Anxiety and Diet
Jul 20th, 2009 Posted in disease | no comment »Is that your fourth cup of coffee for the day? Then that explains your run-away anxieties over small matters that others take on as normal life events – moving house, having a baby, credit card bills, and the eternal battle with the bulge. Anxiety can be triggered by poor eating habits and excessive coffee and alcohol intake. If you are guilty of the two bad habits, it is time now to change your lifestyle.
There are many different things which can cause anxiety and trigger attacks, but your diet and other lifestyle factors make a big difference. By limiting your intake of alcohol and caffeine, you can keep your anxiety levels lower and reduce anxiety attacks. Since caffeine is a stimulant, consuming excessive amounts of caffeine can worsen anxiety problems.
Too high an intake of alcohol or caffeine can knock your natural biochemical balance out of line and cause your nervous system to become overactive. Caffeine’s stimulating properties produce a feeling of elation, followed by anxiety as it makes its way out of your system. By cutting back on caffeine (or giving it up altogether), you’ll have more energy naturally and feel a lot calmer in general.
Alcohol is of course a depressant. Again, there is elation at first, followed by a fatigued, often anxious state. You should reduce or eliminate your alcohol intake if you want to reduce the frequency and severity of your anxiety attacks. It’s fine to have a drink or two on occasion, but if alcohol tends to cause you to become more anxious, then it should be avoided altogether. Make sure to drink enough water every day; dehydration causes your moods to destabilize and can also set off anxiety or panic attacks.
Eating smaller levels can also keep your anxiety under control. This keeps your blood sugar level steady; start with breakfast since this kicks off your metabolism for the day. Choose a healthy diet with lots of fresh vegetables, fruits and whole grains. A healthy diet boosts your serotonin levels, which gives you a sense of well-being and calm.
You should also incorporate tryptophan-rich foods into your diet. This amino acid is necessary for the production of melatonin and serotonin, which regulate moods and help you get restful sleep. Foods which are good sources of tryptophan include nuts, bananas, oats, dairy products, soy-based foods and poultry.
You also need plenty of fiber in your diet to combat anxiety. This regulates blood sugar. Menopausal women need extra calcium to reduce depression, fatigue and irritability. Anyone with anxiety issues may want to avoid the following foods which are problematic for many people – corn, shellfish, eggs, dairy product, wheat and nuts.
Salt is also something you should take in moderation. Since your body naturally produces sodium, too high of a dietary intake of sodium leads to high blood pressure and water retention as well as mood swings. Avoid junk food, fast food and other foods which contain excessive amounts of sodium. Curtail or eliminate artificial sweeteners and refined sugars as these can also increase your anxiety level and even worsen panic attacks.
Your diet has a lot of bearing on your overall anxiety level and a good diet can make anxiety attacks less frequent and less severe. However, if your anxiety is getting the best of you, see a doctor for their advice.
