7 Stress Busters: Soothing Foods and Calming Scents

Learn how to cope with stress by arming yourself with these stress-busting scents and soothing foods.

If you’re feeling stressed, take heart: what you eat and smell may help you de-stress. “The part of the brain that processes odors is very close to the [part that houses] emotions and memories,” explains Pamela Dalton, Ph.D., M.P.H., a researcher at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia. So when you sniff something you like, you tend to breathe more deeply, your blood pressure lowers and your heart rate slows—all of which relax you. Eating some foods may help relax you too. So arm yourself with these soothing scents and tasty foods to cope when you are stressed.

—Amy Paturel, M.S., M.P.H. & Patricia Bannan, M.S., R.D.

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