Anxiety is something that we all regularly experience throughout our lives, something that we all have to deal with. Anxiety is the natural fight or flight response we all feel when we are in a high stress situation. Keep in mind, being stressed out in these situations is a good thing and a natural response.
With that being said, the problem with anxiety in many individuals is that they experience it too frequently in situations where the response isn’t warranted. A constant or continual state of anxiety is not only feels uncomfortable, but is associated with a variety of negative health ailments as well.
Being anxious or stressed all the time can lead to hypertension or high blood pressure, insomnia, panic attacks and can even affect the digest tract and digestive process as well. Some people become so stressed that they lose bowl control or can’t hold their urine.
If this is you, you are obviously too stressed. Don’t worry though, there are plenty of thing you can do to reverse the situation, through changes in diet, and supplements that can help as well.
Foods Which Cause High Anxiety That You Should Avoid
Avoiding food high in simple sugars is a good start. This means you shouldn’t eat things like candy bars, ice cream, sodas, energy drinks, fruit juices and other similar products. These products contain an enormous amount of sugar which almost immediately gets broken down and digested by your body, which will make you more anxious.
Having all of this energy poured in to the blood spikes blood sugar levels which will only add to the problem when it comes to your anxiety.
Drinks with too much caffeine are also tings we want to avoid because caffeine is a known stimulant. Stimulants again will only amplify your feelings of anxiety so try to avoid coffees, teas and sodas if possible.
Alcoholic beverages are other choices we want to avoid as well to reduce stress. Alcohol is a poison which gets broken down in our liver. Drinking too much alcohol puts more stress on the liver and thus the body because of the extra work it has to do in filtering this alcohol out of your system.
Stay away from processed foods with refined flour. Foods with refined flour act very similarly to processed sugar and have the same negative effects on blood sugar and the body as well. Food items that have refined flour are white breads, some pasta, and many baked goods as well.
Not only are these processed flours bad for your blood sugar levels, they are devoid of other vitamins, minerals and nutrients found in traditional breads. Look for 100% whole wheat in the ingredients if you are looking for a healthier option when it comes to bread.
Foods to Eat That Will Help You Reduce Anxiety
Thankfully there are foods we can eat that can help combat anxiety as well. Many of these food items that will help fight anxiety we should already be including in our diet because of the other positive health benefits they provide as well. This makes dieting to fight anxiety relatively easy.
First you want to make sure you brain is functioning properly, that you are thinking clearly and optimizing your potential. Consuming foods high in omega 3 fatty acids like those found in fish, nuts and seeds can help to reduce anxiety in turn. One of these omega 3 fatty acids known as DHA is also known to help fight inflammation and stabilize mood as well.
Calcium is an important micronutrient that we get from our diet which can help reduce anxiety. Calcium is found in many dairy products such as milk, yogurt and cheeses. Wild caught fish, especially salmon are good alternative calcium sources as well. When taking calcium try to pair it with a food source high in Vitamin D to maximize your body’s ability to absorb the Calcium.
B Vitamins are another group of important micronutrients that we need to regulate mood. The best sources of Vitamin B can are found in meats, especially beef and fish. This makes it especially important to watch your vitamin B levels if you don’t eat meat. Vitamin B deficiencies are the most common vitamin deficiency among vegetarians and vegans, so make sure you are getting tested regularly if this sounds like you.
