Are Anxiety and Food Related?
Don’t things feel so much better when there is a big fat cake on the plate in front of you? Deadlines disappear and worries fade into insignificance. Life in general feels so much calmer after a chocolate cookie and a cappuccino.
No you haven’t just started reading a piece by your kindred spirit or long lost twin. Food soothes. Food and mood are always related. Food will always make us feel better, but when we are suffering from an anxiety disorder or panic attacks it is worth taking a bit of time to make sure that we are not adding to our problems by eating the wrong foods.
It is all too easy to start comfort eating and why not, if it makes you feel good, but take a good look at what you are eating and the effects that it has on your body. The old saying that a healthy body means a healthy mind is borne from experience. Diet and exercise are the two things that affect our health the most and that applies to mental health as much as it does to physical health. I cover anxiety and exercise on another page of the site so will focus on the delights of food here.
So what foods help anxiety and panic? I am not a diet expert but over the course of the years I have read up a lot on anxiety and diet and researched all about the best foods for anxiety, anti anxiety foods and food to help anxiety. I’m not going to give you a diet sheet but I can certainly give some pointers about food for anxiety.
Firstly, when to eat. Don’t starve yourself, avoid feast and famine. Steady blood sugar levels can help with anxiety. Any of us can feel a bit jittery if we go too long between meals and allow our blood sugar levels to drop. Eat regular meals and have a sensible snack between meals to keep your blood sugar levels up along with your spirits.
Latte, Americano, Expresso, double expresso, cappuccino…..they all role off the tongue and down the throat so easily but coffee will increase your anxiety quicker than almost anything else. Caffeine will make you jittery and anxious. It stimulates the mind which really is the last thing that you want, so substitute it for something else. I found that I was getting the shakes and becoming really edgy after a coffee so I changed to decaf. The effect was almost instantaneous, my mood improved, My insomnia from anxiety improved and I felt much calmer. For me the effect was dramatic but it will vary for each individual. My way of thinking is that any change to your diet that helps to calm you down has got to be worth a try.
Alcohol is so often used by anxiety sufferers as a way to unwind and finally relax at the end of the day, but be warned….anxiety and alcohol do not mix well.
When I first started suffering from anxiety my drinking very nearly got out of hand. I was living alone and would think nothing of pouring myself a drink as soon as I walked through the door, sometimes stopping at a bar on the way home. I got the wake up call after losing an evening to drink and decided there and then that it wasn’t helping me and that I should limit my intake dramatically. Drink is a depressant and with depression and anxiety often being linked, it is the last thing that you need. Moderation is the key! It is a personal choice but in the fight against anxiety every little helps so take a serious honest look at your drinking habits and change them if you need to.
Although sugary things like cakes and chocolate can give you the feel good factor it is a false high caused by the sudden increase in blood sugar levels. You are much better off reducing your intake of sugary foods and focusing on eating complex carbohydrates such as whole grain bread, oats, muesli or brown rice. These foods take longer to get broken down when digested so give you a much steadier source of energy, levelling out your blood sugar levels and keeping your mood much steadier. Shop around, complex carbs don’t have to be dull. There is a whole industry growing up around healthy tasty food.
Drink plenty of water. Even low levels of dehydration can cause increased anxiety so top yourself up regularly. I do not advocate eight glasses a day as I personally found this just too much, my kidneys and bladder never adjusted and I spent a great deal of time in the toilet. I found that drinking a glass of water with every meal helped me tremendously.
Anti Anxiety Foods. Eat foods that are rich in tryptophan. This is a chemical that helps your brain to produce serotonin so any food that contains tryptophan will help with your mood and relax you. These foods include milk, bananas; poultry, cheese, oats, soy, sesame seeds and peanut butter are all excellent sources of tryptophan.
Finally, listen to your body, be aware of which foods make you feel more or less agitated. I remember with me, I discovered that I became increasingly edgy after eating peanut butter. In theory, being a tryptophan rich food it should have helped with my mood but it actually made me feel really tense. It might be that you are eating a food related to anxiety attacks or even a type of food that causes anxiety attacks. Just keep an eye on this, you may be surprised.
It goes without saying but I will say it anyway that a well balanced diet is also key to overcoming anxiety. I am not going to write about this simply because so many people have written information far better than I could so research it on the internet.
Think fresh fruit and vegetables, avoid processed food because you have no idea what additives there are, and try whole grains and complex carbohydrates.
It is common sense at the end of the day. If a food hypes you up and agitates you, avoid it. If it calms you down and helps you relax, eat it. Avoid caffeine and alcohol and do all things in moderation. It will all help in the fight against anxiety.
Don’t rely on diet to cure your anxiety but watch your diet alongside a self help anxiety programme, and don’t be afraid to have the occasional cake!!!
Read about Anxiety and Exercise next