Anxiety is a natural reaction to stress but too much anxiety can become a
debilitating condition and paralyze your ability to make rational decisions. As such certain food factors can exacerbate anxiety levels and have a negative impact on day to day
living. Aside from yoga, meditation and exercise, there are several key dietary
factors that could be helping or hindering symptoms of anxiety.
Dietary Changes for Anxiety
1. Switch to Decaf
Caffeine
stimulates the nervous system, and too much of it can be overwhelming to your brain.
It can cause nervousness and panic attacks. Caffeine is in coffee, tea,
pop, and even chocolate. Reducing the amount of caffeine you are eating will
show almost instant improvements for anxiety related restlessness and
irritability.
In some cases some people may also have a caffeine addiction, which is itself the cause of the feelings of anxiety.
2. Cut Back on Alcohol
When people
feel stressed they sometimes reach for a drink to "Calm their nerves."
Unfortunately booze causes dehydration, insomnia and too much will
just give you a hangover. Alcohol sometimes acts as a depressant that will bring out negative
emotions in some people. The source of their anxiety could end up
feeling even more exaggerated and ultimately, they wind up feeling even more
upset both mentally and physically.
3. Eat Complex Carbs
When
we're upset or anxious turning to comfort food is fairly common. Ice cream is a popular one if the comic strip Cathy is to be believed. Other xamples include chocolate, candy, potato chips, cookies, etc. The
problem with simple sugars, aside from being having no nutritional
value, is that they don't keep you full for very long, and cause a
constant craving for more sugar. Complex carbohydrates such as whole
grain breads, beans and legumes take longer to digest.So i nstead of
picking up chips when you're feeling anxious prepare some veggies and
hummus or even air popped popcorn instead.
I personally like carrot sticks and Jell-O in such situations.
Eating healthy and
avoiding anxiety inducing things like caffeine and alcohol is the first steps toward minimizing
anxiety. Or if you do consume those things also drink a lot of water to help minimize fatigue, headaches and
stress, all caused by dehydration.
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