kind that’s at least 70% cocoa. You figure if the antioxidant flavonoids in it are potent enough to fight cancer and heart disease, they’ve got to be able to temper tension’s effects.

3. Herbs or supplements that can provide a noticeable relaxing effect, which never hurts when you’re really stressed out, include valerian (where the idea for Valium came from) and one that’s relatively new on the scene (in this country), kava, which is most remarkable. Both are available at good health food stores.

4. Berries. Eating berries one by one can help soothe frayed nerves. Any kind of berries will do the trick. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries…any berries! Because the carbohydrates found naturally in berries turn to sugar very slowly, you won’t have a blood sugar crash. Berries are also a good source of vitamin C, which helps fight the stress hormone cortisol. Add berries to your cereal or just eat them one at a time instead of the candy!

5. Essential fats. Oily fish earlier and they are great stress busting food. Essential fatty acid increases the serotonin in the brain which regulates our mood and ability to cope with stress. We have already recommend a fish oil supplement and really there is no better eat to eat than oil fish for stress get it from: Mackerel, sardines and salmon.

6. Shellfish and zinc. One of the main minerals people are deficient when stressed is zinc. So make sure you get plenty of it its important in regulating serotonin and melatonin which are key stress control hormones. Prawns and other shellfish are great as to are: Seaweed, brown rice, mushrooms turkey and asparagus.

7. Chai tea. A warm drink is a supersoother, and curling up with a cup of aromatic decaf chai tea (Tazo makes ready-to-brew bags) can make the whole evil day go away.

8. Avocados lower your blood pressure. Stress is a great excuse to indulge in creamy guacamole. Not only will you get instant stress relief from this green marvel, you’ll also do your heart well. Avocado contains both monounsaturated fat, and potassium, which can lower your blood pressure.

9. Mixed nuts. Just an ounce will help replace those stress-depleted Bs (walnuts), give you a whopping amount of zinc (Brazil nuts)-it’s also drained by high anxiety-and boost your E (almonds), which helps fight cellular damage linked to chronic stress. Buy nuts in the shell and think of it as multi-tasking: With every squeeze of the nutcracker, you’re releasing a little bit of tension.

10. Guacamole. If you’re craving something creamy, look no further. Avocados are loaded with B vitamins, which stress quickly depletes and which your body needs in order to maintain nerves and brain cells. Plus, their creaminess comes from healthy fat. Scoop up the stuff with whole-grain baked chips - crunching keeps you from gritting your teeth.