Foods to Help Combat Stress and Anxiety
The numbers of infected and dying of COVID-19 are rising at an alarming rate. My phone’s news alerts are chiming at least hourly. How can we not be experiencing some stress and anxiety?
Yesterday I talked about being mindful when eating. I had my salad last night, sat down to the table and made a conscious effort to thoroughly taste and experience my food.
Day 14 - Foods to help combat Stress and Anxiety
Today, I would like to discuss some foods that are recommended to help keep stress and anxiety in check.
The relationship between food and mood, including stress, is increasingly being studied and is gaining validation in both the psychiatric and medical communities.
Tips for living a low-stress diet life
First off, drinking water like we talked about last week and staying well hydrated is of extreme importance. Also, avoiding or reducing alcohol and caffeine will help reduce anxiety.
In addition, keeping your blood sugar well regulated by eating a diet of complex carbohydrates and not skipping meals, keeps your blood sugar level stable and gives you a feeling of calm.
On the contrary, eating a diet of simple carbohydrates such as processed foods, sugar, and fatty fried foods, will cause fluctuations of blood sugar and cause inflammation which may worsen underlying anxiety.
Below is a list of recommended foods to help combat stress and anxiety:
Foods rich in whole grains, vegetables, and fruits are much wiser choices than eating simple carbohydrates found in processed foods.
Katie Rankell, RD, CDE writes “Whole grains are rich in magnesium and tryptophan, both of which have been shown to lessen anxiety and improve mood”. Nuts, legumes, and dark leafy greens are also rich in magnesium.
Katie Rankell, RD, CDE also reports that Asparagus is known to reduce anxiety, so much so that the Chinese government approved asparagus extract as a natural functional food to reduce anxiety.
Also, choose foods rich in B vitamins such as avocados and almonds to help reduce stress.
Uma Naidoo, MD writes that foods rich in zinc have an anti-anxiety effect such as oysters, egg yolks and cashews.
Fatty fish such as Wild Alaskan salmon has been shown in a study to reduce anxiety and stress.
Since 95% of serotonin receptors are found in the gut, Research is looking at how probis can treat anxiety and depression. Probiotic rich foods such as pickles and sauerkraut are being studied to see how they can reduce stress.
Antioxidant rich foods such as Beans, fruits, berries, nuts, vegetables and spices such as turmeric and ginger may help lessen the symptoms of anxiety.
Lastly, don’t forget dark chocolate! This decadent delight reduces cortisol, the stress hormone and can improve your mood!
Adding these foods to a well balanced diet, staying well hydrated with water, and practicing mindful eating will help improve your mood and help decrease the anxiety you may be experiencing during this crisis.
Step #14 - Keep a food & mood journal.
There are a lot of great apps that you can download to help you keep track of your food intake and simultaneously track your mood and emotions. (see below for websites to food journal apps.)
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/nutritional-strategies-to-ease-anxiety-201604139441
https://www.ucihealth.org/blog/2018/11/food-anxiety