{"id":223,"date":"2020-08-26T03:18:06","date_gmt":"2020-08-26T08:18:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dontpanicdothis.com\/?page_id=223"},"modified":"2023-10-13T17:04:33","modified_gmt":"2023-10-13T22:04:33","slug":"how-to-diet-for-anxiety-relief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dontpanicdothis.com\/how-to-diet-for-anxiety-relief\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Diet for Anxiety Relief: What to Eat and What to Avoid"},"content":{"rendered":"

When dealing with panic attacks and anxiety, people tend to forget the role that diet plays on our mental health. The foods we choose to eat serve as fuel not just for our body, but for our brain as well. This fact led me to explore the question\u2026 What is the best way to diet for anxiety?<\/p>\n

The best diet for anxiety is one that is well-balanced and able to provide adequate amounts of all necessary nutrients and vitamins. Diets high in B-complex vitamins, magnesium, calcium, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, and probiotics are ideal. A Mediterranean diet is often recommended as being a well-balanced diet for anxiety.<\/strong><\/p>\n

When adjusting your diet for anxiety, it\u2019s important to know not only what foods you should eat, but also what foods you should avoid.<\/em> Keep reading and I\u2019ll explain some of the sneakier foods that have caused me anxiety over the years, as well as the foods that have helped me to feel less anxious than ever before.<\/p>\n

The role your diet could be playing in your anxiety may surprise you!<\/p>\n

Diet for Anxiety Reduction \u2013 The Basics<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Learning what foods to eat and how to diet for anxiety is critical for anyone hoping to decrease anxiety or panic attacks.  With that said, please speak to your doctor before making any significant changes to your diet.<\/p>\n

Different Specializations = Different Answers<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s always a good idea to seek professional help when learning how to manage anxiety. The only problem is that, oftentimes, just one professional may not be enough. Professionals in the medical and mental health fields are great, but cannot be expected to know everything. Likely, they will specialize in a specific field, and favor that field when planning your anxiety treatment.<\/p>\n

A psychotherapist, a psychiatrist, and a nutritionist may each have very different approaches to treating anxiety. Each of these individuals will have unique knowledge and insights that the others may not. My main point here is that it is always a possibility that your anxiety is being caused by something simple; something that your chosen professional may not specialize in.<\/em><\/p>\n

One major example of this is the effect of diet on anxiety.<\/p>\n

You would not want to be prescribed powerful anti-anxiety medications by a psychiatrist if the root cause of your anxiety<\/strong><\/a> is a vitamin deficiency; this would be like putting a bandage on a leaky pipe. Most mental health issues are best treated without medication when medication can be avoided.<\/p>\n

In my personal opinion, nutrition should always be examined before<\/em> resorting to medication.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is why one of the first steps I recommend for preventing anxiety is to find yourself a nutritionist who understands how to diet for anxiety, and how nutrition affects the brain. This is one of the safest and most conservative measures we can take to improve our mental health and reduce anxiety \u2013 with the added benefit of improving our physical health in the process!<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you can\u2019t afford or access a nutritionist right away, no sweat! I\u2019ve got plenty of experience under my belt from experimenting with my own diet for anxiety relief, and I\u2019m glad to fill you in on what I\u2019ve learned over the years!<\/p>\n

But before we dive right into what you should <\/em>be eating, let\u2019s start even easier than that \u2013 let\u2019s talk a little bit about some of the dietary habits and foods that you should be avoiding<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Dietary Habits and Foods that Cause Anxiety<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Many unhealthy diet and lifestyle habits can bring about symptoms of anxiety. Some of these may cause you to feel temporary irregularity in breathing, heartbeat, or cognition, or even just give you the jitters. For those with anxiety disorders, the awareness of any such irregularities can be enough to escalate the symptoms, throwing you into a full-blown panic attack.<\/p>\n

Being very sensitive to and aware of my own anxiety levels on a day-to-day basis, I\u2019ve spent some time taking note of any foods that tend to \u201cupset the balance.\u201d Sure enough, there are certain dietary habits and foods that cause anxiety for me pretty consistently. By avoiding these things, I notice my baselines anxiety levels decrease significantly.<\/p>\n

Here are some things to be mindful of as you diet for anxiety prevention:<\/p>\n

Food Allergy Anxiety and Inflammation<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Inflammation is a major and often overlooked source of anxiety for many people. Inflammation occurs when the body attempts to protect itself from illness, injury, or infection. In the brain, inflammation often occurs as a result of an allergic reaction.<\/p>\n

As you plan your diet for anxiety, you should try and rule out any potential unknown food allergies that you may have. Common food allergies, such as dairy and gluten, should be tested for as soon as possible. Try going several weeks on a dairy-free or gluten-free diet to determine whether or not your anxiety symptoms have improved.<\/p>\n

Additionally, you may wish to request that your doctor gives you blood testing for allergies. A full panel allergen test should help you to figure out what kinds of food you specifically<\/em> should avoid. Some people may also be sensitive to foods high in glutamates, including MSG. This is something that you will have to experiment with under the supervision of your dietician, nutritionist, or doctor.<\/p>\n

If it turns out you’re sensitive to dairy (like me), you may benefit from replacing regular milk with nut milk. I personally like to go for almond milk. It may be worth comparing the best nut milk makers<\/strong><\/a> to save some money and make your own fresh at home.<\/p>\n

Irregular Blood Sugar Levels<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Hypoglycemic (low) blood sugar levels can cause you to feel anxious. When blood sugar drops too low, the body releases adrenaline into the bloodstream to prevent fainting. This in itself may cause a panic attack or anxiety.<\/p>\n

Sugary foods may also impair the body\u2019s ability to cope with stress. Additionally, they may cause symptoms that feel like anxiety, causing an anxious brain to panic and escalate the symptoms.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In my own experience, eating a large meal containing mostly unhealthy, sugary, ingredients (example: a frozen pizza, the main ingredient being enriched white flour) will later cause me to sit there feeling the symptoms of anxiety, despite not actually <\/em>having any reason to be anxious.<\/p>\n

It can be helpful to replace any sugary drinks such as juices or sodas with water or naturally flavored seltzer, etc. Anyone suffering from daily anxiety should avoid sugary or processed foods and consider being tested for diabetes. Eating healthy foods and not missing meals can help to prevent hypoglycemic states.<\/p>\n

Alcohol Use<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Alcohol is extremely popular among anxious people all over the world.<\/p>\n

What anxious person doesn\u2019t love a little extra attention paid to their GABA receptors?<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, drinking alcohol for anxiety<\/a> <\/strong>can be a bit of a double-edged sword.<\/p>\n

In the short-term, alcohol does a pretty good job of decreasing anxiety. But when consumed in high amounts, alcohol can cause significant fluctuations in blood sugar levels, exacerbating symptoms of anxiety (I will also swear to anyone that I always have the worst<\/em> nightmares after drinking IPAs. I know this sounds crazy, but I swear it\u2019s true for me!).<\/p>\n

Even worse is the \u201changxiety\u201d that follows a day or two after heavy drinking. GABA rebound in the brain, or alcohol withdrawals, can often leave us feeling much more anxious than before we drank in the first place. <\/strong>Even for casual alcohol users, if you are feeling a bit more anxious or irritable a day or two after drinking, you know what to blame.<\/p>\n

Nicotine and Drug Use<\/strong><\/h3>\n

For smokers, nicotine can have a similar effect on anxiety as drinking can. Once addicted, smoking may seem <\/em>to decrease anxiety symptoms, but this is mainly due to its delaying your withdrawal. Ultimately, smoking causes a great deal of stress on the body, causing anxiety to worsen over time.<\/p>\n

People with anxiety are better off kicking the habit of nicotine use, altogether.<\/p>\n

Other drugs, of all varieties, should likewise be avoided as much as possible. The simple fact is that there is no such thing as a \u201cfree ride\u201d when it comes to drugs. Your body, and brain, will always have to compensate for the chemical imbalance in some way. For most people, this usually means a night of chemical euphoria followed by a few miserable, anxious or depressed days afterward.<\/p>\n

The takeaway for this is simple: Your relationship with nicotine or other drugs may have you convinced that it helps you with your anxiety; but, in all likelihood, it is likely making it much worse in the long-run. People with anxiety should probably avoid recreational drug use and nicotine use entirely.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Caffeine Intake<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Much like alcohol and nicotine, caffeine is a habit-forming drug that many sufferers of anxiety become dependent on. <\/strong><\/p>\n

At face value, a stimulant like caffeine doesn\u2019t sound like something an anxious person would enjoy. <\/strong>However, because of routines such as your \u201cmorning coffee\u201d or \u201cpre-workout drink,\u201d many people become addicted to caffeine over time without realizing it.<\/p>\n

Once addicted, we get withdrawals when we go too long without<\/em> caffeine. The stress of these withdrawals often feels like and causes intense irritability and anxiety.<\/p>\n

Because of its popularity, people often forget just how powerful caffeine addictions can be.<\/p>\n

I quit drinking caffeine last year<\/strong><\/a> <\/strong>and the effect that withdrawing from caffeine had on my anxiety levels is something that has changed the way I will view caffeine for the rest of my life. I realized that my social anxiety immediately spikes without my morning caffeine hit, and then I had two nights of extremely uncomfortable heart palpitations (not to mention the headaches and general fatigue for a week or so).<\/p>\n

The conclusion I came to from that little experiment was that, while I felt<\/em> like caffeine was making me feel good\u2026 <\/em>it only actually felt good because I was breaking my caffeine withdrawals with each cup of coffee. Now that I\u2019ve been off caffeine for a year, I feel naturally energetic and far less anxious without ever needing to touch the stuff. <\/p>\n

Something else important to note is that you may have an addiction to caffeine and not even be aware of it! Coffee, tea, energy drinks, pre-workout supplements, and sodas can all be major sources of caffeine. As a kid, I was drinking about 5 glasses of iced tea per day \u2013 never even realizing how much caffeine I was pumping into my body on a daily basis!<\/p>\n

If you are serious about planning a diet for anxiety reduction, you may want to take a closer look at your caffeine intake. It\u2019s definitely worth enduring the withdrawals and gradually cutting caffeine out of your day-to-day routine.<\/p>\n

Once your body learns how to function without the caffeine, you should be able to get more restful sleep and naturally decrease your overall stress and anxiety levels.<\/p>\n

Anti-Anxiety Food Solution<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Generally speaking, foods that may reduce inflammation and provide adequate nutrition are often best for anxiety. When planning your diet for anxiety prevention, it\u2019s especially important to determine whether or not you currently have any sort of vitamin or nutrient deficiencies in your current diet.<\/p>\n

Some of the most important components to a good diet for anxiety reduction include:<\/p>\n