Anxiety is a feeling of fear, worry or nervousness. Extreme distress and feelings of dread is constant when someone is suffering with anxiety and it can affect their daily lives. You may get anxious before your driving test, worried that you may not get your licence.
In today’s world, stressful situations are constant and also ever-present due to the demands and needs we have from life, certain unrealistic goals that we set. Stress & anxiety affects our health both mentally and physically.
We all have different ways to cope and comfort ourselves when stressed and anxious. Some of them take a nap, few may prefer going for a walk, listening to music. However, a lot of us end up eating comfort food. To seek this comfort, we end up eating the wrong food. So, why not make the best use of this and try choosing the right food to help us calm our nerves.
However, there is no magic food that can cure or treat anxiety and stress. There are a few shifts we can make in our food choices that have mood boosting properties. These food items won’t eliminate anxiety entirely. Remember, these are just mood boosting food.
Here are 9 foods that will help you reduce anxiety-
- Including turmeric (Haldi) in your diet- Turmeric roots have an antioxidant called curcumin. It helps promote brain health and also prevents anxiety. This antioxidant is also used for treating anxiety and depression. It boosts serotonin and dopamine. Haldi has multiple benefits and is considered part of traditional medicine in India.
- Green tea- Green tea acts as a stress relief drink. It relaxes your mind and your body too. Green tea has an Amino acid L-theanine that relaxes your brains and also influences the levels of dopamine and serotonin to improve your mood. A typical cup can take an hour or more to show its effects.
- Oatmeal- Again, oatmeal also causes your brain to produce serotonin. It is a feel-good chemical with antioxidant properties. When you eat oatmeal for breakfast, your day is sharper and more active.
- Spinach- It is one of the most nutritious green leafy vegetables with nutrients like Vitamin A, K, folic acid. It is also magnesium rich. This property of spinach regulates cortisol levels and further promotes feelings of well being. You can also take an adventure and experiment with different leafy vegetables.
- Dark chocolate- The name of it makes most of them feel good already. However, chocolate contains some compounds that help reduce stress, anxiety and make you feel calmer. Eating a cube of dark chocolate everyday reduces anxiety and make you feel calmer.
- Yoghurt- Introducing yoghurt in your breakfast can help you get a dose of brain benefitting probiotics. Yoghurt and fermented food have been shown to help lower stress. You can also add fresh blueberries in the yoghurt and double the anxiety fighting nutrients. Blueberries are rich in Vitamin C. Vitamin C is proven to reduce anxiety levels.
- Almonds- Pack a few almonds for yourself as a snack. Almonds have Vitamin B and that promotes healthy brain functioning, it balances neurotransmitters and helps reduce stress. Almonds also have magnesium that promotes feeling good.
- Omega 3 for dinner- Omega 3 is healthy fats in different kinds of foods like salmon, sea bass, shrimps, edamame and kidney beans. These fatty acids are said to decrease anxiety. Salmon is one of the best anxiety fighters and also contains Vitamin D which promotes your brain health.
- Complex Carbs- Carbohydrates will increase the production of serotonin in the brain. If choosing mood-lifting carbs, go for whole grains like whole wheat bread, brown rice rather than processed carbs, such as sugar, candy, white bread. Whole grain takes longer for the body to break down. However, processed carbs give you the initial surge of energy, leading to drop in blood sugar that can make you feel lethargic.
Remember one thing : Don’t expect these foods to magically reduce your anxiety in a day! A yoghurt won’t prevent anxiety when you receive work emails or have social anxiety. But when you are anxious, it will help you feel better.
In order to deal and manage anxiety from the root level, therapy is something you need to consider and go for. Therapy like CBT can help you manage your anxiety.
We did speak about foods that can help you reduce anxiety. But, let’s also see anxiety inducing food-
- Alcohol
- Caffeine
- Diet Soda
- Refined carbs
- Added sugar
- Processed food
- Soy sauce
Again, not saying that you “shouldn’t” eat these foods at all! Just be careful of what you eat and drink when anxious. Food items like caffeine and sugar can give you a sudden rush of sugar in your body, further increasing your energy levels. A heightened energy can make your anxiety worse and leave you feeling restless.