Symptoms of both chronic and acute anxiety are similar: general heightened alertness, a feeling of sudden fear, heart palpitations, chest tightness, or dizziness. While tranquilisers and antidepressant medications are available to treat anxiety, many cases can be treated successfully with a natural remedy: healthy eating and supplementation.
Significant increases and drops in blood sugar can most definitely affect your mood. Eating sugar and processed carbohydrates causes these swings, which tax your body and can promote anxiety. Low-glycemic foods such as almonds or a protein smoothie can help balance your blood sugar levels and smooth out those mood bumps.
Stress and anxiety deplete your body of minerals such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, and phosphorus. Fresh foods including asparagus, bananas, apricots, broccoli, avocados, raw nuts, green leafy vegetables, organic yogurt, garlic, fish and legumes are all good choices to replenish these lost minerals. Avocados contain high amounts of potassium, which has been shown to lower blood pressure.
Also, when we are stressed, our bodies become more vulnerable to free radical damage. Certain herbs have anti-oxidant properties and can help the body recover. These herbs include milk thistle, ginkgo biloba and bilberry. Any food with flavanoids will be high in free-radical neutralising anti-oxidants. However, although chocolate has flavanoids, it also has stimulants, so beware (see below).
Stimulants of any kind make stress and anxiety worse. So, we should avoid all kinds of foods and drinks that might make us feel more wired: coffee, soda pop, chocolate, black tea or any drink that contains caffeine. To relax without getting sleeping, try such drinks as peppermint tea and rooibos tea. Green tea is also rich in anti-oxidants and research suggests that the ECCG green tea contains helps protect against a wide variety of brain-related diseases.
Supplements can help you manage your mood too. There are high-quality vitamin B complex supplements that are specifically formulated for stress and anxiety. Women often need more B vitamins because the birth control pill can deplete those vitamins, and some women don’t consume enough B vitamins in their diet to compensate. In addition, research published in the journal psychopharmacology has shown that vitamin D supplementation during winter can counteract seasonal downturns in mood. Research results regarding the effect of omega-3 fatty acids on mood have been controversial, but most studies suggest that omega-3s have a beneficial effect on mood and help to prevent neurodegenerative diseases.
Sleep deprivation can definitely contribute to anxiety and a poor mood. Walnuts contain melatonin, a natural sleep inducing substance that can help you get a better night’s rest.
In addition to changes related to food, relaxation strategies can work synergistically with what you eat to help eliminate stress and anxiety. Twice a day, try a deep breathing exercise for at least 5 minutes. Just sit quietly, breathing in and out of your nose, expanding your belly instead of raising your shoulders upon inhaling. This kind of activity controls your body’s relaxation response through the vagus nerve and is a powerful and quick way to counteract the stress response.
