As we are faced with the pandemic, numerous factors arise for people to suffer anxiety, such as having a vulnerable person in the family, risk of diseases, and following COVID-19 protocols. Although these are just some of the factors that may trigger a person to have or suffer from anxiety, still this mental condition shouldn’t be taken for granted. If you are one of those who suffer from or prone to this condition, you should need to know that there are several treatment options to surpass this condition. That includes mental training, cognitive behavioral therapy, and some medications. But did you know that the foods you eat and drink can affect the level or status of your anxiety? Research strongly suggests that nutrition plays an important role in the management and prevention of the symptoms of anxiety.
Anxiety is characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts, and physical changes like an increase in blood pressure and even nausea. This becomes a mental health disorder when associated with excessive nervousness, fear, worry, and anxious feeling. The symptoms include:
- Uncontrollable feeling of worry
- Increased irritability
- Restlessness
- Concentration difficulties
- Sleep difficulties, such as problems in falling or staying asleep
Eating a balanced diet, staying hydrated, and avoiding particular foods if you are suffering from this mental condition can help relieve anxiety. Study shows that cutting off alcohol, caffeine, and gluten-rich foods because these food items have been considered to disrupt gut function, cause inflammation, and are not healthy for the brain. Enhancing your diet with high rich antioxidants may help ease symptoms of anxiety disorder. According to a study, these are the foods high in antioxidants:
- Dried small, red kidney, black, pinto
- Apples, prunes, sweet cherries, plums
- Strawberries, Blackberries, cranberries, raspberries, blueberries
- Walnuts, Pecans
- Spinach, Broccoli, beets, kale, artichokes
- Turmeric, and ginger
These are foods that are considered to be “feel-good” foods that spur the release of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine. Other foods such as salmon contain omega 3-fatty acids that can help reduce anxiety. Asparagus, its extract as a food and beverage ingredient has anti-anxiety properties according to a Chinese government study. Foods are rich in Vitamin B like avocadoes and almonds.
Food can greatly impact our physical and mental wellness. If you keep eating the wrong foods, you're simply setting yourself up to feel inactive & depressed every day. Building better mental health is strong work. There is so much that can help, exercise, having a regular sleep schedule, therapy, and more importantly eating healthy foods that help relieve anxiety. eating This can be said as ‘eating your way to mental health’. Much more, doing research, and consulting or asking specialists is much better. We can’t change the past, but we can create a better future for ourselves and our mental health by starting with a proper diet. Happily, there are now many resources available on how we can use nutrition to build strong mental health.
NOI Kimberly Tanador, RND
References:
What to Know About Anxiety?
Written by Medically reviewed by Dillon Browne, Ph.D. — Written by Adam Felman on January 11, 2020
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323454
Nutritional Strategies to ease Anxiety
By: Uma Naidoo, MD
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/nutritional-strategies-to-ease-anxiety-201604139441#:~:text=Foods%20naturally%20rich%20in%20magnesium,been%20linked%20to%20lowered%20anxiety.
Healthy Diet a Tool to Reduce Anxiety and Depression
By: Sarah Khan and Rafeeq Alam Khan
